SmartHomeShop Docs

FAQ

Installation & Setup

1. How do I install the WaterP1MeterKit?

Detailed installation instructions can be found in the Installation Guide. We also have installation videos on YouTube for popular water meter brands.

2. Which hardware version do I have?

We currently sell the V4: the latest hardware generation, based on the ESP32-C6 platform. V3 remains supported for existing customers.

How to identify your version:

Version How to Recognize
V4 Current ESP32-C6 hardware. Check Hardware Version in Home Assistant or the firmware/device information.
V3 Has a small cutout/hole on the side (lengthwise) for the expansion sensor port
V2 PoE works, no side cutout (V1 and V2 look identical from outside)
V1 PoE does not work, no side cutout (V1 and V2 look identical from outside)

👉 See our Hardware Versions page for more details and a complete feature comparison.

3. What connectivity options are available?

All versions support WiFi and Ethernet. V2, V3, and V4 have built-in PoE support. The device ships with WiFi firmware by default. You can switch to Ethernet using the Firmware Variant selector in Home Assistant, on the setup page or by flashing via USB-C. See Network Configuration for details.

4. How do I switch between WiFi and Ethernet?

There are three methods:

  1. Via Home Assistant: Use the Firmware Variant selector (connect Ethernet cable first when switching to Ethernet!)
  2. Via USB-C: Flash firmware using the web flasher
  3. Via the setup page: Choose Ethernet while you set up WiFi on the hotspot. The device installs the Ethernet firmware in about two minutes

⚠️ Note: Switching from Ethernet back to WiFi requires USB-C flashing: the selector only works for WiFi → Ethernet.

See Network Configuration for detailed instructions.

Water Monitoring

5. Can I use the WaterP1MeterKit to measure only water consumption?

Yes! You can use the WaterP1MeterKit to measure water only, energy only, or both. Simply connect the appropriate sensor(s) and disable any unused entities in Home Assistant.

5a. Can I use a Belgian digital water meter through DSMR/MBus?

Yes. Firmware V1 1.13, V2 1.14, V3 1.13, and V4 1.11 add support for Belgian digital water meters that are reported by the smart meter through DSMR/MBus on the P1 telegram.

The main entity is DSMR Water Consumed. It is disabled by default, so you need to enable it manually in Home Assistant before adding it to the Energy Dashboard.

5b. Should I use the pulse water sensor or DSMR Water Consumed?

Use one or the other, not both for the same physical water meter.

Situation Energy Dashboard water source
Analog water meter with rotating metal indicator Water Total Consumption
Belgian digital water meter reported over DSMR/MBus DSMR Water Consumed

If you add both, Home Assistant will count the same water usage twice.

6. How does the WaterP1MeterKit measure water consumption?

The WaterP1MeterKit works by placing a sensor on the 1-liter indication of your water meter. There is a metal plate inside the meter that completes one full rotation for every liter of water used. The kit measures the position of this metal plate to determine the flow rate.

7. Which water meters are compatible?

The WaterP1MeterKit is compatible with most analog water meters that have a rotating metal plate indicator. This small metal disc (usually silver-colored) rotates once for every liter of water used. Our sensor detects this rotation via magnetic detection.

⚠️ No rotating metal part? Unfortunately, our sensor will not work with your water meter.

Compatible Brands

Brand Holder Type
Sensus Standard holder (with screws)
Itron Standard holder (with screws)
Elster / Honeywell Standard holder (with screws)
Actaris Standard holder (with screws)
Schlumberger Standard holder (with screws)
Diehl Special clip-on holder (no screws)
Zenner (ETDK ZR, ETWD, ZR) Universal holder (with tape)
DH Metering Universal holder (with tape)
Hidroconta Universal holder (with tape)
Maddalena (Plus C, MVM) Universal holder (with tape)

Holder Types

We include the appropriate holder based on your water meter brand:

  • Standard Holder: Attaches with screws to the water meter adapter plate
  • Diehl Clip-on Holder: Simply clicks onto Diehl water meters, no screws needed
  • Universal Holder: Uses double-sided tape for other water meter types

Installation Videos

📺 Watch our installation videos for the most popular water meter types:

Video Water Meter Types
Type 1 Video Itron / Actaris / Schlumberger
Type 2 Video Sensus
Type 3 Video Elster / Honeywell

Not sure if your water meter is compatible?

