Is VL53L3CX Multi-Target ToF Distance Sensor Compatible with Home Assistant (ESPHome)?
Electrical Specifications
Always confirm pin assignments against the manufacturer datasheet before wiring.
Compatibility Overview
Advanced Time-of-Flight distance sensor capable of detecting multiple targets simultaneously within a 3-meter range.
Typical I²C Wiring Reference
Standard I²C signal names. This is a bus reference, not a pinout for this specific board — check the silkscreen and datasheet for its actual pin order.
Reference circuit only. A shifter is needed when the host and peripheral run at different logic levels — check both datasheets to confirm whether this applies to your pairing.
Technical Specification Matrix
| Feature / Attribute | Specification / Status |
|---|---|
| Hardware Protocol | I2C Bus / 3.3V |
| Bridge Required | NO |
| Border Router Needed | None |
| Hardware Capabilities & Peripherals | Multi-Target Distance (mm) Object 1 Distance Object 2 Distance Note: these entities come from the ESPHome configuration you flash — each one needs its matching component in that YAML before it appears. |
| Pairing Complexity | Intermediate |
| Factory Reset Instruction | Hold BOOT button for 3s. |
Wire, Flash, Adopt, Check
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.
Add the external component and flash
Core ESPHome has no component for VL53L3CX Multi-Target ToF Distance Sensor. Add one of the external components listed below with an external_components block pointing at its repository, follow that component's README for the YAML, then flash over USB as you would any ESPHome node. If it is not detected, hold BOOT button for 3s to put it in download mode.
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.
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
No verified configuration for VL53L3CX Multi-Target ToF Distance Sensor yet.
ESPHome has no core VL53L3CX component, and the VL53L1X external components do not drive it either: the L3CX runs ST's multi-target histogram firmware behind a different API, and the L1X drivers read registers it does not have. No published external component for it is known to this index. The core vl53l0x platform is the nearest supported part.
- ESPHome vl53l0x — the supported time-of-flight platform ↗
- Averyy/esphome-custom-components — VL53L1X and VL53L4CD ↗
External components are third-party code — we have not validated them the way we validate the configs on other pages, so check their issue trackers before building around one.
Report a Pinout Error or Submit Tested Code Snippets
Found a pin mapping quirk or built a custom ESPHome YAML driver for VL53L3CX Multi-Target ToF Distance Sensor? Submit a pull request or report corrections to our index.