DIY Zigbee – Dominic Buchstaller built a slim, wireless Zigbee keypad for an entryway that avoids cloud dependence and visible screws. Using an ESP32-C6 with built-in Zigbee, an MPR121 touch controller, and a 1300 mAh lithium-polymer battery for about six months of use, th
A neat entryway keypad is supposed to be quick to use. But if it also has to be slim, wireless, screw-free, and good-looking, it stops being a commodity—at least, that’s what Dominic Buchstaller ran into.
With few ready-to-go options that fit the bill, he decided to make one himself, and he started with a clear rule: no visible screws and no dependence on the cloud. Instead of chasing a commercial lockup of apps and accounts, the build leans on local control and a clean physical design.
The center of the project is an ESP32-C6 microcontroller devboard. The key detail for the whole keypad is that Zigbee communication functionality is baked directly into the chip. On the touch side. it’s paired with an MPR121 capacitive touch controller. letting different segments of the touchpad PCB behave like capacitive buttons for numerical entry.
The labeling is part of that same “no clutter” approach. Number labels are directly printed on the PCB solder mask, so there’s no overlay or separate label sitting on top.
Power comes from a 1300 mAh lithium-polymer cell. Buchstaller says it provides a useful lifespan of six months between recharges—long enough that the keypad can fade into the background rather than becoming another device you constantly babysit.
Everything is wrapped in a simple 3D-printed case that holds the components together and finishes the tidy look.
There’s also a flexibility pitch baked into the design. Buchstaller notes it’s possible to use the device via Matter or Thread without a lot of changes, since the ESP32-C6 can handle those protocols as well.
For people setting up Home Assistant—or similar smart-home systems—this kind of keypad is the sort of DIY that makes practical sense: a keypad built to work without the cloud. with a form factor that’s meant to be lived with. The project doesn’t just offer an alternative entry method; it’s a reminder that sometimes the fastest way to get what you want is to build it yourself.
Zigbee keypad ESP32-C6 MPR121 capacitive touch Home Assistant smart home DIY Matter Thread local control entryway keypad
So wait this keypad works without the cloud? Finally something that doesn’t force an app login.
I’m confused though, isn’t Zigbee like the old stuff that still needs a hub? Like where’s it going, straight to Home Assistant or what.
Cool idea but $6 months battery?? That’s not even long, my phone battery dies faster than that and I don’t touch it that much. Also 3D printed case sounds like it’ll crack if someone bumps it.
DIY keys are always risky to me. Like if it’s screw-free and slim that means it’s gonna be flimsier, right? And if it can use Matter or Thread then it’s basically just any random smart protocol mashup, not really “no cloud” unless it’s fully offline.