SonOff Low Cost Wifi Switches for Home Automation

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Diggerdunne

Yeah cannot see any devices since about 10 this morning

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

corkscott

I have been trying to connect 5 devices to my new router that arrived today with no luck servers must be down 😧

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

getoffthepot

My missus was in the dark. Had to tell her how to turn them on🀓 not happy

Gulliver

Patww79 wrote: »

Says upgrading servers on the app.

Please wait one or two hours

It's Chinese New Year... Who is updating the servers?

lochdara

Im on the process of buying kit for electric gates. Im wondering if i should go for intercom/keypad system or try implement sonoff into the kit.
How can sonoff be added to electric gate kit. Gates are about 30m from house.

GryKyo

lochdara wrote: »

Im on the process of buying kit for electric gates. Im wondering if i should go for intercom/keypad system or try implement sonoff into the kit.
How can sonoff be added to electric gate kit. Gates are about 30m from house.

https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/inching-self-locking-wifi-wireless-switch.html

This will work as it can be powered off the 12v you will have down at the gates. A button selects the mode, for the gates you need a pulse from the relay to trigger the gate. You can use the eWeLink app to control the gate. Super to add on to an existing setup with keypad etc.
That said I have done a couple of automated gates and prefer the GSM phone dialler type of gate controller. Yes, you do need to pay for rental of a data only SIM but these allow you to share and unshare access to a bunch of mobile phones you are happy to let operate your gates such as family/friends etc. Just more flexible IMO.

HTH

Garry

lochdara

SO they works by 12v which would not be a problem and wifi.. i would need to test if i can get wifi signal out there. So would i still need a keypad.

Have u ever installed a solar power module to gates.

antietam1

Still only working on wifi for me, would be interested in the 12 volt ones if I can get them working.

Stoner

lochdara wrote:

SO they works by 12v which would not be a problem and wifi.. i would need to test if i can get wifi signal out there. So would i still need a keypad.

Is there a button in the house that opens the gate

You could have the connections here.

That's how it did mine

lochdara

Looking at the videos online i can use the 4 ch pro from sonoff and use that in the house and run the wires out to the gate.. or put the sonoff in the garage with a wifi booster on there.

I think i can use 1 relay to open and 1 to close. Someone might confirm that. Use a fob or alexa to do the activation.
I dont think i need an intercom/keypad, not too many people need access.

Luckycharms_74

corkscott wrote: »

Fitted a 4 channel Sonoff at the weekend in parallel with my existing timer for the boiler controlling 3 heating zones and the hot water. 3 touch light switches and 2 sonoff one channel units all working great. I have another 4 sonoffs on the way. Has anyone ordered the Smart Bulbs? Are they any good I am scared that they would get damaged in transport over from China.
  https://www.banggood.com/Sonoff-B1-E27-6W-RGB-Dimmable-Wifi-LED-Smart-Light-BulbWork-With-Alexa-AC90-265V-p-1198029.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

I was looking at that but then saw this online

"Sonoff T1 UK: 1-3 Gang WiFi & RF 86 Type Smart Wall Touch Light Switch"

https://www.itead.cc/sonoff-t1.html

I want to set up automation in my mother's house for lights inside and out.
I know I can change the bulbs but with various fittings not all bulbs available


Which would you guys recommend.


Bulbs vs Light Switch


I have installed the Sonoff smart plugs for lamps etc and they work great

bluemachaveli

Luckycharms_74 wrote: »

I was looking at that but then saw this online

"Sonoff T1 UK: 1-3 Gang WiFi & RF 86 Type Smart Wall Touch Light Switch"

https://www.itead.cc/sonoff-t1.html

I want to set up automation in my mother's house for lights inside and out.
I know I can change the bulbs but with various fittings not all bulbs available


Which would you guys recommend.


Bulbs vs Light Switch


I have installed the Sonoff smart plugs for lamps etc and they work great

I have those switches around the house and they are great. If you're putting them in for someone that's not too tech savvy then go with the switch, they can still turn them on and off with no bother should the automation fail without fiddling with the manual switch on the regular Sonoffs.

The downside with smart bulbs for me is that I know someone will end up turning off the wall switch at some point rendering the bulb useless.

Luckycharms_74

bluemachaveli wrote: »

I have those switches around the house and they are great. If you're putting them in for someone that's not too tech savvy then go with the switch, they can still turn them on and off with no bother should the automation fail without fiddling with the manual switch on the regular Sonoffs.

The downside with smart bulbs for me is that I know someone will end up turning off the wall switch at some point rendering the bulb useless.

Thanks for that help.

Yeah, my mother can still use the manual switch as well as the app on her phone.

Is there any other potential issues regarding the install.

Saw one example is she has a 3-way switch in the hallway for (outdoor lights, hall, landing light)

Would I put a 3-way replacement down in the hall and a 2-way replacement in the landing (replacing the current 2 way in the landing)

I have read about potential issues with neutral wires not being present in some houses.

