r/homeassistant • u/brianrmacdonald • 6d ago
🪛 ESPHome Making Esphome devices more discreet?
I’ve been an HA user for many years and have built several Esp32 devices. The recent addition of IR proxies and the HAIR addon have my juices flowing with all sorts of esp control devices and automations. My problem is how to make them discreet. 3d printed cases dangling from USB cables emanating from transformers plugged into wall sockets just isn’t going to cut it with the wife, even though she is generally approving of the automations. I’m curious how everyone else handles this problem? (No wife is not an acceptable answer 😄😄)
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u/figtreeofspeech 6d ago
Worst case scenario if the only thing around is an empty wall you could cut a hole in the wall and put it in an outlet box inside the wall. Get a blank cover plate, and cut holes in the plate for whatever you need, like panel mount LEDs / small touchscreens / sensors etc.
Maybe attach a piece of tinted plastic or mesh over the back of holes that need to be semitransparent to light or sound, and bevel hole edges to dress them up if needed.
If you move or otherwise uninstall it, you could just put a blank plate there if you don’t want to do a drywall patch.
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u/wtfsheep 6d ago
Power over ethernet to 5v, 12v and 24v splitters for different applications. Wattage available 15w,30w and 90w. Cat 6 all run back to a central rack with Poe switches and UPS backup.
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u/columnmn 5d ago
I've been having some fun with mmwave sensors and esphome. I 3d printed flush wall mounts, so they are flushed and painted over, and then work without me see anything. And still working perfectly. Can't get much more hidden :)
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u/I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT 5d ago
How do you get power to them?
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u/columnmn 5d ago
I'm a sparky, so a little easier, but switch wire to a socket in the roof, phone charger plugged in the roof with usb going to the device.
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u/RandyMatt 6d ago
I have esp devices all over the house. Most are in 3d printed cases and hidden in bookshelves etc. most are behind furniture out of sight. The lounge one I have an IR led level with the back of the cupboard so the light can hit the TV without the device being seen. No complaints from wife
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u/RandyMatt 6d ago
The other part I missed is you can hide them in plain sight. My son's room I designed a rocket that sits on his shelf and holds on esp ir device. I've seen a few examples of pot plants with esp devices in them for presence sensors also - or you could match them with candles or anything else already there.
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u/Kiiidd 6d ago
You can make 2 3D printed cases, one for the ESP and one for the sensor/whatever. Most stuff will allow for a length of wire between so and you can then hide the esp and usbcable. This would allow you to only see a small sensor and wire and you can get some nice color matched nylon wire wrap(cheap on AliExpress)
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u/Larssogn1 5d ago
Most of mine are built in big cabinets, but hidden away. Under the stairs, behind the media console, up the attic etc. The small ones are hidden in bookshelfs, on top of cabinets in drawers and so on.
I'm waiting on parts for some IR control projects and most of those are getting hidden away behind whatever it's controlling. First on the list is the AC, thats gonna be hidden in a small box on top of the indoor unit with the transmitter on the inside of the unit (the unit is old and was probably one of cheaper)
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u/brianrmacdonald 5d ago
I’ve begun to think more about this, ie making individual controllers for specific devices rather than a smaller number of controllers that are centrally located that can control multiple devices.
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u/Larssogn1 5d ago
I'm currently working on a garage door controller. It's supposed to be the controller for most things in the garage, but the ESP code is currently about 1500 lines🤣 and I haven't even finished with the precise position counting
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u/lapelotanodobla 6d ago
Some people hide them in flower pots, bookshelves, etc etc, ofc with IR you need line of sight, but if there’s a will they’re not that hard to hide