Seeed Studio Promises a "No-Code" Three-Minute Setup to Add mmWave Human Detection to Home Assistant
Using a customized ESPHome firmware, Seeed promises a three-minute setup process — from power-on to configured.
Seeed Studio has announced a code-free way to get human presence detection working in a Home Assistant setup, using its new XIAO ESP32-C3-powered mmWave Human Detection Sensor Kit.
"Achieving a seamless integration between hardware and software can sometimes pose challenges. Recognizing these obstacles, we are dedicated to listening to your feedback and taking meaningful actions to enhance your experience," says Seeed's Sue Guan of its latest launch.
"Our ready-to-use, open source mmWave Human Detection Sensor Kit is driven by the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3. This kit comes with an onboard 24GHz mmWave Human Static Presence Module Lite, which can be swapped out for any mmWave series sensor from Seeed."
Ready-to-use, though, typically only refers to the hardware, with the software side of things left up to the buyer to sort. Not this time, though: "We've introduced a no-code approach to set up [the sensor with] your Home Assistant which involves only a few easy steps," Guan says, "completing installation in one to two minutes without any coding complexities."
The company's five-step process promises full functionality without ever touching a single bit of program code: power the kit up with a USB Type-C supply, connect to the preconfigured Wi-Fi hotspot, access the on-board browser-based configuration system to link the sensor to your own home network, add the device into Home Assistant with a few clicks, and then add the sensor to a dashboard. The only time the user has to see any code is in pasting a replacement for the stock configuration, if desired, to change the order in which the sensor's functions are presented.
"We recognize that not everyone possesses coding expertise," Guan explains, "so this no-code setup approach aims to sidestep the complexities of coding, enabling even those with minimal technical background to seamlessly integrate their mmWave sensors with Home Assistant."
The full guide is available on the Seeed Studio wiki, while the sensor kit is available to order from the company's webshop for $26.99 before volume discounts — though shipping is delayed pending a restock in early October.