Customized SmartHome - Repurposing ESP32 chip

How I Started Repurposing the ESP32 - Custom Smart Home

My smart-home journey didn’t start with a fancy device — it started with frustration. I tried using off-the-shelf smart switches and plugs, but everything depended on the internet and cloud servers. If the connection dropped, even switching on a light became unreliable. It didn’t make sense to me that a device inside my own room needed to talk to a server halfway across the world just to turn on a lamp.

That’s when I decided to build my own system.

Instead of buying new hardware, I looked at what I already had — old Sonoff smart switches powered by ESP8266 and ESP32 modules. These chips are incredibly capable, especially when flashed with the right firmware. I installed Tasmota to remove cloud dependency and give myself complete control over the device logic.

From there, everything scaled naturally. I created local MQTT communication, automated lighting, and built a room-wide system that runs entirely offline. It doesn't break when Wi-Fi drops or the internet fails. It also became a playground for experimentation — custom automations, device-to-device communication, and even connecting it to my Counter-Strike gameplay, where room lights react in real-time to in-game events.

What started as a side project became a full ecosystem powered by ESP chips, Linux servers, Tasmota, and MQTT. More importantly, it showed me how much creativity lies in repurposing existing technology instead of replacing it. With a soldering iron, open-source tools, and curiosity, I turned my room into a fully custom smart-space — built the way I wanted it to work.

Re-flashing old ESP8266 and ESP32 chips with custom firmware