Send us a photo via Contact or chat live on Discord. We're happy to help!

8. The sensor doesn't detect water flow. What should I do?

  1. Check the sensor position: it needs to be exactly over the 1-liter indicator
  2. Adjust the position slightly (sometimes just 1mm makes a difference)
  3. Ensure the black side of the sensor is facing upward
  4. The green LED should flash once per liter of water used

See Troubleshooting for more solutions.

9. How does the water meter tracking work?

The WaterP1MeterKit stores your water consumption persistently:

Sensor Description
Water Total Consumption Water measured since boot, in m³, use this for Energy Dashboard
Water Meter Initial Value Set your current physical meter reading
Water Meter Total Initial Value + Total Consumption = actual meter reading

Your data survives reboots and firmware updates!

10. When is water data saved?

The kit uses smart saving to protect flash memory:

Trigger When Always Saves?
Interval check Every 5 minutes ✅ If the reading changed
Clean shutdown OTA or restart ✅ Saves remaining delta before reboot
Factory reset Reset to defaults ❌ Stored preferences are erased

During an unexpected power outage, the water used since the last save can be lost, so at most about five minutes of usage. This applies to firmware V1 1.15, V2 1.16, V3 1.15, V4 1.14 and newer.

10a. Can I disconnect the water sensor?

Yes! The connection method differs by hardware version:

Version Connection How to Disconnect
V3/V4 Connector plug Simply unplug the connector
V1/V2 Screw terminal Open enclosure, unscrew the 3 wires

For V1/V2: Carefully unclip the housing, locate the screw terminal with 3 wires, and unscrew them. Take a photo first to remember the wire color order!

10b. Can I extend the sensor cable beyond 3 meters?

Not recommended. The sensor cable is 3 meters long. Extending it causes voltage drop, resulting in unreliable readings or complete data loss.

Need more distance? Instead of extending the sensor cable:

  1. Install the WaterP1MeterKit as close to the water meter as possible
  2. Use an Ethernet cable (up to 100m) for the network connection

Ethernet cables are designed for long distances without signal loss, much better than extending the sensor cable!

⚠️ Any cable extension is at your own risk and not covered by warranty.

Energy Monitoring

11. How does the WaterP1MeterKit measure energy consumption?

The WaterP1MeterKit uses a P1 meter cable connected to the P1 port of your energy meter. It reads all data transmitted by the energy meter, including:

  • Total consumption (kWh)
  • Instantaneous power usage (W)
  • Voltage and current per phase
  • Gas consumption (if connected to meter)

12. Does it measure solar panel feed-back to the grid?

Yes! The WaterP1MeterKit measures all data transmitted by your energy meter through the P1 port, including energy fed back to the grid from solar panels.

13. Which energy meters are compatible?

DSMR 4, DSMR 5 and ESMR 5 meters work out of the box. Older DSMR meters need custom ESPHome settings, see Older DSMR Meters. Most Dutch and Belgian smart meters are compatible. In Belgium you usually have to ask your grid operator to open the P1 port first.

⚠️ Important: Only the P1 port works. Some meters also have an MBus port. This will NOT work with the WaterP1MeterKit.

Belgian digital water support means the water meter data is received through the smart meter's P1 telegram. You do not connect the WaterP1MeterKit directly to a physical MBus port.

14. Can I use only the P1 meter without the water sensor?

Yes! Simply don't connect the water sensor and disable the water-related entities in Home Assistant.

Power & Connectivity

15. What power options does the WaterP1MeterKit support?

Power Option V1 V2 V3 V4
USB-C (5V ⎓ 1A) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
PoE (802.3af) Via splitter ✅ Built-in ✅ Built-in ✅ Built-in

16. Does the USB-C Adapter Set change the firmware?

No. All units ship with WiFi firmware, with or without the USB-C Adapter Set. Want to use Ethernet or PoE? Install the Ethernet firmware yourself, the hardware is the same. See Network Configuration.

