openHASP — MQTT-Driven Touchscreen Home Automation Controller with W5500 Wired Ethernet

Control home automation devices from a customizable LVGL touchscreen UI via MQTT, with W5500 wired Ethernet for stable, reliable connectivity.

COMPONENTS Hardware components

WIZnet - W5500

x 1

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

📌 Overview

openHASP is an open-source firmware that turns ESP32-based touchscreen boards into customizable home automation control panels, communicating via MQTT.

Based on the HASwitchPlate project, openHASP removes the dependency on proprietary Nextion/TJC HMI displays by implementing LVGL (Light and Versatile Graphics Library) directly on the MCU. Any affordable ESP32 touchscreen board can become a wall-mounted switch plate or dashboard.

By adding a WIZnet W5500 via SPI, the ESP32 communicates with the MQTT broker over wired Ethernet — providing stable, reliable connectivity for fixed-installation smart home devices.

📌 How It Works

User touches a button → openHASP publishes MQTT event
Home Assistant / openHAB / Node-RED receives event and controls the device
Platform sends state update via MQTT → openHASP updates screen UI

The W5500 serves as the wired Ethernet interface for this MQTT communication path.

📌 Key Features

LVGL-based UI with 20+ widget types — buttons, sliders, switches, gauges, color pickers, QR codes, tabs
JSON-based screen design — define UI in pages.jsonl, no recompilation needed
MQTT bidirectional communication — touch events published, state updates received
30+ supported hardware boards — Lanbon L8, M5Stack, LilyGO, Elecrow, Waveshare, and more
W5500 wired Ethernet — stable MQTT connectivity for fixed-installation devices
OTA firmware update via web UI
Home Assistant auto-discovery as MQTT device

📌 Role of WIZnet W5500

Chip: W5500

The W5500 is connected to ESP32 via SPI and provides wired Ethernet for MQTT communication. Why wired matters for smart home panels:

Wall-mounted panels are fixed and always powered — ideal for wired connections
WiFi instability and 2.4GHz congestion can cause response delays
A panel controlling lights or HVAC must respond reliably every time

The W5500 contains a hardwired TCP/IP stack in silicon, offloading network processing from the ESP32.

Example SPI pin mapping:

MISO → GPIO19, MOSI → GPIO23, SCLK → GPIO18
CS → GPIO5, INT → GPIO4, RST → GPIO2

📌 Supported Hardware

Lanbon L8 — 3.95" wall switch plate
M5Stack Core2 — 2.0" portable controller
LilyGO T-HMI — 2.8" desk controller
Elecrow CrowPanel — 3.5"~7" various sizes
ESP32-2432S028 (Cheap Yellow Display) — low-cost 2.8"
Waveshare RPi LCD — 3.5"

📌 Build and Flash

Using PlatformIO:

git clone https://github.com/HASwitchPlate/openHASP
cd openHASP
cp platformio_override-template.ini platformio_override.ini
pio run -e <board-name> -t upload

Or use the web flasher at https://www.openhasp.com — no toolchain needed.

📌 GitHub Stats

Stars: 973 | Forks: 260 | Releases: 13
Latest: v0.7.0-rc13 | Active Discord community
30+ officially supported hardware boards

📌 Summary

openHASP is a complete open-source firmware for ESP32 touchscreen smart home panels. JSON-based UI design, MQTT integration, and 30+ supported boards make it ideal for home automation enthusiasts.

Adding a WIZnet W5500 replaces WiFi with wired Ethernet for MQTT — making it especially suitable for fixed-installation switch plates needing a stable, always-on connection. The ESP32 + touchscreen + W5500 combination delivers a practical smart home control panel for $5~$20 in hardware.

Documents

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