I agree regarding the bulbs yeah

TLDR: Should I get an electrician to fit or would they be manageable for a regular person who is a bit tech savvy

tweek84

bluemachaveli wrote: »

I have those switches around the house and they are great. If you're putting them in for someone that's not too tech savvy then go with the switch, they can still turn them on and off with no bother should the automation fail without fiddling with the manual switch on the regular Sonoffs.

The downside with smart bulbs for me is that I know someone will end up turning off the wall switch at some point rendering the bulb useless.

Just out of interest what functions do the wall switches have?
Timing/scheduling, switching, does it control dimming?
I found every now and again that the sonoff equipment used to go off line and need the power turned off and on, does touching the light switch do this or does the power need to be turned off going to the switch?

I had that problem with the light bulb being turned off now it is intermittent, it a slow process but she is almost trained now i had contemplated getting a shock collar but it wouldn't have looked appropriate if someone visited :D

tweek84

Luckycharms_74 wrote: »

Thanks for that help.

Yeah, my mother can still use the manual switch as well as the app on her phone.

Is there any other potential issues regarding the install.

Saw one example is she has a 3-way switch in the hallway for (outdoor lights, hall, landing light)

Would I put a 3-way replacement down in the hall and a 2-way replacement in the landing (replacing the current 2 way in the landing)

I have read about potential issues with neutral wires not being present in some houses.

I agree regarding the bulbs yeah

TLDR: Should I get an electrician to fit or would they be manageable for a regular person who is a bit tech savvy

Theoretically it is possible once you have or can get neutrals to the light switches, i done up a 'ROUGH' sketch on what way i think your wiring for the switches is done based on what you have said, it might change once if you open the switches and post up pics but see attached

bluemachaveli

Luckycharms_74 wrote: »

Thanks for that help.

Yeah, my mother can still use the manual switch as well as the app on her phone.

Is there any other potential issues regarding the install.

Saw one example is she has a 3-way switch in the hallway for (outdoor lights, hall, landing light)

Would I put a 3-way replacement down in the hall and a 2-way replacement in the landing (replacing the current 2 way in the landing)

I have read about potential issues with neutral wires not being present in some houses.

I agree regarding the bulbs yeah

TLDR: Should I get an electrician to fit or would they be manageable for a regular person who is a bit tech savvy

For my house it was just a straight changeover to the new switch (there were already neutral wires & you will need these). I fitted single, double and triple myself with no issues. It is worth noting that I changed the firmware to Tasmota and run it with my own server as opposed to Iteads, which allowed me to set up some rules to handle a single light having multiple switches, IE both ends of the hall.

tweek84 wrote: »

Just out of interest what functions do the wall switches have?
Timing/scheduling, switching, does it control dimming?
I found every now and again that the sonoff equipment used to go off line and need the power turned off and on, does touching the light switch do this or does the power need to be turned off going to the switch?

I had that problem with the light bulb being turned off now it is intermittent, it a slow process but she is almost trained now i had contemplated getting a shock collar but it wouldn't have looked appropriate if someone visited :D

You can use timing/scheduling and switching no prob. AFAIK dimming is not supported, but I haven't tried it. Never had an issue with the switch going offline, but I did have some delayed responses when the wireless network was under pressure. In the end I set up a dedicated access point for all the Home Automation kit which has been working flawlessly.

Luckycharms_74

bluemachaveli wrote: »

For my house it was just a straight changeover to the new switch (there were already neutral wires & you will need these). I fitted single, double and triple myself with no issues. It is worth noting that I changed the firmware to Tasmota and run it with my own server as opposed to Iteads, which allowed me to set up some rules to handle a single light having multiple switches, IE both ends of the hall.



You can use timing/scheduling and switching no prob. AFAIK dimming is not supported, but I haven't tried it. Never had an issue with the switch going offline, but I did have some delayed responses when the wireless network was under pressure. In the end I set up a dedicated access point for all the Home Automation kit which has been working flawlessly.

I think I’m screwed . The house is about 25 years old. I opened one of the light switches and it just has black and red wires (attached pic) and no neutral. Would it be a big issue to get neutrals fitted ?

air

Anyone else having issues with TH16 units? I have one in operation and it keeps becoming unresponsive from the app. The only solution is to delete and re add it. I don't even need to cycle power or reset WiFi when doing this which leads me to believe it's an issue on the server side. Two friends have had similar issues with their TH16s.

TheDoc

Hi all.

Would love some advice on this Sonoff stuff, literally just watched a youtube video and it has me sold. I'm absolutely garbage with my hands, but think my Dad will be able to help me out putting this little devices onto existing power cables.

I'm picking up an Echo Dot tomorrow, so this is my first foray into smart stuff. I also have a Fire Stick Tv on route, and my plan was just to have the Echo Dot as a bit of a gimmick, but I know it can voice control Kodi which is the main entertainment platform in the house.

These Sonoff things though. I'd be interested in getting one for my TV. Was thinking about the Playstation, but then you need a controller in the hand anyway so a bit wasted. So really just want one to start.

