Will this work on my A/C?
If your A/C uses a ConnectLife Wi-Fi module on a 4-pin connector, the odds are good, and you can check in about a minute without opening anything.
Two things have to be true. The bus protocol has to match, and the module has to be one you can replace or reflash.
Confirmed working
| Wi-Fi module | AEH-W41H1 (Realtek RTL8710C / AmebaZ2), secure boot off |
| App it came with | ConnectLife |
| Bus | RS-485, 9600 8N1, on the 4-pin module connector (5 V · GND · A · B) |
| Runs on | the maintainer’s units, every day, with an ESP32 board in place of the module |
The protocol is proven on this hardware, and so is the ESP32 board that replaces the module. Running ESPHome on the module itself is newer and less proven: one module, since 2026-10-10 (The Stock Module).
Very likely, not personally verified
Other Hisense units using the same module family. The AEH-W4A1 appears throughout the
reference material this project built on and speaks the same bus. The protocol work should carry
over; the flashing details may differ.
Other brands on the same bus. This A/C bus is not Hisense-only. The community
esphome_airconintl project drives the identical
protocol on AirconIntl hardware, which is why the codec here could be cross-checked against its
sample frames before it ever touched an A/C. Hisense manufactures for several brands, so a
rebadged unit may well be the same machine underneath.
“Should work” is not “does work”. If you try it on something not listed above, open an issue with what you find, working or not.
How to check your own unit
1. Does it use ConnectLife? If your A/C pairs with the ConnectLife app, it is in the right family. Some regions ship the same hardware under a different app name.
2. Look at the module bay. The Wi-Fi module is a small plastic dongle in a slot on the indoor unit, usually behind the front panel and reachable without tools. The part number is printed on it.
3. Count the pins. Four pins (5 V, GND, and an RS-485 A/B pair) is the signature this project targets.
If your module is not supported, or is dead
You do not need the original module. The ESP32 board puts an
ESP32 and an RS-485 transceiver in the module bay, speaking the same bus bytes. It costs about
5 EUR, needs no clip, and is the recommended hardware whether or not you have a working
AEH-W41H1: those modules are fragile and hard to buy.
The User Guide compares it with keeping the module, and the hardware comparison has the measured figures.
What you get either way
Local control in Home Assistant with no cloud, over ESPHome: mode, setpoint, six fan settings, vertical swing, the Eco, Quiet, Turbo and Sleep special modes, temperatures, and a power and energy estimate. See Everyday Control.