Understanding hacking a sensor or actuator
As mentioned previously, the hacking operation is accomplished by replacing the original device firmware with other firmware that has some integration with Home Assistant. You might have the following motivations to hack the firmware of a sensor or actuator:
- Integration is not yet available in Home Assistant
- To achieve better control or management than the original device manufacturer’s integration
- To change or add features to an integration by changing the sensor or actuator firmware
The main motivation when I started to hack the sensors and actuators for my home was because initial Wi-Fi actuator plugs I purchased some years ago don’t have integration to work with Home Assistant. Nowadays, you probably would not need to hack the firmware of your device since most new devices have integration available to work with Home Assistant.
You might opt to hack a sensor or actuator so that it can be managed...
