How To NEVER Touch a Light Switch EVER Again! | Home Assistant + ESPHome Full Example

Combining ESPHome, Home Assistant, motion, time, date, and outdoor illuminance to create a fully automated lighting scene for a room.
If you ever wanted to have one of those magic rooms where the lights automatically adjust to the perfect levels every time you walk in, this is the video where I show how to do just that!
This video includes the following steps to show how to accomplish this task.
1. Using motion sensors and ESPHome to trigger automation in Home Assistant
2. Using Home Assistant automation to turn sets of lights on and off based on day and time
3. Adjusting light brightness based on how bright it is outside in your area using a software-based illuminance sensor
4. Use home assistant Jinja2 Templates for custom logic
5. Use light templates to code custom behavior for your lights.
These combined create a completely hands-free lighting experience for a room, and it's fairly easy once you understand the parts involved.
Software used:
Home Assistant: www.home-assistant.io/
ESPHome: esphome.io/index.html
Hardware Used:
ESP32: geni.us/LB99
Motion sensor: geni.us/4ZwJe2u
Breadboard: geni.us/AdB0cA
Jumpers: geni.us/MkogSjk
Other docs mentioned in this video:
Github repo of all my sample code: github.com/askcloudarchitech/...
Home assistant templating: www.home-assistant.io/docs/co...
Home assistant light templates: www.home-assistant.io/integra...
Software-based illuminance sensor: www.home-assistant.io/integra...
ESPHome motion sensor config: esphome.io/components/binary_...
00:00 - Automating 4 light sources with Home Assistant and ESPHome
00:14 - All about the lights
00:41 - Controlling lights in 4 different ways
01:24 - Setting up a motion sensor with ESP Home
02:46 - Home Assistant Features used for this automation
03:11 - Setting up the Home Assistant automation
05:17 - The Idea of "Relative Brightness"
06:07 - Home Assistant Light Template Setup
07:21 - Creating a Jinja2 Macro in Home Assistant
09:13 - Home Assistant Helper Entities
09:32 - Timelapse of end result!

[@Fatih4811]

Wow! Good job

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@HATipsByLarry]

Good video. I use a BH1750 Light/Lux sensor a LD2410C mmWave/Presence sensor (doesn't require you to keep moving to detect motion like a PIR sensor does) and a D1 mini ESP32 MCU This allows me to turn off any lamp when no one is in the room with a simple automation and to turn on a lamp when the LD2410C detects a person but only when there is not enough light (BH1750 sensor) in the room to need it. This way you don't have to worry about the time of day or if you have the curtains open or closed in a room. I also use z-wave in wall light switches for overhead lights.

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

Thanks! I’m going to try out a mmWave sensor for some other rooms in my house and probably make a video about it.

[@TheZuner1]

I like the video, an Idea would be deep dive into the home assistance code, you explained it well, however it seems home assistant code is not so well known as i often struggle to find syntax and or available functions etc. will be looking at your yaml as i can learn a lot, thanks.

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

thats a good suggestion. i can definitely do that.

[@Frentraken]

All the cool kids are using mm wave sensors instead of pir so you get presence sensing from the sensor, and not just motion sensing.

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

ill try it out!

[@kezif]

Wow didnt knew that you could make smart house app using esp. I even have some laying around. Gotta try, thanks

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

Super cheap and not too difficult. Have fun!

[@AgentOffice]

Fun

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

Yes very fun! It’s a bunch of little details but I’m super happy with the final product.

[@paradoxnafi]

Help, Russian guy playing disco wit my lights

[@N1rOx]

Help he playing hard bass through fridge

[@AdeAiman]

13 comments?

[@LearnFastMakeThings]

Thanks for the comment!