When Apollo Automation joined the Works With Home Assistant program in February 2025, we started with three products: the MTR-1, MSR-2, and AIR-1. The official Home Assistant announcement at the time noted they anticipated Apollo would bring more of our lineup into the program. We're happy to say we did exactly that.
Five more Apollo Automation devices have now received official Works With Home Assistant certification, and every single Apollo product is also certified Made For ESPHome. Here's a full breakdown of what's new, what each device does, and what these certifications actually mean for you.
What Is Works With Home Assistant Certification?
Works With Home Assistant is a certification program operated by the Open Home Foundation, the Swiss non-profit that owns and protects Home Assistant and over 250 other open-source smart home projects. It is not a self-reported badge. Every certified device is rigorously tested in-house by the OHF team to ensure it works seamlessly with Home Assistant out of the box.
Companies joining the program also make a binding commitment to long-term firmware support and updates, and to being a positive force in the Home Assistant community. This is what separates Works With Home Assistant from generic compatibility claims. It is a meaningful, tested, and enforced standard.
Only devices that pass this process are permitted to display the official Works With Home Assistant badge. Apollo Automation is one of a small number of partners in the program, and the only ESPHome-based manufacturer to have joined when we first certified in February 2025.
What Is Made For ESPHome Certification?
Made For ESPHome is an official certification from the ESPHome project, also owned by the Open Home Foundation, that identifies hardware built specifically to take full advantage of ESPHome firmware. Certified devices offer seamless local integration, over-the-air firmware updates, and deep Home Assistant compatibility, all without any cloud dependency or subscription.
Every Apollo Automation device carries the Made For ESPHome certification. As the first company to bring ESPHome-based devices into the Works With Home Assistant program, and as the second official commercial partner of the Open Home Foundation, ESPHome is not just a firmware choice for us. It is foundational to everything we build.
The Five Newly Certified Apollo Devices
R PRO-1: PoE mmWave Multisensor
The Apollo R PRO-1 is our most capable and professional-grade presence sensor, and the first true 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) device in our lineup. Instead of running on USB power or batteries, the R PRO-1 draws both power and data from a single Ethernet cable, making it ideal for clean, cable-managed installations in walls, ceilings, or gang boxes.
It ships with Wi-Fi firmware by default and can be switched to Ethernet PoE firmware directly from within Home Assistant. Dual mmWave radar modules give it exceptional detection flexibility:
- LD2450 for multi-zone motion and presence tracking across up to three configurable zones at approximately 6 m range
- Optional LD2412 add-on for enhanced static presence detection up to approximately 9 m, ideal for detecting completely still occupants like someone reading or sleeping
Environmental sensing includes the LTR-390 for ambient lux and UV, the DPS310 for barometric pressure and temperature, and an optional SCD40 CO2, temperature, and humidity module. An RGB LED and piezo buzzer round out the feature set for automation feedback and notifications.
The R PRO-1 is the right choice for professional smart home installations where clean wiring, long-range detection, and dual-radar precision matter.
TEMP-1 and TEMP-1B: Smart Temperature Sensor
The Apollo TEMP-1 is a versatile smart temperature and humidity sensor built on the ESP32-C3-MINI-1 with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is available in two versions:
- TEMP-1: USB-C powered for continuous operation
- TEMP-1B: Battery-powered using a rechargeable CR123A/16340 battery, with up to approximately 6 months of battery life
The onboard AHT20-F measures ambient temperature and humidity, and a 3.5 mm probe jack supports a range of external probes for more specialized monitoring:
- DS18B20 waterproof flat probes (20 cm or 1.5 m) for fridges, freezers, fish tanks, and HVAC vents, rated to 85°C
- Stainless steel NTC food-safe probe (1 m) rated to 204°C, for ovens, grills, and cooking applications
Common use cases include food safety monitoring, cold storage alerts, aquarium and pool temperature tracking, smart cooking automations, and HVAC monitoring. The RGB LED and piezo buzzer enable visual and audible threshold alerts directly from the device, fully configurable in ESPHome and Home Assistant.
PLT-1 and PLT-1B: Ultimate Plant Sensor
The Apollo PLT-1 is a smart indoor plant monitoring sensor that tracks everything your plants need to thrive. It uses a capacitive soil moisture sensor protected with a conformal coating for long-term durability, avoiding the corrosion issues that plague cheaper resistive moisture sensors.
