The H5100 (about 4.4 stars from 1,054 ratings) is Govee’s mini sensor, small enough to hide in a wardrobe, a guitar case, a humidor or a reptile tank. It uses the same Govee BLE integration as the H5075, so it shows up automatically through your ESP32 proxies. It’s ideal where you care about the data in Home Assistant more than a display on the wall.

If you already use SwitchBot curtains, locks or bots, the SwitchBot thermometer (about 4.5 stars from 3,606 ratings) fits naturally, and Home Assistant’s built-in SwitchBot integration reads it locally through ESP32 proxies without the SwitchBot hub. The same proxies can also control SwitchBot devices such as Bots and Curtains using active Bluetooth connections, which is a big advantage over cloud control.

The Meter Pro (about 4.6 stars from 726 ratings) has a much larger display that’s readable from across a room, which makes it a good living-room or bedroom clock-style sensor. It reports to Home Assistant through the SwitchBot integration and your ESP32 proxies just like the smaller model. Choose it when the display itself matters to the people in the room.

Shelly’s BLU Door/Window sensor (about 4.5 stars from 47 ratings) reports open and closed states, plus light level and the window’s tilt angle, which is handy for tilt-and-turn windows. It broadcasts in BTHome for automatic discovery through ESP32 proxies, with Zigbee as an alternative. Use it to turn off heating when a window opens, trigger alarms, or light a closet when its door opens.

The BLU Motion (about 4.4 stars from 61 ratings) combines a PIR motion sensor with a light sensor, so you can switch lights on only when it’s actually dark. Through ESP32 proxies, motion events reach Home Assistant within a second or so, fast enough for hallway and bathroom lighting. Keep a proxy reasonably close for the quickest response. For true room presence (people sitting still), pair it with an mmWave sensor from our ESP32 sensors guide.

A battery remote is the most family-friendly way to trigger scenes. The RC Button 4 (about 4.0 stars from 25 ratings) has four buttons with single, double, triple and long-press actions, giving you a dozen or more triggers from one small remote for movie mode, bedtime or “all off” automations. It reports over BTHome through your proxies, with Zigbee as an alternative.

A BLE beacon on a keyring, in a car or on a pet’s collar tells Home Assistant when that person or thing is home. Blue Charm’s BC011 (about 4.2 stars from 97 ratings) broadcasts iBeacon and Eddystone frames, has a configurable transmit power, and includes a button that can trigger an automation. Home Assistant’s iBeacon Tracker integration detects it through ESP32 proxies, and with a proxy in each room, the community Bermuda integration can estimate which room the beacon is in. 16 were in stock when we checked.

The ATOM Lite (about 4.4 stars from 72 ratings) is a favourite ready-made Bluetooth proxy: a classic ESP32 in a finished 24 mm plastic cube with USB-C, so it plugs into any phone charger and looks tidy on a shelf. ESPHome’s proxy installer supports it directly. The classic ESP32 is also the best-tested chip for Bluetooth proxies. Only 4 were in stock when we checked; any classic ESP32 or ESP32-S3 board works if it sells out.

For whole-home coverage on a budget, ELEGOO’s 3-pack of classic ESP32 boards (about 4.7 stars from 544 ratings) gives you three proxies for roughly the price of one finished device: one per floor, or one at each end of the house. Flash each with the ESPHome Bluetooth proxy firmware, power it from a spare USB charger, and put it in a small case or 3D-printed enclosure. For the best performance, consider an Ethernet board from our ESP32 Ethernet and PoE guide, which frees the radio from Wi-Fi duty.

Temperature in every room

ELEGOO 3-pack as proxies + two Govee H5075 3-packs.

Open-standard sensor set

Shelly BLU H&T, Door/Window, Motion and Button, all BTHome.

Room presence

A proxy in each room + Blue Charm beacons + Bermuda.

Which ESP32 chips work as Bluetooth proxies?

The classic ESP32, ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 all work with ESPHome’s Bluetooth proxy, and newer chips such as the C6 are supported too. The ESP32-S2 has no Bluetooth, so it can’t be used. Avoid running a camera or other heavy tasks on the same board.

How many proxies do I need?

Start with one per floor and add more where sensors drop out. For room-level presence detection, you’ll want one proxy per room. Home Assistant automatically combines readings from all proxies.

Can my existing ESPHome devices act as proxies?

Yes. Adding the bluetooth_proxy component to any mains-powered ESP32 running ESPHome, such as a Sonoff or Shelly you’ve flashed, or a sensor node, turns it into a proxy too, as long as it has spare capacity.

BLE, Zigbee or Wi-Fi sensors?

BLE sensors are the cheapest and need only ESP32 proxies. Zigbee builds a self-healing mesh and needs a coordinator. Wi-Fi sensors drain batteries faster. Many homes mix them; the Shelly BLU “ZB” sensors can even switch between BLE and Zigbee.