SwitchRoo Update: Prototype 2, Release Variants & The Road to Launch
Proto 2 is here, variants are locked, and launch is close. Plus: non-smart Deta switches work too, saving you money before you even start.
29 Mar 2026
Upgrade your Bunnings Deta smart light switch
Drop-in replacement ESP32 control boards for Bunnings Deta smart switches*. Run ESPHome, go fully local, and add optional mmWave presence. Matter/Thread/Zigbee-ready hardware.
Sign up and we`ll ping you when the solder`s cooled.
Zigbee
Matter
Esp Home
Home Assistant
What is this?
SwitchRoo is a replacement PCB that drops into standard Bunnings touch switch housings, giving you a fully local smart switch with no cloud dependency and features the original never had.
1
Grab a switch from Bunnings
Pick up a Deta touch light switch. Significantly cheaper than the smart variants, and available at any Bunnings.
2
Drop in the SwitchRoo PCB
Simply unplug the original low voltage board and plug in SwitchRoo using the same pin headers. Installation must be performed by a licensed electrician. No wiring changes required.
3
Connect and go
Power it on and connect to your WiFi. SwitchRoo ships with ESPHome pre-flashed and a working config ready to go. Adopt it into Home Assistant or ESPHome, customise over the air, and you're done.
No cloud. No app. No subscription. Ever.
Everything the Deta smart switch should have been.
The Deta smart switch looks the part, but it phones home to do it. Cloud dependent, app required, no way to extend it, and no way to know what data is leaving your wall. SwitchRoo uses the same housing you already know, and none of the compromises.
| Deta Smart Switch | SwitchRoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Local control | ✗ | ✓ |
| No cloud / no pings to China | ✗ | ✓ |
| No app required | ✗ | ✓ |
| No subscription | ✓ | ✓ |
| ESPHome native | ✗ | ✓ |
| Home Assistant native | ✗ | ✓ |
| Customisable LED behaviour | ✗ | ✓ |
| RGBW indicator LEDs | ✗ | ✓ |
| mmWave presence detection | ✗ | ✓ add-on |
| Temperature / humidity sensing | ✗ | ✓ add-on* |
| Matter / Thread / Zigbee ready | ✗ | ✓ hardware ready |
* Features on our roadmap, not available at launch.
Remote access and dashboards require your local network or a Home Assistant remote access setup. No third party cloud involved either way.
Deta Smart Switch
SwitchRoo
✕
Deta Smart Switch
Phones home to China every time you flick a switch
Every button press is a round trip to a server you don't control. What data is leaving your home? Nobody really knows.
✓
SwitchRoo
No cloud, no pings to China, no subscription
Your switch, your network, your data. Once it's on your wall it answers to you and nobody else.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
Cloud goes down, switch goes dumb
When their servers have a bad day, your automations stop working. You're at the mercy of someone else's uptime.
✓
SwitchRoo
Works without internet, switching never fails
Local switching works even if your internet is down. ESPHome runs on the device itself, so local automations, state machines, and motion-triggered lighting all keep working.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
Always-on blue LEDs you can't dim or turn off
A small thing that drives you crazy every single day. Your switch, your wall, your rules - except they're not.
✓
SwitchRoo
RGBW LEDs, fully customisable
Set the colour, brightness, and behaviour to whatever you want. Or turn them off entirely. Finally.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
No presence detection, ever
The hardware will never support it. It was designed to switch lights, full stop.
✓
SwitchRoo
mmWave presence detection (add-on)
True presence detection built into your switch plate. No separate sensor, no extra wall clutter, no extra wiring.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
Useless without the app
No app, no control. Guests, family members, anyone without the app is stuck using it as a dumb switch.
✓
SwitchRoo
Fully local control, always
Every command stays on your network. No internet required, no servers involved, no middleman between you and your switch.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
No way to extend or customise it
What you bought is what you get, forever. No firmware updates that add features, no community improvements.
✓
SwitchRoo
Your hardware, your logic
Want a state machine that triggers on presence, changes LED colour based on room occupancy, flashes when lights are about to auto turn off or dims at night? You can. ESPHome runs on the device, the logic lives on the switch, and none of it needs the cloud or even Home Assistant to function.
✕
Deta Smart Switch
Locked to the Deta ecosystem
Migrate to a different platform? Start over. Every switch, every wall plate, every dollar spent.
✓
SwitchRoo
Open platform, not a dead end
MakerRoo could disappear tomorrow and your switches would keep working. The community owns this, not us.
✓
SwitchRoo
ESPHome native, Home Assistant ready
Built for the platforms you already use. Adopt it in seconds, no custom components or workarounds needed.
✓
SwitchRoo
Ready-to-use ESPHome config included
Ships pre-flashed and ready to adopt. You don't need to write a single line of YAML if you don't want to.
✓
SwitchRoo
Matter, Thread and Zigbee hardware ready
The ESP32-C6 has the hardware. When software support catches up, your switch is already ready for whatever comes next.
✓
SwitchRoo
OTA updates, flash your own firmware anytime
Change your mind about how it works? Update it over the air. No physical access, no screwdrivers required.
Variants
SwitchRoo launches with a 3 gang board, compatible with 3 gang Bunnings Deta touch switch housings. 1 and 2 gang variants will follow shortly after launch, and 4 is on the roadmap.
Options at checkout:
- mmWave presence detection (add-on)
- Header pin position (left or right)
Not sure which pin position you need or whether mmWave is right for you? The docs will have guides to help you decide.
What's next
Temperature and humidity sensing and a buzzer are examples of add-ons we're considering for future releases. Got a feature you'd like to see? Let us know in the Discord.
SwitchRoo is a light switch today, but the ESP32-C6 platform it runs on is capable of a lot more. And the housing it sits in? That's the real insight.
These Bunnings switch housings are everywhere. Electricians know how to install them, they fit standard wall boxes, and they're at every Bunnings in the country. Once you have a low-voltage PCB platform that drops into that form factor, it stops being just a light switch. It becomes a standardised mounting point for whatever human interface you want around your home - touchscreens, e-ink displays, sensor panels, room controllers.
Want a small control panel next to your existing switches? Same housing, same installation process, different board.
The stock switch is a dead end.
SwitchRoo is a platform.
We're not the only ones excited.
r/AusRenovation yikes-for-tykes
Thread/Matter smart switches in Australia?
Has anyone has any good experiences with smart switches in Australia? Seems like there's very little on the market here.
We're redoing our kitchen and living area and I'd love to get smart switches installed for all the lights so we can automate them. But I want something that will work with Apple HomeKit (or at least support Siri Shortcuts). Ideally using Matter, but looks like the options there are almost non-existent.
Does anyone have experience with any of these products and can offer up some insights?
22 45
Single comment thread See full discussion
If you can wait a few months, I'm designing a replacement plug-in PCB for the Bunnings Deta smart switches that will have a matter thread and zigbee ready esp32 running espHome. Will also have an option for a mmwave human presence sensor in it for automations.
Edit: https://www.makerroo.com.au/
7
Sounds amazing.
2
How can I get updated when you release it? Sounds perfect !
1
Join the conversation on Discord and follow along as SwitchRoo develops.
Join us on Discord
Our progress to launch:
Prototype 2 complete.
Next up: Final testing, production planning, and launch preparations.
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