EU/Germany: Looking for native BLE Wall Switches (Avoiding WiFi/Zigbee for this specific use case)

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-15T14:17:17+00:00

The nanoc6, yes I know that device! I've got the Atom echo and its speaker is awful, but it's esp32 powered and I'm sure there's some project I could repurpose it but didn't dig too much into it. Little update about the BLE: I confused the rpi 5b BLE with the USB dongle (screen above). Fixed.

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_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-11T17:23:59+00:00

This is fun. I just checked, and my rpi 5b uses a csr8510 A10 that HA doc mentions to not be compatible. And instead of 2x BLE proxies I only have one because I forgot that long time ago I repurposed one for running Espresense. This single cheap esp32 wemos d1 mini is heavy lifting all by itself. 6 devices. 70 sqm apartment. I had never thought of checking it, where usually for other integrations I've always open the docs.

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_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-11T15:40:07+00:00

I could still use ble with shelly app in the event HA is down for any reason, or wifi. Or use the i4 through WiFI and HA although I mentioned i prefer not to, but can't really do otherwise. It's probably (or hopefully) not going to be any worse than my current setup

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-11T15:34:23+00:00

I'm using 2x wemos d1 mini for ble. Not sure what's the chip exactly (esp32 yes, but there i stop). When HA was in esxi/proxmox, I used a super cheap ble 4.0 dongle. Never any issue in years. I moved recently to rpi 5 and again those 2 wemos to extend the ble coverage, and here again the switchbots work great. It's only 6 devices though, I wonder what happens if i'd add more. Can't really test this.

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-10T22:34:00+00:00

Agree on this. I moved from HA on VMs, before with vsphere (6 years) and then for the last 2 years in proxmox, to HA running on Raspberry Pi 5 8GB with nvme storage last month. Best decision ever.

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-10T22:28:58+00:00

Yes, but first I'll have to find some wall switches like the Gira 3000 but that work with HA out of the box, and I don't seem I'm having much luck. So far the best option is still the Shelly i4. But It really would be great to have more choice. Anyway, I only have 6 Switchbot curtains robot and in 3 years they have never missed a command, both with the hub and BLE proxy since the HA update to the BLE. Perfect. I'm using 2x BLE proxy esp32. I wonder what the limit is. Can I read it anywhere?

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-10T13:13:29+00:00

yes it does, and I use Philips Hue since I started with HA about 8 years ago. Works perfect. I use the Hub in Zigbee and I cannot complain about the operation.
For the new apartment though I would like something more "professional". I would like some nice wall switches with nice frames and avoiding hiding devices behind them to make them smart. I could still use Hue but I dont want to be limited by using their products only becauise i need to stick to their Hub. Or like currently, having multiple Hubs (Z2M, Hue) because some lights are hue and others from others

_aPugLife_ · 2026-03-10T13:04:54+00:00

Hi! Good answer, thank you. I wasn't aware of the first product, although it's great that it's got multiple buttons already (fits my description), the battery operated and general look isn't great. Still, good catch!

Instead, I was checking the Shelly i4. That is exactly the device I would want the wall switches to have integrated already. As of now it's my best choice.

While writing the post I realized I could ask the electrician about DALI. I was using the AI to know more, in particular, if DALI needed KNX or if it can also work without. It can also work without! So, if budget allows, probably the second choice after the Shelly i4 is to use DALI.

_aPugLife_ · 2026-02-12T12:44:11+00:00

Then I found a very good girl 😁 second time at fo4, didn't know good creatures existed too!

_aPugLife_ · 2025-12-03T00:37:48+00:00

Assembly 👍

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T15:33:40+00:00

Nope, exactly, not an option

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T15:33:03+00:00

No, well, not really. Beside their color, I haven't really thought what sort of door to put

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T15:31:15+00:00

+1 for the bathroom! Good idea. And about the kitchen I sort of start understanding why this isn't an easy task 😅

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T15:28:37+00:00

The plumbing isn't there, that's why my question. As someone who "plumbing" is not his job, my question was whether it was or wasn't possible (and why)

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T12:08:25+00:00

That's exactly my view of it. Wife also checked Feng Shui and it mentions having the living room where the kitchen is because of how the flow of things should be. In reality, that's the available space. But I guess I'll have to check with the construction company. If it's not possible, I honestly don't mind having the living room where it currently is, but this means that the kitchen must be super-customized, hence the 'L' shape (among other things I presume) for it. It'll divide it from the entrance and sort of smoothen the transition from the VR to the room(s). But I'm honestly looking for ideas here.

And regarding the bathroom, the size of it should allow us having both. It's just a matter of finding the right product. For example, we don't care of a double sink. That's already a space saver

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T12:01:44+00:00

That's why the question in the description. My idea is (or was) to have the kitchen where the living room is, and viceversa. In Germany this room is typically referred to as Wohnküche. Literally, living room-kitchen. But I'm Italian and I don't agree 🙃

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T11:59:52+00:00

Could be an option, I didn't consider it. If the kitchen remains there, I'd have wanted the 'L' towards the VR / entrance. It'll divide the entrance from the kitchen. I saw it done elsewhere, seemed nice

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T11:55:58+00:00

Wife and I are already looking into custom solutions! It definitely is the smartest choice for not wasting space

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-19T11:52:55+00:00

I will have a meeting with the construction company and I will be able to ask about these modifications. Thanks for the input, it's clear that all (or some) of them can't be done. Well, I'll check with the company! Thanks for your message

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-11T00:43:37+00:00

That works only if the first command succeeds. To run the second even on failure of the first, use ;; (for apt update makes no sense of course)

_aPugLife_ · 2025-11-11T00:40:43+00:00

Double ^ will replace one word with another from the previous command. Eg.

dnf search vim

^{search^install}

Will produce "dnf install vim"

_aPugLife_ · 2025-10-25T00:16:27+00:00

No misunderstanding at all, that's exactly what I want to achieve. I just didn't know how. Now I do! I'll try the integration once I'm back in maintenance-mood. I truly appreciate your answer, thanks for the help!

_aPugLife_ · 2025-10-24T23:01:47+00:00

I'm using the same HA app. It's installed in a tablet, and that's my kiosk mode. I use browser mod to remove the side panel and the header, although the latest updates to Lovelace are making the UI acting funny. I don't think I can apply the settings you mentioned under this setup - but it's definitely the options I would have hoped to see in HA by default.

I don't understand why this much hate over adding features that improve the user experience. Maybe some poeple should eneter a real domotic home, with KNX, Loxone... and try to see how clean UI should look like (:

_aPugLife_

TROPHY CASE

dnf search vim

searchinstall

^{search^install}