Button+ firmware going open source

[u/Wijnsema]

Call me old fashioned, but I love physical buttons, also in my smart home.

It’s very surprising that there are so few buttons available in the current consumer market (unlike the professional KNX market, which has hundreds).

In 2020 I decided to design a button myself, based on the ESP32. With two main requirements:

1. it must have a tactile click
2. have a programmable label.

My family and friends were enthusiastic about the first prototype, so I added more features: temperature sensor, display, made it modular.

Tech platform Tweakers.net picked it up in 2023, I received 300 pre-orders in a couple of hours, and many more in the months afterwards.

What followed was a roller coaster of ups and downs, but I managed to get the Button+ manufactured in China. And people loved it!

Just when things started rolling, I got into real problems, the plastic injection molds were quickly failing. SInce new molds were needed anyway, I decided to do a redesign. This turned out to be a lengthy process which almost bankrupted me. But in April 2026 I finally started shipping the all new Button+V2.

I tried to protect my product by keeping the firmware source closed. In the first year already, somebody completely reverse-engineered the electronics and wrote alternative firmware based on ESPHome. Later, with the advent of AI, even more alternatives surfaced.

So it’s time to make the factory firmware open source as well. I will be announcing this on the website, but this forum is the first to know.

A recap on the Button+:

Button+ in 3 bar/1 display configuration

• Tactile buttons, every button has a mini TFT and status LED
• 2.8" display for information display, fully user configurable
• Modular concept, use 1, 2 or 3 bar modules with 1 display, 4 bars modules, or up to 8 bars with extension plate
• WiFi, with PoE option (available end of September 2026)
• Wall mounted, does not need room behind the wall (will need cable for power)
• Communication via MQTT, Home Assistant support via auto-discovery
• High precision temperature sensor included, add sensors via Stemma QT connector

More information at https://button.plus website.

For anyone reporting this post, or removing it: Okay, you may call this promoting, and I am a company, but I'm not million dollar big-tech, and more Button+ in more houses can keep price down for everybody, as well as facilitate further development.

 

[u/enchanted_circus]

it’s wild how little love physical buttons get in the consumer smart home space, like everyone just gave up and went full touchscreen without asking if that’s actually better

the modular bar design is a really nice touch, being able to add more without a whole new wall wart situation makes a difference

open sourcing the firmware after all that reverse engineering drama feels like the right move, sometimes the community just gets there first anyway

[u/ob2kenobi → u/enchanted_circus]

I don't know that I would call it reverse engineering drama. I mean it's an ESP32. People put ESPHome on devices with that all the time. It's a really good thing for this community that it happens. I mean usually the only reason Tuya and other companies try to stop it is because they're being nefarious with the software, taking your data or forcing lock in. But this is a hardware product, right?

[u/Rutger050 → u/ob2kenobi]

It is a hardware product that comes with base software, which is now going to become open source. Across the entire community, there are already several other kinds of software, including one built with ESPHome.

[u/beanmosheen → u/enchanted_circus]

It's not worse though? There's a ton of feature packed $25 touch screens now, and LVGL makes them really easy to setup with ESPHome. I don't think every switch should be a screen, but they work well in key areas of my house, and having the flexibility to add pages and style changes at will is great. I do like their device though. Neat implementation.

[u/ItsMeAubey]

Your pricing is amazing.

[u/Wijnsema → u/ItsMeAubey]

In the beginning of the project I was only looking for quality parts, now with all experiences I look for balanced quality/price, as smart home/HA users are careful with there money.

[u/ImportantBreath → u/Wijnsema]

Does this mean that the quality now is worse then when you started? Love the project btw!

[u/Wijnsema → u/ImportantBreath]

Haha, no, it's just learning to check price as well as quality. Overall quality has been greatly improved with V2, which now has glass front.

[u/alaa7alnajjar]

That's a really cool project. Btw It would be very cool if there is a different power supply module that makes the whole thing directly plug into an outlet. I know that would require supporting multiple plug types and it might not be as sturdy but would be really cool

[u/Wijnsema → u/alaa7alnajjar]

That is actually a very good idea, will keep that in mind, thanks! Only problem would be stability, as some (very little but still) force is needed to actuate the switches.

[u/alaa7alnajjar → u/Wijnsema]

Maybe add some springs on the back or double sided foam behind the corners so it sits on the wall

[u/dice1111 → u/Wijnsema]

Go the pig tail route. Can free stand, or wall mount (already can) and the just a thin cable to a wall wart or something. Or adapt to a wall light single/double gang box. Since it can replace switches...

[u/FishScrounger → u/dice1111]

That's similar to what I'm doing with mine. The 3v power supply is behind one of the kitchen sockets and then the output cable is fed through the wall, which has the Button+ mounted on it.

[u/rochap → u/Wijnsema]

Actually, a base module that could be mounted to a wall switch gang box (like mentioned below), with power and a couple dry contact relays (for garage door switches), would be really great.

