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.
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.
Pick up a Deta touch light switch. Significantly cheaper than the smart variants, and available at any Bunnings.
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.
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.
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.
Every button press is a round trip to a server you don't control. What data is leaving your home? Nobody really knows.
Your switch, your network, your data. Once it's on your wall it answers to you and nobody else.
When their servers have a bad day, your automations stop working. You're at the mercy of someone else's uptime.
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.
A small thing that drives you crazy every single day. Your switch, your wall, your rules - except they're not.
Set the colour, brightness, and behaviour to whatever you want. Or turn them off entirely. Finally.
The hardware will never support it. It was designed to switch lights, full stop.
True presence detection built into your switch plate. No separate sensor, no extra wall clutter, no extra wiring.
No app, no control. Guests, family members, anyone without the app is stuck using it as a dumb switch.
Every command stays on your network. No internet required, no servers involved, no middleman between you and your switch.
What you bought is what you get, forever. No firmware updates that add features, no community improvements.
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.
Migrate to a different platform? Start over. Every switch, every wall plate, every dollar spent.
MakerRoo could disappear tomorrow and your switches would keep working. The community owns this, not us.
Built for the platforms you already use. Adopt it in seconds, no custom components or workarounds needed.
Ships pre-flashed and ready to adopt. You don't need to write a single line of YAML if you don't want to.
The ESP32-C6 has the hardware. When software support catches up, your switch is already ready for whatever comes next.
Change your mind about how it works? Update it over the air. No physical access, no screwdrivers required.
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:
Not sure which pin position you need or whether mmWave is right for you? The docs will have guides to help you decide.
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.
r/AusRenovation 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?
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/
Sounds amazing.
How can I get updated when you release it? Sounds perfect !
Join the conversation on Discord and follow along as SwitchRoo develops.
— Members Online
Looking forward to this, providing it makes economical sense 🙂 Obviously it's very fluid, but what timeline are you roughly planning for at the moment? Are we thinking in terms of months or years?
Thanks for the interest! Hopefully months. Prototype is stable, waiting on quotes and timelines for certification.
Hey @samburner3 (Sam) this is an amazing project and super excited for it. I would love to see on the roadmap the fan controller version also! The only rooms I can't automate the lights are the ones with fans. Keep on keeping on!
Amazing thanks for joining! Yes I have the fan controller and the dimmable Deta switches too.
I really should check if SwitchRoo is compatible, as the pinout is the same. May just be a config change to make it work with fans and dimmers — stay tuned! 👌
This seems like a great project. Hat's off to you! I absolutely LOVE the addition of mmWave presence detection — I was about to embark on doing something DIY myself so I could hide it in-wall. I assume any spare switches could be used in Home Assistant to remotely control other devices such as smart plugs etc?
Yes! The 3 gang switchroo will work on 1, 2 and 3 gang relay bases, and yes — can use that extra button however you like.
Since it's esphome, tap and hold, double tap, other actions etc are all fair game.
Interesting concept. I have a small squadron of the Brilliant Smart plug-into-the-GPO switches that are Tuya wifi clones. Not yet deployed Matter — thinking, a branch out in that form factor?
Hi Rachel thanks for joining! SwitchRoo requires a Deta base (the AC side) — since that half is already certified, I avoided going through EESS for mains products. If this product goes gangbusters, I could look into doing AC (mains side) projects too!
It's ESP32-C6 based so is infinitely customisable with ESPHome — I run state machines with the RGBW button LEDs for auto light timeouts, and you could even set it up as a Bluetooth LE proxy in each room.
Mad respect going through all the compliance stuff, I've never seen someone in Aus do that and document it so far. Will be sure to check here and give advice on areas that I can 👍
This is looking amazing. I'm expecting that the cost of fitting out a whole house will be non trivial, so from a user perspective, like the idea of buying 1–2 at the outset to test. Do you have a ballpark sense of roughly where these are likely to price so that we can budget?
The market really needs a nice off the shelf product. I retrofit my whole house with the Shelly products, but wouldn't mind changing some rooms with your product. Are you planning to have versions from 1 gang to 6 gang or just the 3 gang for now?
Hey looks like a great project. Happy to support and help test if needed! Based on the GC and in Melb every ~3 weeks 👍👍
Hey Sam et al. I'm a recently retired engineering manager (trained as an EE, covering EE, ME, SW, Industrial design) for a local 100% Aussie electronic product manufacturer. Happy to help on compliance and product side where I can.
Just saw the community post, came here straight away! I'm a HA addict in Melbourne. I connect HA to stuff that it doesn't normally connect to, like my water bottle 😋
This project looks amazing — we are right on the edge of replacing a lot of our switches and have just come across this. Signed up to the email list and will almost certainly be giving these a go.
Hey @samburner3 (Sam) I love your work, this is exactly what I needed a few months ago. I'm actually in the process of creating a smart lighting controller for wled / pixel lights / artnet installs. Would love to pick your brain and follow along your journey too.
Just an idea. Would be great to have some recommended sparkies in Aus that actually will install these. I struggle to find sparkies that will do smart switches.
Members Online
Prototype 2 complete.
Next up: Final testing, production planning, and launch preparations.
No spam — just product launch updates.
SwitchRoo moves into production prep: 4-layer PCB redesign, custom test jig architecture, costing research, and a launch platform poll for the community.
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.
First update on MakerRoo - an ESP32-based replacement PCB for Deta smart switches. Progress on the first board, reflow oven build, and certification questions.
