DIY ESP32 SwitchBot Setup

Hardware-level remote power button for when Wake-on-LAN fails.

The Ultimate Hardware Fail-Safe

Wake-on-LAN is great for day-to-day use, but software and firmware can fail. If your PC suffers a hard system crash, a blue-screen lockup, or a power outage that leaves the motherboard in an unbootable sleep state, network wake packets will not turn the machine on.

The ESP32-SwitchBot solves this by turning an inexpensive ESP32 microcontroller and micro-servo into a physical actuator that physically presses your PC’s power button on demand.

Because the firmware features native Tailscale integration, it connects directly to your private mesh VPN with zero port forwarding and zero third-party cloud dependencies.

What You Need

Microcontroller: Any ESP32 development board (ESP32-S3 recommended; Classic, C3, and S2 also supported).
Servo Motor: TowerPro SG90, MG90S, or any equivalent 3.3V–5V micro-servo.
Power: A standard 5V USB charger and data-capable USB cable.

How It Works in 4 Steps

Wiring (3 Wires): Connect the servo’s Signal wire to GPIO 1, VCC to 5V/VIN, and GND to GND.
Flash Firmware: Clone the project and run the interactive configuration wizard (setup_secrets.py) to connect the board to your Wi-Fi and Tailscale network.
Mount Arm: Attach the servo arm at 90° and mount the housing adjacent to your PC chassis power button with double-sided tape.
Trigger Anywhere: When your PC is unresponsive, power it on from any device on your tailnet:
- Web: Open http://esp32/main in your browser and tap Press Power Button.
- Terminal: Run curl -s http://esp32/main | bash from any terminal.

Full Documentation & Build Guide

For complete step-by-step assembly instructions, wiring diagrams, angle calibration guides, and pre-built binaries, refer to the official documentation:

Official Project Documentation: psychostark.github.io/ESP32-SwitchBot

Source Code & Releases: github.com/psychoStark/ESP32-SwitchBot