Onboard sensors include:
- Capacitive soil moisture for accurate hydration tracking
- AHT20-F for air temperature and humidity
- LTR-390 for ambient lux and UV index
- Optional DS18B20 waterproof soil temperature probe for root-zone temperature monitoring
The PLT-1B variant adds an 18650 rechargeable battery for cable-free placement anywhere in your home. Both versions include an RGB LED and piezo buzzer for low-moisture alerts and custom notifications.
Integrated with Home Assistant, the PLT-1 enables powerful plant care automations: triggering grow lights based on lux levels, activating the Apollo PUMP-1 when soil moisture drops below a threshold, or sending alerts before a plant is stressed. It is also compatible with Open Plant Book for species-specific environmental guidance.
PUMP-1: Smart Fluid Pump Controller
The Apollo PUMP-1 is a food-safe smart liquid pump controller powered by an ESP32-C6-MINI Wi-Fi module. It is capable of pumping at up to 900 ml per minute, tested to move fluids over 14 feet vertically and 33 feet horizontally.
Two onboard ultrasonic fluid sensor ports detect when the source container is empty or the destination container is full, automatically halting operation to prevent pump damage or overflow. RGB LED status indicators and a buzzer provide real-time alerts for low fluid levels and other conditions.
Use cases include:
- Automated plant watering triggered by the PLT-1 soil moisture sensor
- Aquarium and fish tank top-off systems
- Pet water bowl auto-refill
- Robot mop tank management
- Coffee machine water supply automation
- Drain control and fluid transfer applications
The PUMP-1 is constructed entirely from food-safe materials suitable for potable liquids and integrates fully with ESPHome and Home Assistant for local, cloud-free automation.
BTN-1: Modular Macro Deck
The Apollo BTN-1 is a modular physical smart home controller built around four Cherry MX-compatible hot-swappable mechanical buttons, each with LED lighting both beneath and in front for clear status feedback. It connects over Wi-Fi and integrates with Home Assistant via ESPHome.
What makes the BTN-1 genuinely unique is its modular expansion system. Large top modules can add an e-ink display, NFC reader, or other interfaces, while side add-ons support rotary dials, OLED screens, LED matrices, additional buttons, or a sensor mezzanine board for adding CO2 monitoring and other environmental sensing directly to the device.
Powered via USB-C or battery, the BTN-1 is ideal as a physical interface for:
- Smart home scene and automation control
- Media macros and streaming command shortcuts
- Custom notifications via LED feedback
- IoT project interfaces tailored to specific workflows
In a world where smart home control increasingly means talking to a voice assistant or tapping a phone screen, the BTN-1 brings back the satisfaction of a physical button that does exactly what you want, every time.
The Full Apollo Works With Home Assistant Lineup
With these five additions, here is the complete list of Apollo Automation devices certified under the Works With Home Assistant program:
- MSR-2 - Compact mmWave presence multisensor
- MTR-1 - Multi-target radar multisensor
- AIR-1 - Air quality monitor
- R PRO-1 - PoE mmWave multisensor
- TEMP-1 / TEMP-1B - Temperature sensor with probe support
- PLT-1 / PLT-1B - Smart plant sensor
- PUMP-1 - Smart fluid pump controller
- BTN-1 - Modular macro deck
Every device in the lineup also carries Made For ESPHome certification. All are designed, engineered, and assembled in-house in Versailles, Kentucky, with full local control, no cloud dependencies, and no subscription required.
Why Certification Matters
There are thousands of smart home devices that claim Home Assistant compatibility. Works With Home Assistant certification is fundamentally different. It means the OHF team has physically tested the device, verified it works seamlessly out of the box, and that Apollo has committed to long-term firmware support. If something breaks in a future Home Assistant update, we are accountable and obligated to fix it.
For users, this is the difference between a device that might work and one that is guaranteed to work, backed by both the manufacturer and the Open Home Foundation.
We are proud of every device that has gone through this process, and we are grateful to the OHF team for the rigorous testing and feedback that makes the certification meaningful. As the second commercial partner of the Open Home Foundation and the first ESPHome-based manufacturer to join the Works With Home Assistant program, this expansion represents a milestone we are genuinely proud of.
Browse the full certified Apollo lineup at apolloautomation.com, or view all Works With Home Assistant certified products at works-with.home-assistant.io.
Apollo Automation designs, engineers, and manufactures privacy-first, locally-controlled smart home sensors in Versailles, Kentucky. All products feature 100% local control with no cloud dependencies or subscriptions required. Apollo is a Works With Home Assistant partner, Made For ESPHome certified, Works With Homey certified, and the second official commercial partner of the Open Home Foundation. Learn more at apolloautomation.com.
