I got this idea while browsing the Lua API for nodemcu (although I don't plan to use Lua).

Besides the normal operational inputs (PIRs, rotary encoders [including switches]), there are no other inputs. I could use some of these things to activate some kind of configuration UI:

• long press of the rotary switch
• double click of the rotary switch
• triple click of the rotary switch (hmm, seeing a pattern)
• basically any combination of long and short presses of the rotary (analogous to Morse code)
• I could also distinguish between the master rotary and a remote rotary
• feedback could be given via the pilot LED or the lights themselves (most likely some series of blinks)

Given this idea, I don't know what I'd actually do with it. Most configuration will be controlled by constants embedded in the code, and updating them is just a matter of downloading a new firmware. I guess this could save me the awkwardness of firmware updates after this stuff is installed.

OTOH, I can also run a web server via the built-in wifi, so maybe this is a pointless idea after all.