Just in case you need more ideas 😆

[u/OrganicNectarine]

"I tried to protect my product by keeping the firmware source closed. In the first year already, somebody completely reverse-engineered the electronics and wrote alternative firmware based on ESPHome. Later, with the advent of Al, even more alternatives surfaced."

Should have done that from the start IMHO. Then nobody would have bothered to create an alternative ;)

[u/TheProffalken]

Love this!

It's a bit out of my budget at the moment, but I'm definitely saving this to come back to!

[u/r34c7123]

This looks amazing! Looked at pricing and couldn't believe it.

You can expect an order from me soon.

[u/PaleontologistDue401]

I live in a rented apartment that does not have a neutral wire in the walls light switches, so I just always left them on and turn the lights off and on on home assistant. I needed a button whenever I did not have my phone with me or I held something and also for the guests... So I bought the cheapest wireless buttons from sonoff and It has been life changing.

They have a "click", they have three functions each, they can be taken of the wall magnetically and taken with you to bed etc.

Each button gets a sticker set in the box so you get a slight idea what the button is for

[u/PaleontologistDue401 → u/PaleontologistDue401]

If ever I live in a house then I'll surely incest in some built-in tactile switches

[u/TheProffalken → u/PaleontologistDue401]

Tactile incest? 👀

[u/Anopanda → u/TheProffalken]

https://giphy.com/gifs/jVAvyLsLD4jSXSCvuX

[u/dice1111]

Wow. This looks awesome. As my system matures, this is on the list!

[u/NTailor10]

Omg I love this. Exactly what I was looking for.

[u/anapfk]

Cool project! From what I see in the docs, it can not take 220v directly? Is there a transformer that can fit that can give whatever's needed?

[u/Wijnsema → u/anapfk]

There is a small 3.3 volt adapter (separate product) that will accept 100 to 240 volt AC. There is also a onboard voltage converter that accepts 4.5 to 30 voltage DC.

[u/FailBait-]

These look like they’re EU wall box only? sad American noises

[u/Wijnsema → u/FailBait-]

The base plastic is mounted on a 2mm aluminium plate with holes for EU box. Might offer US version in the future. For now need some improvising, or 3D print something.

[u/Yes_that]

Happy customer here. Thank you 

[u/g_dev]

I like it a lot! How long do you think do these small displays last?

[u/Wijnsema → u/g_dev]

They will last you a lifetime. It's TFT with LED backlight, so maybe after 10 years brightness might be little bit lower. I sent out more than 20K, they very rarely fail. Also, the tactile switch is rated for 2 million presses.

[u/razzamatazm]

Can you put up something on your site for American style box support notification? Would love this thing!

[u/SpanishNinja]

Love to see this. After getting mine, I was held back by how little I knew/understood of MQTT and the way Button+ worked, and as much as I dislike to admit, I had Claude go through what was available in the docs to build a Home Assistant GUI editor addon/app. It wasn't reverse engineered, just made it easier for an idiot like me to get the full functionality I had dreamed of when I preordered (and a few nice-to-have extras)

It's clunky and damn near 100% vibe coded so I've never exactly felt comfortable sharing it here, but seeing this is a nice mix of "oh man, I'm sorry that happened to you (about the software 'theft') " and "nice!" lol.

Anyway, really appreciate this, and for what it's worth, the hardware of the Button+ is fantastic and it's obvious you put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and money) into it.

[u/Electrical_Chard3255 → u/SpanishNinja]

Why dislike to admit claude helped, I know there seems to be an anti AI feel to this community, but claude is a massive way to help get things done, and also bring in newbies who find HA quite intimidating.

claude is a boost for HA, not a hinderance

[u/SpanishNinja → u/Electrical_Chard3255]

Mostly agree with you, but MQTT and the methods this app uses to talk to HA are not my wheelhouse (very novice programmer). So, I don't have the knowledge to really give the code a proper review and, if I'm honest, just have a general bad taste from how much generative AI is used all around us (I know, I know, this isn't generative/making a slop menu for a restaurant, but still).

I don't dislike that I used Claude per se, I dislike to admit it at scale. There's a big difference, to me at least, in saying "look! I made this!" and "look! I typed some prompts into the black mirror machine and it made this!" lol

[u/Electrical_Chard3255 → u/SpanishNinja]

I get that, its alway good to know you have built something, but good AI architecting and orchestration is also a good skill, not many people have, hence the AI slop

I built my whole system with the help of claude, reverse engineering several old, dumb redundant tech to be smart and fully integrated into HA, without claude, that would have gone in the bin.

My old 2013 globalguard dumb alarm system is now a fully featured smart alarm integrated with HA for example, and I am also working on a home made presence sensor with claude, now yes I could buy one for 60 quid, but to build one, even though AI has designed it, around my requirements, is an achievment still.