This open-source adapter turns any USB keyboard right into a Home Assistant management panel
Home Assistant presents a ton of the way to work together along with your gadgets, from voice management to digital buttons on dashboards. Sometimes, nonetheless, essentially the most handy choice is to make use of an actual bodily button. The KeyBridge undertaking lets you use your outdated USB keyboards as sensible residence controllers, supplying you with an entire keyboard filled with sensible buttons.
Turn an outdated USB keyboard into a wise residence controller
Every key can set off a special motion
Smart buttons could be actually helpful for triggering automations or controlling sensible residence gadgets. The downside is that they are often comparatively costly, and a single sensible button could solely supply a handful of various triggers. You could have appeared wistfully at your outdated USB keyboard, wishing that you might use every of these keys as a devoted sensible residence button.
The KeyBridge project goals to do precisely that. It can flip an outdated USB keyboard or macropad right into a Home Assistant controller, with out the necessity to plug the system into a pc. Instead of the pc decoding the keypresses, KeyBridge does it, and passes the details about which key was pressed on to Home Assistant.
This implies that an affordable keyboard can change into a wise residence controller with dozens of various buttons. You might assign the L key to toggling the lounge lights, have the down arrow shut your blinds, or have the area bar pause your present media.
While a full-size keyboard offers you essentially the most choices, it’s not at all times sensible. A smaller system reminiscent of a macropad or numeric keypad may work with KeyBridge, supplying you with loads of sensible residence controls in a smaller system.
A tiny ESP32 board makes the magic occur
KeyBridge turns keypresses into Home Assistant actions
KeyBridge is powered by a small circuit board constructed round an ESP32 microcontroller. The key function that the board presents is USB host performance.
A USB keyboard often acts as a peripheral and sends data to a number pc that turns the keypresses into the related actions. KeyBridge makes use of an ESP32 with USB host capabilities to speak on to the keyboard in order that a pc isn’t wanted.
Not each ESP32 helps USB host operation, so the undertaking makes use of the ESP32-S2 within the present design, though you might obtain comparable outcomes with a appropriate ESP32 and a USB breakout board. When a key’s pressed, KeyBridge receives the enter and shares it with Home Assistant by way of ESPHome. You can then use that enter nonetheless you need, from triggering automations to controlling particular gadgets.
KeyBridge 2.0 has made the undertaking even simpler to make use of
A smaller design with native ESPHome assist
The first model of KeyBridge appeared in 2025 and proved in style. The creator revealed the firmware and PCB design information, so it was attainable to construct your individual KeyBridge system.
After suggestions from customers, KeyBridge 2.0 is now obtainable. The two large modifications are that the circuit board is extra compact than the unique KeyBridge, and that there’s now native ESPHome support.
The smaller board makes it a bit of simpler to cover KeyBridge away. If you’re mounting a keypad on a wall, for instance, you don’t need an enormous circuit board hanging out the underside of it.
Native ESPHome assist implies that KeyBridge now makes use of ESPHome’s standard tools and talks on to Home Assistant somewhat than utilizing a separate firmware system. You should buy the parts, construct the system, flash the firmware, after which add the system to Home Assistant by ESPHome simply as with different ESPHome gadgets.
If you do not wish to construct your individual KeyBridge, you may preorder ready-made KeyBridge 2.0 boards. The board prices $35, and there’s an preliminary manufacturing run of 150 deliberate, however they’re not prone to ship till the tip of the 12 months.
A keyboard controller could be actually helpful
Numeric keypads additionally supply plenty of potentialities
Using a USB keyboard to manage your sensible residence may not appear to be an apparent alternative, however there’s rather a lot you are able to do utilizing one. Full-size keyboards offer you extra keys to play with, however smaller gadgets reminiscent of macropads and numeric keypads could be extra sensible.
For instance, you might use a macropad as a desk controller to manage the gadgets in your house workplace. One key might management your lights, one other might energy your desk fan, one other might flip the sensible bulb exterior your workplace pink to point that you simply’re on a name, and so forth.
A USB keypad may make an incredible media controller. You might use one key to play and pause your content material, have a button to rewind the media by 30 seconds, one other to activate the subtitles, and so forth.
A USB keyboard might change into a bedside controller. You might use it to manage the primary lights, to manage every particular person bedside lamp, to alter the lighting scene, to regulate the heating, and also have a button to run your bedtime routine. If you’ve ever regretted the dearth of sensible buttons in your sensible residence, KeyBridge could be an effective way to show an outdated system into a brand new controller.
Sometimes you simply wish to push a button
To my thoughts, a wise residence ought to work utilizing automation somewhat than counting on guide management. Sometimes, nonetheless, it’s worthwhile to management issues manually, and whereas dashboards are nice, there’s nothing fairly like pushing an actual button. KeyBridge makes that easy to do with {hardware} chances are you’ll already personal.
