Hardware Matrix

Is Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2 Compatible with Home Assistant (ESPHome)?

Verdict Badge
VERDICT: [ COMPATIBLE (MANUAL CONFIG REQUIRED) ]
Protocol: Analog ADC / 3.3V
Bridge Needed: NO

Variants covered by this page

v1.2 Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2
Interface: Analog ADC / 3.3V
Platform: Home Assistant (ESPHome)
3.3V VCC Analog Out=GPIO34 (ADC1_CH6).
v2.0 Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v2.0
Interface: Analog ADC / 3.3V
Platform: Home Assistant (ESPHome)
3.3V VCC Analog Out=GPIO34.

Electrical Specifications

Always confirm pin assignments against the manufacturer datasheet before wiring.

Not yet documented. Electrical specifications for this device have not been confirmed against a manufacturer datasheet, so none are shown here rather than showing estimates. Submit verified specifications if you have the datasheet to hand.

Compatibility Overview

Corrosion-resistant capacitive soil moisture sensor for garden irrigation automation plant hydration alerts and greenhouse monitoring.

Wiring

Host connections for this device

No standard signal reference applies to Analog ADC / 3.3V: it has no fixed bus pinout, so the host pins are ones you choose. Check the silkscreen and the datasheet for this board's own pin order.

Technical Specification Matrix

Feature / Attribute Specification / Status
Hardware Protocol Analog ADC / 3.3V
Bridge Required NO
Border Router Needed None
Hardware Capabilities & Peripherals
Soil Moisture (%) Raw Analog Voltage (V) Irrigation Threshold

Note: these entities come from the ESPHome configuration you flash — each one needs its matching component in that YAML before it appears.

Pairing Complexity Plug-and-Play
Factory Reset Instruction Hold BOOT button for 3s.

Wire, Flash, Adopt, Check

1

Wire it up

Follow the bus reference above. The host pins in the configuration are defaults — any free GPIO of the right kind will do, as long as the YAML names the pin you actually used.

2

Flash the configuration

Create a new device in the ESPHome dashboard (the Home Assistant add-on) and paste the configuration below into it, or save it as emb_esp32_soilmoisture_ha.yaml and run esphome run emb_esp32_soilmoisture_ha.yaml. The first flash goes over USB. If it is not detected, hold BOOT button for 3s to put it in download mode. Every update after that is over the air.

3

Adopt it in Home Assistant

Settings → Devices & Services. A node on the same network shows up as a discovered ESPHome device within a minute of joining Wi-Fi; choose Configure and enter the API encryption key from your secrets.yaml. If discovery does not find it, add the ESPHome integration by hand with the node's IP address.

4

Check it works

The entities on this page appear under the device in Home Assistant and update at the configured interval. The ESPHome log (Logs in the dashboard, or esphome logs) reports the setup of each component and any bus scan results at boot.

ESPHome Configuration

Starting configuration for Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2 on ESP32. Untested on hardware — verify wiring and pins against your own board.

# ESPHome configuration for Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2
# Host: ESP32. Pin numbers below are host-side defaults — any free
# GPIO will do, and you should change them to match your own wiring.

esphome:
  name: emb_esp32_soilmoisture_ha
  friendly_name: "Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2"

esp32:
  board: esp32dev
  framework:
    type: esp-idf

logger:

api:
  encryption:
    key: !secret api_encryption_key

ota:
  - platform: esphome
    password: !secret ota_password

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

sensor:
  - platform: adc
    pin: GPIO34
    name: "Soil Moisture"
    attenuation: 12db
    update_interval: 60s
    filters:
      # Calibrate against your own probe: reading in air, then in water.
      - calibrate_linear:
          - 2.60 -> 0.0
          - 1.10 -> 100.0
    unit_of_measurement: "%"

Before you flash: the !secret values come from your secrets.yaml, and the GPIO numbers are host-side defaults rather than properties of this part — change them to match how you actually wired it.

🛠️ Hardware Correction & Field Contributions

Report a Pinout Error or Submit Tested Code Snippets

Found a pin mapping quirk or built a custom ESPHome YAML driver for Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2? Submit a pull request or report corrections to our index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2 work without an internet connection?
100% local analog sampling.
How is Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor v1.2 powered and wired to the host board?
3.3V VCC Analog Out=GPIO34 (ADC1_CH6).
How does the host board reach Home Assistant (ESPHome)?
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz.

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