17. How do I know which firmware is installed?

Check the device page in Home Assistant: the WiFi Signal entity only exists on WiFi firmware. You can also look at the Ethernet port LED:

  • Green LED on (without cable connected) = Ethernet firmware
  • LED off = WiFi firmware

18. Does the WaterP1MeterKit require internet access?

For normal operation: No. With the local firmware the WaterP1MeterKit works 100% locally. All sensor data stays on your local network.

The only external communication is the firmware update check (version number only, no sensor data is transmitted). The optional cloud firmware for the SmartHomeShop app sends your readings to the app on purpose and needs internet.

18a. Does the WaterP1MeterKit work with Thread?

Yes. V4 has a built-in Thread radio. With the Thread firmware it talks to Home Assistant locally through your Thread border router, without WiFi or a cable. See Connect via Thread.

Home Assistant Integration

19. How do I connect to Home Assistant?

  1. Power on the device
  2. WiFi: Connect to the waterp1meterkit hotspot (V4 with older firmware: waterp1meterkit-v4, password same as the name), configure your network
  3. Ethernet: Connect via RJ45 (Ethernet firmware must be installed)
  4. Home Assistant automatically discovers the device via ESPHome

See Installation Guide for detailed steps.

20. How do I add the WaterP1MeterKit to the Energy Dashboard?

  1. Go to Settings → Dashboards → Energy
  2. Add Water Total Consumption as water source for pulse water, or DSMR Water Consumed for Belgian DSMR/MBus water
  3. Add the appropriate energy entities for consumption/production

Do not add both water entities for the same physical water meter.

See Usage Guide for detailed configuration.

21. The device is not discovered in Home Assistant

  1. Ensure the device is connected to your network (WiFi or Ethernet)
  2. Check that Home Assistant and WaterP1MeterKit are on the same VLAN
  3. Try adding the ESPHome integration manually by IP address
  4. Check your router's DHCP leases to find the device IP

Sensors & Accuracy

22. What sensors are included?

All versions include:

  • Water sensor: Pulse counter for water meter
  • P1 reader: RJ12 connection for energy meter
  • Temperature & humidity: HDC1080 sensor

V3 and V4 additionally support expansion sensors (water leak, door/window).

23. How accurate is the water measurement?

The WaterP1MeterKit counts pulses from your water meter's 1-liter indicator. Accuracy depends on correct sensor positioning. V3 and V4 have improved precision hardware.

24. The temperature/humidity readings seem off

The HDC1080 sensor is located inside the device housing. Readings may differ from room temperature due to:

  • Heat from electronics
  • Location (often in basement/utility room near water meter)

For room climate monitoring, consider a dedicated sensor like the UltimateSensor Mini v2.

Expansion (V3/V4)

25. What expansion options are available on V3 and V4?

V3 and V4 have an expansion port that supports:

  • Water leak sensor: Detect water leaks near your water meter
  • Door/window sensor: Monitor access to utility rooms

26. Can I add expansion sensors to V1 or V2?

No, only V3 and V4 have the expansion port. V1 and V2 do not support additional sensors.

Firmware & Updates

27. How do I update the firmware?

Two options:

  1. Via Home Assistant: Enable the Update entity, check for updates, install OTA
  2. Via ESPHome Device Builder: Click Install/Update

Updates are delivered Over-The-Air (OTA).

28. Can I customize the firmware?

Yes! The WaterP1MeterKit runs ESPHome. You can:

  • Adopt the device in ESPHome Device Builder
  • Modify the YAML configuration
  • Add custom sensors or automations
  • Deploy changes OTA

Source code: GitHub

29. Where can I find the latest firmware?

Warranty & Support

30. What is the warranty?

The WaterP1MeterKit comes with a two-year warranty, and you have 14 days to change your mind after receiving your order. See our Warranty and Support page for details.

31. Where can I get help?