Voice assistants and smartphones are often the go-to interfaces for modern smart home systems. However, if you fancy more direct physical controls, you can go that route as well. To that end, [Salim Benbouziyane] whipped up a nifty keypad to work with his Home Assistant setup.

The build is based on an ESP32 microcontroller, which has wireless hardware onboard to communicate with the rest of [Salim’s] Home Assistant setup. Using the ESPHome firmware framework as a base, the microcontroller is connected to a four-by-three button keypad array, built using nice clicky key switches. There’s also an indicator light on top as a system status indicator. A fingerprint scanner provides an easy way for users to authenticate when disarming the alarm.

Security and speed were the push for [Salim] to whip up this system. He found it difficult to disarm his alarm in a hurry when fumbling with his phone, and the direct keypad entry method was far more desirable.

Sometimes, the easiest route to the smart home of your dreams is to just build the exact solutions you need. Video after the break.