this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2025
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Get an ESP32, a temperature sensor, and 4x relay board and build your own with esphome!
If you pull the instructions for your thermostat, the wiring guide should tell you what each wire is for (because you can't trust wire colors). From there it's just wiring up the relays properly, getting the config built in esphome, and setting up a generic thermostat.
It sounds kinda daunting, but it's really not super complex. The only gotchas too look out for are any of the relays that can't be on when another relay is on. There's a way to prevent that in esphome. I'm sure someone has made a guide on it by now. I would have made one if I had gotten my enclosure figured out before my 3D printer took a hiatus.
No need for this. A Z-Wave or Zigbee thermostat does the same thing.
I bought a Honeywell Z-Wave thermostat because I have a more complicated HVAC setup than the typical American home. It was one of the few I could find that was compliant with a home automation protocol that didn't require something that announced its existence to the Internet. It's been solidly reliable, replacing my dead Nest thermostat.
The thermostat:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HFL7R44
Not multistage, but it's a heat pump with auxiliary heat. I have multiple zones controlled by dampers, too, soni have two of these thermostats.
The Google Nest Mini is a smart speaker, not the smart thermostat with a similar name.
I know it's not the same, but my ecobee is fine and i think it avoids most mass surveillance stuff. They nuked the API but beetstat.io is cheap and nice.
If you want just a temp sensor https://apolloautomation.com/products/temp-1
The Nest Mini is not a thermostat.