Installation
Install or update Nova firmware on your ESP32 board, straight from your browser. Pick your board below to get started.
Choose your board
These boards have ready-made firmware. Your chip is detected automatically when you connect it.
What you need
- A supported ESP32 board (see above)
- A USB cable that carries data, not just power
- A computer with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (Web Serial is not available on phones, Safari or Firefox)
- A running Home Assistant instance on the same network
Compare installation methods
| Update | Full install | Upload file | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firmware source | This site | This site | Your own .bin files |
| Keeps settings | ✅ | ❌ | Depends |
| Writes bootloader | ❌ | ✅ | If included |
| Offsets set for you | ✅ | ✅ | Guessed, editable |
| Best for | Regular updates | New or broken boards | Custom builds |
Install with your browser
- Plug the board into your computer with a USB data cable.
- Open the installer and keep the Latest firmware tab selected.
- Click Connect device and pick your board's serial port (often named
USB JTAG/serialorCP210x). - The installer shows the detected chip and the firmware versions built for it. The newest stable version is selected.
- Choose Update to keep your settings, or Full install for a new or unresponsive board.
- Confirm, then wait for the progress ring to reach Done. Do not unplug the board while it is writing.
- The board restarts by itself. Use Open serial monitor to watch it boot if you like.
Add to Home Assistant
- After the first start, the board opens a Wi-Fi hotspot named
Nova-XXXX. Join it from your phone and enter your home Wi-Fi details. - In Home Assistant, go to Settings → Devices & services. Nova Hub appears under Discovered.
- Select Configure and follow the prompts. The device and its entities are added to your dashboard.
Manual install with esptool
Prefer the command line? Download the files from the firmware folder and run esptool. Offsets for each board:
Troubleshooting
The board does not connect
Hold the BOOT button, tap RESET, release BOOT, then click Connect again. Try a different cable or USB port.
No serial port appears
Some boards need a USB driver (CP210x or CH340). Install it, then reload the page.
"There is no firmware for this chip yet"
Your board is not in the list above. Use the Upload file tab with your own build.
The board keeps restarting after flashing
Run a Full install. It rewrites the bootloader and partition table. Open the >_ debug panel in the installer to see the log.