Smart Home

ESPHome Device— RTI XP Driver

Control any ESPHome device from RTI, with no Home Assistant required.

Version
v2.4.0
Updated
Sep 28, 2026
Licensing
Per-processor

About this driver

Two-way RTI control for any device running ESPHome, connected directly, with no Home Assistant, cloud, or MQTT broker in between. ESPHome is the open-source firmware behind thousands of ESP32/ESP8266 devices, from DIY sensors and LED controllers to commercial relays, shades, and HVAC. The driver speaks ESPHome's native API over your LAN (including the encryption modern devices use by default) and auto-discovers every control the device exposes. One-click AutoConfig then imports them already labeled with their real names, so laying out a page takes seconds instead of decoding slot numbers. And because an ESP32 running ESPHome can act as a Bluetooth bridge, the driver even reaches BLE-only gear (adjustable beds, smart locks, sensors) that RTI can't touch on its own. One type-aware surface covers lights, switches, covers, fans, climate, locks, valves, buttons, numbers, selects, and every kind of sensor, with live push feedback, automatic reconnect, and a light footprint on the processor once connected.

New in 2.4.0

  • We checked every message the driver sends and reads against ESPHome's own published protocol and device source code, and fixed everything that did not match.
  • Covers open and close again on current ESPHome firmware. ESPHome 2025.8 stopped acting on the open/close command earlier versions used, so Cover Open and Cover Close did nothing on devices flashed since then. 2.4 uses the position command, which ESPHome accepts on every cover.
  • Thermostats now use your temperature units. A new Temperature Units setting (Fahrenheit by default) converts every temperature in both directions. Before 2.4, a setpoint of 70 was sent as 70 degrees Celsius.
  • Fan speed is a percentage, converted to the fan's own speeds, so a slider works across its whole travel.
  • Less work inside the device's handshake time limit, and a clear Last Error when a device closes the connection, including ESPHome 2026.3.0, which allows only 15 seconds for the secure handshake.
  • Stable on ESPHome 2026.7.0 and newer: a firmware update no longer moves controls between slots.
  • ESPHome sub-devices and valves are supported, and controls without their own name now show the device's name instead of a blank.
  • Keepalive, reconnect timing and connection errors now follow the same rules as Home Assistant's published ESPHome client.
  • An expired trial now disconnects from the device instead of staying connected. Entering a license reconnects it automatically.
  • New in the download: a ready-made sample project with Controls, Climate and Status pages for iPad and iPhone.

What's included

  • AutoConfig: one click imports every control already named, so there is no guessing which slot is which button
  • Includes a sample ID11 project with pre-built Controls, Climate and Status pages for RTiPanel iPad and iPhone that fill in from whatever ESPHome device you connect
  • Reaches Bluetooth-only gear, too: an ESP32 running ESPHome bridges BLE devices (adjustable beds, locks, sensors) into RTI, a category it can't reach natively
  • Works with encrypted ESPHome devices (encryption is the modern default) and legacy plaintext alike
  • Speaks ESPHome's native API directly over your LAN: no Home Assistant, no cloud, no MQTT broker
  • Full entity coverage: lights (brightness/RGB/CCT/effects), switches, covers, fans, climate/thermostat, locks, valves, buttons, numbers, selects, and numeric/binary/text sensors
  • Live push state + keepalive heartbeat: instant feedback, and a self-healing connection that rebuilds itself after a drop, with keepalive and reconnect rules matched to Home Assistant's own ESPHome client
  • 120-minute MAC-locked free trial: try before you buy

How licensing works

  1. Download the driver (free — button on the right), install it in Integration Designer, and load to your processor. It runs unlocked for a total of 120 minutes of run time for compatibility testing. The clock is cumulative, so it does not reset when the processor reboots.
  2. Buy a license here, then sign in and enter your processor's MAC address on your account page. We issue a signed license key bound to that MAC.
  3. Paste the key into the driver's configuration. The trial wall goes away and the driver runs unlocked indefinitely.

Not enough time to finish testing? Email [email protected] and we will give you more time.

Need a custom driver? Suggest one or email [email protected].