• Where do I buy these from?
• What is the model I need to buy (video I saw showed a power plug being snipped, then putting the wires into the device on each end)
• Do these work plugged into an extension lead, or do they need to go directly into a wall socket?

Thanks in advance.

Black_Knight

TheDoc wrote: »

Hi all.

Would love some advice on this Sonoff stuff, literally just watched a youtube video and it has me sold. I'm absolutely garbage with my hands, but think my Dad will be able to help me out putting this little devices onto existing power cables.

I'm picking up an Echo Dot tomorrow, so this is my first foray into smart stuff. I also have a Fire Stick Tv on route, and my plan was just to have the Echo Dot as a bit of a gimmick, but I know it can voice control Kodi which is the main entertainment platform in the house.

These Sonoff things though. I'd be interested in getting one for my TV. Was thinking about the Playstation, but then you need a controller in the hand anyway so a bit wasted. So really just want one to start.

• Where do I buy these from?
• What is the model I need to buy (video I saw showed a power plug being snipped, then putting the wires into the device on each end)
• Do these work plugged into an extension lead, or do they need to go directly into a wall socket?

Thanks in advance.

I'm no expert, I've actually just order my first sonoff device the other day. They do many different types:
Plug/sockets
Light switches
In line switches (that's what i'd refer to them as anyways) (Aliexpress example)

-I bought mine from AliExpress. We'll see if it arrives. Amazon and other online retailers sell them too.
-The one you seen in the video is like the one I bought. Basically you'll need to cut the power cord of the device you want to make "smart", and wire the cut ends into each end of the sonoff device in it's place. Your devices plug on one end, and the device on the other. Note the ampage of the device though. Some sonoff are 10A/~2000W rated, so don't go putting a kettle on the end of it. TV should be fine, but realistically you'd be chopping up an extension lead rather than your TVs power cable. Here's an example of one on AliExpress
-You can get wall units too, though I don't have them. Here's an example of one (2pack) on AliExpress
I use TP-Link HS100 and HS110 (Harvey Norman have these for 30-35 quid each. HS110 for 35 is ok, HS100 for 30 is a bit much IMO). Both shown here.

Just to note, sonoff are cloud based, so you need to have an internet connection at all times to toggle them via Alexa or your phone etc. If you've no internet connection, you can still manually turn on the switch or lights. This was an issue over Christmas when their servers were overloaded with new users (I think, my dad had this issue so I didn't hear too much about it afterwards). Basically his sonoff units were dumb for a week or so.

TheDoc

Thanks for the info.

I’ve read about the firmware flashing to host my on a locally based web server. I’m cool when it comes to computers all that stuff, but when I saw soldering involved to flash the firmware I was like “nope, can’t do that “ haha

Have used aliexpress before plenty so will check out there.

Was looking at their light switches so going to check tomorrow if my house has a neautral wire. It’s an old house so maybe unlikely. Anyway will pick up one of the sonoff things and give that a whirl.

Thanks for the info. Pretty excited to get my dot tomorrow and get into all this messing

bluemachaveli

TheDoc wrote: »

Thanks for the info.

I’ve read about the firmware flashing to host my on a locally based web server. I’m cool when it comes to computers all that stuff, but when I saw soldering involved to flash the firmware I was like “nope, can’t do that “ haha

Have used aliexpress before plenty so will check out there.

Was looking at their light switches so going to check tomorrow if my house has a neautral wire. It’s an old house so maybe unlikely. Anyway will pick up one of the sonoff things and give that a whirl.

Thanks for the info. Pretty excited to get my dot tomorrow and get into all this messing

I've gotten all mine from Aliexpress with no issues. You can also buy direct from the Itead website, but you need to factor in shipping with them. I would say don't be put off by loading on your own firmware.

I'm the same as yourself and can't solder to save my life, but most of the Sonoff range have a mount for header pins. I picked up some solderless headers designed for a Raspberry Pi and modded them into a little jig that I can plug in and out without the need to solder. Only takes a couple of seconds for me to flash them now. Works really well and the payoff is so much better when you don't have to reply on external servers.

The whole lot is controlled by a Raspberry Pi running OpenHab which in turn feeds into Homekit on the iPhone.

antietam1

I would just buy the cheapest one and see how it goes, mine are still only working on wifi.

banie01

I see the Sonoff Servers are having issues again!

antietam1

The message re servers upgrade I get ends abruptly with" and all service will need.....
Anyone else able to read the full message?
Off for an hour it seems.

vjmcdonnell

Yeah had mine for about a month or so and this is the second time they went down. TBH im going to throw them in the bin

lochdara

vjmcdonnell wrote: »

Yeah had mine for about a month or so and this is the second time they went down. TBH im going to throw them in the bin

mine was off yesterday but i easily got them backonline.

no big issue with me to do it. they cost €5..

stick yours in an envelope and send them to me.. i have plenty of uses for them