Monitor a HA sensor in ESPHome

ESPHome
1

I’m trying to accomplish something with ESPHome and have run into a significant hurdle that I can’t seem to overcome. So, with apologies, I’m reaching out to this community for some basic help.

I want an ESPHome device that monitors a handful of HA sensors and appropriately represents their values using simple LEDs–like if the outside garage door is open, show a red LED, closed show a green LED. I can then use that device for a quick home safety check before bed.

While prototyping this device, I set up a Toggle Helper in HA and I’m trying to generate debug output on its value. However, the ESPHome device (mini-ESP32) doesn’t seem to track the value (or my code is whacked).

No matter the value of the toggle, the ESP debug output always reads:

[15:35:11][D][custom:064]: 3 sec heartbeat
[15:35:11][D][custom:068]: 0

Here’s the minimal YAML code I’m using, with the test_toggle helper in HA. Any hints would be greatly appreciated! (FWIW, using the latest HA and ESPHome)

substitutions:
  name: esphome-web-13ab64
  friendly_name: status-tracker-bedroom

esphome:
  name: ${name}
  friendly_name: ${friendly_name}
  min_version: 2024.6.0
  name_add_mac_suffix: false
  project:
    name: esphome.web
    version: dev

esp32:
  board: esp32dev
  framework:
    type: arduino

# Enable logging
logger:
  level: DEBUG
  logs:
    esp32_ble_tracker: DEBUG

# Enable Home Assistant API
api:

# Allow Over-The-Air updates
ota:
- platform: esphome

# Allow provisioning Wi-Fi via serial
improv_serial:

wifi:
  # Set up a wifi access point
  ap: {}

captive_portal:

dashboard_import:
  package_import_url: github://esphome/example-configs/esphome-web/esp32.yaml@main
  import_full_config: true

# Sets up Bluetooth LE (Only on ESP32) to allow the user
# to provision wifi credentials to the device.
esp32_improv:
  authorizer: none

# To have a "next url" for improv serial
web_server:

binary_sensor:
  - platform: homeassistant
    name: "Test Toggle"
    entity_id: input_boolean.test_toggle
    id: test_toggle

interval:
  - interval: 3000ms
    then:
     # - switch.toggle: builtinLED
     - lambda: |-
         ESP_LOGD("custom", "3 sec heartbeat");
         if (id(test_toggle).state) {
           ESP_LOGD("custom", "1");
         } else {
           ESP_LOGD("custom", "0");
         }
2

I think the imported sensor reports OFF and ON, rather that the expected Boolean 0 and 1. Try testing for those states.

3

Try setting this to VERY_VERBOSE then paste what Test Toggle shows in the logs when you toggle the input Boolean. I suspect Daryl is probably right.

4

I did try Daryl’s suggestion with no change. In additional testing, the ESP32 doesn’t seem to be listening to HA.

VV doesn’t show any activity on the test_toggle. It only shows the interval event firing:

[16:10:52][D][custom:069]: 0
[16:10:54][VV][scheduler:226]: Running interval ‘’ with interval=10000 last_execution=72370 (now=82370)
[16:10:55][VV][scheduler:226]: Running interval ‘update’ with interval=3000 last_execution=79935 (now=82935)
[16:10:55][D][custom:064]: 3 sec heartbeat
[16:10:55][D][custom:069]: 0
[16:10:58][VV][scheduler:226]: Running interval ‘update’ with interval=3000 last_execution=82935 (now=85941)
[16:10:58][D][custom:064]: 3 sec heartbeat
[16:10:58][D][custom:069]: 0
…

I tried another non-helper entity (switch) with the same result–no logs. And adding in a non-existent sensor (input_boolean.test_toggle2) gives no error (IDK if the API checks HA for the existence of the defined sensor…)

I’m thinking the API isn’t configured correctly and/or jsut not working. I have another ESPHome implementation feeding HA Bluetooth data, which is working fine. I think I’ll try to add the toggle into its configuration and see if that implementation tracks it…

5

BTW, thank you for the suggestions!

6

Yep. The working ESP32 implementation shows what is expected when I toggle the sensor:

[16:40:50][D][homeassistant.binary_sensor:026]: ‘input_boolean.test_toggle’: Got state OFF
[16:40:50][D][binary_sensor:036]: ‘Test Toggle’: Sending state OFF

So I’m probably going to burn down the new implementation and start over with the prototyping (after a quick comparison of configs).

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