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Introducing the ESPHome Starter Kit! The easiest path to building your own smart home devices – no soldering, breadboarding, or coding required.

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Custom smart home devices, built by you

When you can’t find the smart home device you need in a store, build it yourself! Turn inexpensive components into sensors, switches, displays, and more – just tell ESPHome what to do and it handles the rest, with no need to code unless you want to.

Begin here
No complex coding Simple configuration files do the work for you
Wireless updates Upgrade devices remotely over WiFi – no cables needed
Modular design Choose from hundreds of components to suit your project
Local control Run your devices on your own network, without the cloud

How ESPHome works

Building your own smart home device from scratch can feel daunting, particularly if you’re not familiar with coding. Not with ESPHome. Its intuitive Device Builder replaces code with simple visual choices for a hassle-free setup that brings you straight into building without touching a command line. And for experienced users who prefer writing code manually, YAML is always there if you need it. Every device works out of the box with Home Assistant, too – locally, privately, and securely.

Whether you’re building your first sensor or managing fifty devices, the initial workflow stays the same…

Step 1: Choose & configure

Select your board and components using the visual Device Builder or a YAML file. Pick sensors from the catalog and set your options without writing code.

Step 2: Build & install

ESPHome installs your configuration to your device straight from your browser, or wirelessly over the air.

Step 3: Connect & control

Your new device automatically pops up in Home Assistant over your local network: no cloud accounts or external servers required.

Begin setup

Ready to bring your smart home ideas to life? Grab a board (such as our official ESPHome Starter Kit or an ESP32 development board) and install in the way that suits you:

Choose your hardware

If you’re new to this type of hardware, we recommend the ESPHome Starter Kit: the easiest way to make your own smart home devices, and your gateway to learning ESPHome. The kit includes an ESP-32 board, ribbon cables, and a snap-apart panel with four modules (motion, temperature and humidity, notification, and button) – each one ready to become its own smart device. With all the components you need, along with a Learning Wiki and the visual ESPHome Device Builder, you can skip the guesswork and start building right away.

For the simplest setup: ESPHome Desktop App

A complete package containing everything you need to install with one click.

Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Download Desktop App

A step-by-step guide

Our documentation walks you through everything from setting up your first device to more advanced configurations. Begin with our Get Started guide, then explore from there.

Open the Get Started guide

Ready-Made Projects: The fast route to a finished device

While installing ESPHome gives you freedom to build smart home devices your way, you may not need custom configuration. If you just want to quickly turn a board into a Bluetooth proxy, voice assistant, or media player for example, our Ready-Made Projects are the answer. They’re pre-configured to work with Home Assistant straightaway, so you can install them directly from your browser in a single click: no need to install ESPHome.

Explore Ready-Made Projects

Pick your first project

Now you’re set up it’s time to get cooking! Here are a few practical recipes to help you build your very first project – there’s something to suit all experience levels.

Join our community

Tap into the knowledge and experience of the thousands of makers already using ESPHome. Get advice, troubleshoot tricky setups, and learn directly from people who’ve been there.

Discord

Chat with the community in real time.

Join Discord

Home Assistant Forum

Ask questions and share projects.

Visit Forum

GitHub

Follow development or contribute.

Go to GitHub

Supported microcontrollers

ESP32

The modern standard for DIY smart devices. Powerful, budget-friendly, and packed with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

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ESP8266

The original low-cost Wi-Fi microcontroller. Ideal for basic sensors and simple projects.

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RP2040 / RP2350

Raspberry Pi’s custom microcontroller. Great for high-performance projects and wired USB setups.

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BK72xx, RTL87xx, nRF52 and LN882

Alternative wireless chips found in many off-the-shelf smart plugs and light bulbs (e.g. Nordic, Beken and Realtek).

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Desktop

Run and test ESPHome components on your computer without any physical hardware connected.

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