Yesterday, 03:21 PM
I just bought a KinCony 32 Pro to control basically the lighting in my house. This was a retrofit: I replaced an old automation system with the KinCony on a DIY basis.
My plan is to use Home Assistant to control everything. Today, the KinCony A32 Pro physically controls the lights ON/OFF. Now I need to install the firmware, and the big question is: ESPHome or KCS?
I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, and they gave contradictory answers.
What ChatGPT said
ChatGPT initially recommended KCS + Home Assistant, arguing that KCS can integrate the A32 Pro through MQTT and MQTT Auto Discovery, and that I would not need ESPHome.
It cited KinCony’s forum, including a discussion where the administrator said that KCS and ESPHome cannot run simultaneously and recommended KCS v3 for users who do not know how to configure ESPHome.
It also cited the KinCony forum thread “A32 pro lost control”, where a user had flashed ESPHome and lost KCS. The administrator explained that KCS and ESPHome cannot coexist, and suggested enabling MQTT Auto Discovery in KCS to integrate the A32 Pro with Home Assistant.
Based on this, ChatGPT concluded:
Copilot strongly disagreed and said Gemini was right and ChatGPT was wrong.
Its main argument is that KCS does not expose all 32 digital inputs of the A32 Pro to Home Assistant.
According to Copilot, KCS exposes:
This is critical for my application because I want to use physical inputs/dry contacts to trigger automations such as:
It also claims that KinCony has stated on its forum that if you want all inputs and outputs in Home Assistant, you should use ESPHome.
Copilot's other arguments are:
I do not want a generic comparison between ESPHome and KCS. I want the answer specifically for the KinCony KC868-A32 Pro + Home Assistant, considering that my primary objective is to control lighting and use the physical digital inputs for automations.
1. Who is technically correct: Gemini/Copilot or ChatGPT?
More specifically: Does KCS v3 with MQTT Auto Discovery expose all 32 digital inputs of the A32 Pro to Home Assistant, or do I need ESPHome for that?
2. If I need ESPHome on the KinCony A32 Pro:
Where is the latest official A32 Pro ESPHome YAML/configuration for Home Assistant?
Is this KinCony forum thread the correct/latest source?
https://www.kincony.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=5520
3. If KCS should be installed instead:
Is this the latest KCS version/configuration for the A32 Pro, including MQTT Auto Discovery?
https://www.kincony.com/forum/showthread...3#pid25773
I want to resolve the contradiction before flashing the controller, because KCS and ESPHome cannot coexist, so choosing the wrong firmware means having to reflash the device.
Please base the answer on the current KinCony A32 Pro documentation/forum information, not on assumptions about other KinCony models.
Summary: I need to decide between KCS + MQTT Auto Discovery and ESPHome for an A32 Pro whose relays control my lights and whose digital inputs will be used by Home Assistant for physical-button/dry-contact automations. The key question is whether KCS exposes the 32 digital inputs to Home Assistant.
My plan is to use Home Assistant to control everything. Today, the KinCony A32 Pro physically controls the lights ON/OFF. Now I need to install the firmware, and the big question is: ESPHome or KCS?
I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, and they gave contradictory answers.
What ChatGPT said
ChatGPT initially recommended KCS + Home Assistant, arguing that KCS can integrate the A32 Pro through MQTT and MQTT Auto Discovery, and that I would not need ESPHome.
It cited KinCony’s forum, including a discussion where the administrator said that KCS and ESPHome cannot run simultaneously and recommended KCS v3 for users who do not know how to configure ESPHome.
It also cited the KinCony forum thread “A32 pro lost control”, where a user had flashed ESPHome and lost KCS. The administrator explained that KCS and ESPHome cannot coexist, and suggested enabling MQTT Auto Discovery in KCS to integrate the A32 Pro with Home Assistant.
Based on this, ChatGPT concluded:
- I do not need ESPHome.
- I can install KCS and integrate it with Home Assistant.
- KCS + MQTT Auto Discovery is the simpler solution for my case.
Copilot strongly disagreed and said Gemini was right and ChatGPT was wrong.
Its main argument is that KCS does not expose all 32 digital inputs of the A32 Pro to Home Assistant.
According to Copilot, KCS exposes:
- Relays through MQTT
- Basic sensors
- Some internal states
This is critical for my application because I want to use physical inputs/dry contacts to trigger automations such as:
Quote:Press a button → turn on one, two, or three lights.Copilot says that without the digital inputs being available in Home Assistant, this type of automation cannot work as intended.
It also claims that KinCony has stated on its forum that if you want all inputs and outputs in Home Assistant, you should use ESPHome.
Copilot's other arguments are:
- KCS + MQTT Auto Discovery does not automatically expose the 32 digital inputs.
- Saying that KCS is simpler may be true for some smaller KinCony controllers, but not necessarily for the A32 Pro.
- The A32 Pro uses multiple I/O expanders, and ESPHome provides a more complete mapping of its inputs and outputs to Home Assistant.
I do not want a generic comparison between ESPHome and KCS. I want the answer specifically for the KinCony KC868-A32 Pro + Home Assistant, considering that my primary objective is to control lighting and use the physical digital inputs for automations.
1. Who is technically correct: Gemini/Copilot or ChatGPT?
More specifically: Does KCS v3 with MQTT Auto Discovery expose all 32 digital inputs of the A32 Pro to Home Assistant, or do I need ESPHome for that?
2. If I need ESPHome on the KinCony A32 Pro:
Where is the latest official A32 Pro ESPHome YAML/configuration for Home Assistant?
Is this KinCony forum thread the correct/latest source?
https://www.kincony.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=5520
3. If KCS should be installed instead:
Is this the latest KCS version/configuration for the A32 Pro, including MQTT Auto Discovery?
https://www.kincony.com/forum/showthread...3#pid25773
I want to resolve the contradiction before flashing the controller, because KCS and ESPHome cannot coexist, so choosing the wrong firmware means having to reflash the device.
Please base the answer on the current KinCony A32 Pro documentation/forum information, not on assumptions about other KinCony models.
Summary: I need to decide between KCS + MQTT Auto Discovery and ESPHome for an A32 Pro whose relays control my lights and whose digital inputs will be used by Home Assistant for physical-button/dry-contact automations. The key question is whether KCS exposes the 32 digital inputs to Home Assistant.