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ESPHome lets you build genuinely custom sensors for a fraction of the cost of commercial smart home devices, once you’re comfortable with basic wiring and flashing firmware.
An ESP32 dev board as the universal starting point
Nearly every ESPHome DIY project starts with an ESP32 board — cheap, well-documented, and directly supported by ESPHome’s configuration system.
- The esp32s module has 38 pins and has more features than a 30-pin module, narrower width, compatible with breadboard
- ESP32 is a WiFi+Bluetooth chip developed. It is designed to provide access network functionality for embedded products.
- ESP32s development board support Lua program, easy to develop, support of three modes: AP, STA and AP + STA.
A temperature and humidity sensor for basic environmental monitoring
A simple DHT22 or SHT31 sensor paired with an ESP32 gives you room-level temperature and humidity data for a fraction of a commercial smart sensor’s price.
- Main Chip: AOSONG AM2302 High Sensitive Temperature Humidity Sensor
- Single-bus digital signal output, bidirectional serial data
- With fixing screw hole, convenient to install and fixed
A breadboard and jumper wire kit for prototyping
A basic breadboard kit makes it far easier to prototype a sensor circuit before committing to a permanent soldered installation, worth having on hand for any ongoing ESPHome experimentation.
- Each cable length: about 20 cm /8-inch
- The cables can be separated to form an assembly containing the number of wires you require for your connection and to support n…
- Including 1X 40-pin male to female jumper wires, 1X 40-pin male to male jumper wires, 1×40-pin female to female jumper wires
Start with a single simple sensor project before attempting anything complex — ESPHome’s learning curve is real, but a working temperature sensor is a solid, achievable first project.