ESPHome LD2410 UART Example: YAML for Home Assistant

esphome:
  name: office-presence

esp32:
  board: esp32dev

logger:
api:
ota:
  - platform: esphome
wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

uart:
  id: ld2410_uart
  tx_pin: GPIO17
  rx_pin: GPIO16
  baud_rate: 256000
  parity: NONE
  stop_bits: 1

ld2410:
  id: radar
  uart_id: ld2410_uart

• tx_pin is the ESP32 pin that transmits, so it goes to the sensor's RX.
• rx_pin receives, so it goes to the sensor's TX.
• 256000, NONE and 1 match the module's factory serial settings.

GPIO16 and GPIO17 are UART2 on most ESP32 dev boards, which keeps the default logger on UART0 out of the way. ESPHome recommends hardware UART pins for this component. Power the sensor from the board's 5V pin, not 3.3V; the pinout guide has the pin order for each module version.

Other boards need different pins. On an ESP32-C3, any two free GPIOs can carry the UART; GPIO20 and GPIO21 are a common pair, and the XIAO ESP32-C3 labels them D7 and D6. On an ESP8266 the only full hardware UART is the one the logger uses, so set the logger's baud_rate to 0 and put the sensor on GPIO1 and GPIO3.

Flash, then open the device logs. If the lines are crossed or the baud is wrong, the ld2410 component logs nothing useful and the firmware version sensor stays empty. Swap TX and RX before you suspect the module.

binary_sensor:
  - platform: ld2410
    has_target:
      name: Presence
    has_moving_target:
      name: Moving target
    has_still_target:
      name: Still target

sensor:
  - platform: ld2410
    moving_distance:
      name: Moving distance
    still_distance:
      name: Still distance
    detection_distance:
      name: Detection distance

number:
  - platform: ld2410
    timeout:
      name: Timeout
    max_move_distance_gate:
      name: Max move gate
    max_still_distance_gate:
      name: Max still gate

Presence is the entity most automations need. It stays on while either a moving or a still target is seen. The distances arrive in centimetres, and ESPHome throttles sensor updates to about once a second by default so the database does not flood.

• timeout is the no-one delay in seconds; default 5.
• max_move_distance_gate and max_still_distance_gate run 2–8 and cut off detection beyond that gate.
• Numbers write straight to the module, so values survive a reboot.

Choose which presence entity drives which automation. Has moving target reacts fast and suits hallway lights. Has still target is what keeps a desk lamp on while you read. ESPHome applies a one-second settle filter to these binary sensors by default, which stops them chattering.

switch:
  - platform: ld2410
    engineering_mode:
      name: Engineering mode

sensor:
  - platform: ld2410
    g2:
      move_energy:
        name: G2 move energy
      still_energy:
        name: G2 still energy

1. Add move and still energy sensors for the gates you care about, plus g0–g8 move_threshold and still_threshold numbers.
2. Leave the room empty and switch engineering mode on.
3. Watch each gate's energy for a few minutes; note the highest value per gate.
4. Set that gate's threshold a margin above the empty-room peak.
5. Sit, work and walk in the room to confirm presence still holds, then switch engineering mode off.

With 0.75m gates, gate 0 covers the first 0.75m, gate 1 the next, and so on out to gate 8. A threshold of 100 effectively disables a gate. ESPHome warns that engineering mode costs extra resources, which is why it belongs in a calibration session, not in daily use. Gate size at 0.2m resolution is worked through in setting range and gates.

A plain entities card plus a history graph is enough to see presence, distance and the timeout at a glance. Paste this into a manual card:

type: vertical-stack
cards:
  - type: entities
    title: Office radar
    entities:
      - binary_sensor.office_presence_presence
      - binary_sensor.office_presence_still_target
      - sensor.office_presence_detection_distance
      - number.office_presence_timeout
  - type: history-graph
    hours_to_show: 12
    entities:
      - binary_sensor.office_presence_presence

• The history graph shows dropouts: short gaps while you sit still mean a still threshold is too high.
• Put the gate threshold numbers on a separate tuning dashboard so nobody changes them by accident.
• Community cards can draw gate energies as bars, but the built-in cards cover daily use.

For automations, trigger lights on the Presence entity turning on and off with a delay of your choosing. Keep the module's own timeout short and put the longer hold in Home Assistant, where you can change it without touching the sensor.

• Lights on when Presence turns on and the room is dark.
• Heating setback when Presence has been off for 30 minutes.
• A notification when a room you expect to be empty reports a still target at night.

If you run several sensors, give each node a clear room name before adoption. Renaming later changes the entity IDs, and every card and automation that refers to them has to follow.

The BLE route suits a sensor powered by a USB charger with no microcontroller at all. It needs the module's Bluetooth left on, which ESPHome users often switch off, and range is limited to what your adapter or proxy covers.

• LD2410 BLE integration: no flashing, but only for Bluetooth boards and within radio range.
• Tasmota: some Tasmota builds include an LD2410 driver; you assign the UART pins in the template and get presence and distance, with fewer tuning controls than ESPHome.
• Ready-made node: the AKAMATIS v2.2 arrives with ESPHome already installed.

For most wired builds ESPHome remains the fullest option, because every gate threshold, the timeout and engineering mode appear as entities. If you prefer the phone for tuning, set thresholds in the HLKRadarTool app first; ESPHome reads them back from the module.

Planning several rooms on different microcontrollers? The board-by-board wiring guide gives pins for the ESP32-C3, D1 Mini and ESP8266.