Overview

Tutorials

Internet Connectivity for Your Campervan

Compare internet options for your campervan; from a full Starlink + cellular hotspot setup to bare bones travel routers

Choosing a Home Assistant Device

Compare Home Assistant Green, Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 5, and mini PCs for running Home Assistant in a campervan — covering power draw, connectivity, storage reliability, and 12V compatibility.

Standalone Smart Lights

Install Shelly Plus RGBW and Shelly BLU Buttons for hub-free smart van lighting with Bluetooth remote switches and optional Home Assistant integration.

Original Project

Setting up the Raspberry Pi

Get the Raspberry Pi powered, flashed with Raspberry Pi OS, and accessible remotely over SSH.

Installing Home Assistant

Install Home Assistant as a Docker container on the Raspberry Pi and access it from any device on your network.

Controlling the Lights

Use N-Channel MOSFETs and Raspberry Pi GPIO pins to control and dim 12V LED lights through Home Assistant.

Adding Wireless Switches

Add Zigbee wireless buttons around the van to control the lights without running any new wiring.

Monitoring Solar Power

Read data from a Renogy charge controller over serial and publish it to Home Assistant via MQTT.

Monitoring Water Level

Install a resistive water level sensor in your freshwater tank and read it with a custom ESP8266 PCB through ESPHome.

Monitoring Propane Level

Reverse-engineer the Mopeka Tank Check Bluetooth sensor to integrate propane level readings into Home Assistant.

Adding a Van Tilt Sensor

Use an MPU6050 accelerometer with ESPHome to show the van's tilt angle in degrees on a custom Home Assistant card.

Auto-Locking Drawers

Use a solenoid door latch and the van's ignition signal to automatically lock drawers when driving.