ESPHome Dashboard: Really? Require USB attach when I have dozens of devices already running ESPHome?

ESPHome
1

I would actually consider migrating to HAOS and the ESPHome dashboard (which looks super cool), except that it requires me to connect a device via USB to integrate it. What if I already have mounted wall switches that have happily been running ESPHome for years? I have to un-mount them, disassemble them to get at the headers, and re-integrate them? That’s kind of silly, though I get that requiring this step prevents accidental bricked devices.

All I’d like to see is the ability to import an existing YAML file, use esphome logs FILENAME.YAML or similar to prove that I can connect to it, do some API magic to verify it can connect to HA or something. I find it horribly clunky to do this when my devices are already fully ESPHome functional.

Rant over. Carry on. I at least get to use templating when I manage it on my own.

2

AFAIK you don’t have to do this.
Copy your yank files and create new devices using the add-on
Then copy the file content.
Ha will probably detect esphome devices instant. If not you can just OTA flash using the webinterface.
No serial flashing needed.

3

You definitely do not have to.

Moving the yaml files to config/esphome is all that is required.

1 Like
4

You get access to the filesystem? I thought it was all walled off behind the ha> prompt and no real shell access.

5

You can use add ons for that. For file access. I use vs code.
But you can also use file editor.

Next to that you can install ssh add on.

6

I have devices I can update from the HA ESPHome add-on, or using the command line ESPHome from my laptop. I’ve actually bounced back and forth between the two without touching the hardware. I just have to keep the copies of the yaml files synced up in both places.