ESP-NOW Packet Transport Platform

The Packet Transport Component platform allows ESPHome nodes to directly communicate with each over a communication channel. The ESP-NOW implementation of the platform uses ESP-NOW as a communication medium. See the Packet Transport Component and ESPNow communication Component for more information.

ESP-NOW provides low-latency, low-power wireless communication between ESP32 devices without requiring a Wi-Fi connection. This makes it ideal for battery-powered sensors or applications where Wi-Fi overhead would impact performance.

Note:
ESP-NOW communication occurs independently of Wi-Fi. Devices can communicate via ESP-NOW even when Wi-Fi is disabled, making it suitable for power-sensitive applications.

Example Configuration

# Example configuration entry
espnow:
  id: espnow_component

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    id: transport_unicast
    espnow_id: espnow_component
    peer_address: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"
    encryption:
      key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
    sensors:
      - temp_sensor

sensor:
  - platform: internal_temperature
    id: temp_sensor
    name: "Test Temperature"

Configuration Variables

espnow_id (Required, ID): The esp-now ID to use for transport.
peer_address (Optional, MAC Address): MAC address to send packets to. This can be either a specific peer address for point-to-point communication, or the broadcast address. Default FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
All other options from the Packet Transport Component

Note:
Peers must be registered with the ESPNow communication Component component before they can receive packets. The peer_address only controls which peer(s) receive transmitted data; incoming packets are accepted from all registered peers.

Broadcast vs Unicast

The peer_address configuration determines the transmission mode.

Broadcast Mode (default)

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    sensors:
      - sensor_id

All devices with the broadcast address (FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF) registered as a peer will receive the packets. This is useful for hub-and-spoke topologies where multiple devices monitor a single sensor source.

Warning:
Using broadcast mode increases ESP-NOW traffic on the radio channel, which may impact performance of other ESP-NOW devices in range. Use specific peer addresses whenever possible to minimize interference.

Unicast Mode

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    peer_address: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"
    sensors:
      - sensor_id

Only the specified peer receives the packets. This is more efficient for point-to-point communication and reduces radio channel congestion for neighboring ESP-NOW devices.

Simple Example

This example shows two devices exchanging sensor data over ESP-NOW with encryption enabled.

Temperature Provider

espnow:
  peers:
    - mac_address: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:01"  # Device 2

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    peer_address: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:01"  # Send to Device 2
    encryption: "MySecretKey123"
    sensors:
      - outdoor_temp

sensor:
  - platform: ...
    temperature:
      name: "Outdoor Temperature"
      id: outdoor_temp

Temperature Consumer

espnow:
  peers:
    - mac_address: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:00"  # Device 1

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    encryption: "MySecretKey123"
    providers:
      - name: temp-sensor

sensor:
  - platform: packet_transport
    provider: temp-sensor
    id: remote_temp
    remote_id: outdoor_temp
    name: "Remote Outdoor Temperature"

Multi-Device Hub Example

This example shows a central hub receiving sensor data from multiple remote devices.

Hub Device

espnow:
  peers:
    - mac_address: "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF"

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    encryption: "HubSecret123"
    providers:
      - name: room-sensor-1
      - name: room-sensor-2
      - name: outdoor-sensor

sensor:
  - platform: packet_transport
    provider: room-sensor-1
    remote_id: temperature
    name: "Room 1 Temperature"

  - platform: packet_transport
    provider: room-sensor-2
    remote_id: temperature
    name: "Room 2 Temperature"

  - platform: packet_transport
    provider: outdoor-sensor
    remote_id: temperature
    name: "Outdoor Temperature"

Remote Sensors

espnow:
  peers:
    - mac_address: "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF"

packet_transport:
  - platform: espnow
    peer_address: "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF"
    encryption: "HubSecret123"
    sensors:
      - temperature

sensor:
  - platform: ...
    temperature:
      id: temperature