About I Make Things

I Make Things is a small collection of projects by a home-automation hobbyist who runs Home Assistant at home and builds sensors and controllers out of ESP32 boards. It's the umbrella for two projects:

• ESP Projects: 16 build guides and two free tools for ESPHome and Home Assistant.
• Nudge: a budget and debt payoff app for iPhone and Android.

Why build it yourself

Off-the-shelf smart home gear is convenient, but much of it depends on a company's servers and stops working when they change their mind. A device you build with ESPHome runs locally, does exactly what you need, and costs a fraction of the commercial version. The trade-off is that you have to know what you're doing. These guides exist to close that gap.

How it's funded

Everything here is free. The sites are supported by ads and by affiliate links: some product links go to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That never changes which parts a guide recommends. See the privacy policy for how ads and cookies work here.

Independence

I Make Things isn't affiliated with ESPHome, Home Assistant, the Open Home Foundation, Espressif, Amazon or any parts vendor.

Questions or corrections: contact page.