Exploring ESPHome and Local-Only Home Automation

General
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Hey everyone! I’ve been diving into the world of ESPHome and local-only home automation, and I wanted to share my experiences and some questions I have along the way. :rocket:

I recently set up an ESP32 to control some LED lights in my garage, and it’s been a fascinating journey. Initially, I struggled with getting the ESP32 to connect reliably to my WiFi network. After some research, I discovered that changing my router’s channel width to 20MHz made a huge difference! :tada: I’m now able to maintain a stable connection, which is crucial for my use case.

One thing I’m really curious about is how others track people or devices in a completely offline setup. I’ve heard that WiFi tracking isn’t feasible with my current routers, and the ESPHome Companion app doesn’t report updates when I’m away. Does anyone have a creative solution for this? I’m thinking maybe using Bluetooth beacons or some kind of motion sensors, but I’m not entirely sure. Any insights would be super helpful! :eyes:

Another project I’m working on is automating my garage lights. I have a MyQ garage door and a Wyze motion sensor. I tried setting up an automation where the lights turn on when the garage door opens and the motion sensor detects movement, but it’s not working as expected. Here’s my current setup:

yaml

  • id: ‘1583884149495’
    alias: Welcome Home
    description: ‘’
    trigger:
    • entity_id: cover.garage_door
      platform: state
      to: open
      condition:
    • condition: state
      entity_id: binary_sensor.wyzesense_779034ec
      state: ‘on’
      action:
    • data: {}
      entity_id: light.36017824d8f15bcba1a1
      service: light.turn_on

I’m wondering if there’s a better way to structure this or if I’m missing something in the configuration. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! :thinking:

On a lighter note, I’ve also been experimenting with some fun projects, like making my lights flash in sync with my music using Govee bulbs. It’s a great way to add some personality to my home setup! :notes:

Overall, I’m really enjoying the challenge of setting up a local-only system. It’s a bit more hands-on, but it’s rewarding to see everything come together. If anyone has tips, tricks, or stories to share, I’d love to hear them! Thanks for being such an awesome community! :raised_hands: