First Setup

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This guide walks you through the complete first-time setup of your WiFi Fan Controller — from unboxing to a working fan controller in Home Assistant.

What You’ll Need

• WiFi Fan Controller board
• USB-C data cable (not charge-only)
• 12V DC power supply (5.5x2.1mm barrel jack)
• One or more PWM fans (4-pin)
• Computer with Chrome or Edge browser (required for Web Serial flashing)

Setup Steps

1. Flash the factory firmware

   Connect your board to your computer via USB-C and click the flash button for your hardware revision below.

   Rev 3.3
   Flash Rev 3.3

   See Rev 3.x hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   Rev 3.2
   Flash Rev 3.2

   See Rev 3.x hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   Rev 3.1
   Flash Rev 3.1

   See Rev 3.x hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   Rev 3.0
   Flash Rev 3.0

   See Rev 3.0 hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   Rev 2.0
   Flash Rev 2.0

   See Rev 2.0 hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   Rev 1.0

   Rev 1.0 uses an ESP32 with a serial header instead of USB-C. You’ll need a USB-to-serial adapter (3.3V FTDI or similar) connected to the programming header.

   Flash using ESPHome CLI or ESPWEBTOOL.

   See Rev 1.0 hardware details for board specs and pin layout.

   USB not detected? (ESP32-S2)

   The ESP32-S2 (Rev 2.0+) has known USB reliability issues on some systems. Try these steps:

   • Use a different USB-C cable (must be a data cable, not charge-only)
   • Hold the BOOT button while plugging in the USB cable
   • Try a different USB port (avoid USB hubs)
   • Use ESPWEBTOOL as an alternative flash tool

2. Connect to WiFi

   The factory firmware includes ESP Improv Serial for easy WiFi provisioning.

   After flashing, the serial console will prompt you to enter your WiFi credentials. Enter your 2.4 GHz WiFi network name and password — 5 GHz networks are not supported by any board revision.

   Once connected, the board displays its IP address in the serial output.

   Fallback hotspot

   If WiFi connection fails, the board creates a fallback hotspot called “Fan Controller Fallback”. Connect to this hotspot from your phone or laptop to reconfigure WiFi credentials.

3. Connect your fans

   • Connect your 12V DC power supply to the board’s power input (5.5x2.1mm barrel jack)
   • Plug your PWM fans (4-pin) into the fan headers (Fan 1 through Fan 4)
   • Check your hardware revision page for the correct pin layout and connector orientation

   USB-C does not power fans

   The USB-C port is for flashing and serial communication only. Fans require 12V DC power through the barrel jack connector. The USB-C port provides only 5V to the ESP32 microcontroller.

4. Adopt in Home Assistant

   Your fan controller is automatically discovered by Home Assistant via the ESPHome integration.

   • If you have the ESPHome add-on: The device appears in your ESPHome Dashboard. Click Adopt to add it.
   • If you don’t have the ESPHome add-on: Go to Settings > Devices & Services > Integrations. The fan controller appears under Discovered devices. Click Configure to add it.

   Once adopted, your fan controller’s entities (fans, temperature, humidity, RPM sensors) appear in Home Assistant ready to use.

   See Home Assistant Integration for dashboard setup and automation examples.