SonOff Low Cost Wifi Switches for Home Automation

john_doe. · 18-07-2018 7:30pm

Thought this was interesting on the PRO from an Amazon review:

"This is specifically a review for the 4CH Pro R2.... which is an important point as my main complaint appears not to be there on the 4CH.
The good:
Not too hard to set up, the "manual" is quite basic, but having worked out how to do it, doing a second would take very little time at all. It may be a little foreboding to some to have to open it up and set small DIP switches on the circuit board - make sure that you have a magnifying glass handy.
Once set up, it is easy to connect to wifi and alexa if you actually folllow what it says, definitely not one for those that like to wing it.
Works well, and responds quickly to Alexa commands. Not received my RF switches yet so will have to see how easy they are to set-up - NOTE: the SONOFF wall switches will not work in the UK unless you have specifically wired for smart switches ie taken a neutral to the light switch - something not standard in the UK. I managed to find some RF stick-up battery powered switches from China
**** The BAD! ****
The Pro seems to have taken a silly decision to require you to loop the live feed from the input to the 'common' connection on each switch. The basic 4CH does this linkage internally and so you connect live to the L connection and just take a switched live out to the device. The big problem with the approach taken by the Pro is that it requires you to put a physical link wire from the Live terminal to the Switch 1 common then to the Switch 2 common etc. this means that each connector needs two wires in it - one 'in' and one 'out'. This a a huge issue as the connectors are only small push fit, not screwed down. Therefore the wires are barely held in a hole just big enough for one wire, let alone two. I'm certain this means of connection of mains voltage is not legal to building wiring regs. Having thought about it, I think that you need to effectively create a common live connection rail and then run a single wire to each common input. To do this safely I would expect that you need a small distribuiton box, which will significantly impact how cheap this solution would actually be.

My strong advice is to look at the 4CH instead, not the pro"

Good article here for heating system:

http://www.davidhunt.ie/diy-smart-home-heating-control-system/

wheresmybeaver · 18-07-2018 11:34pm

john_doe. wrote: »

Thought this was interesting on the PRO from an Amazon review:

"This is specifically a review for the 4CH Pro R2.... which is an important point as my main complaint appears not to be there on the 4CH.
The good:
Not too hard to set up, the "manual" is quite basic, but having worked out how to do it, doing a second would take very little time at all. It may be a little foreboding to some to have to open it up and set small DIP switches on the circuit board - make sure that you have a magnifying glass handy.
Once set up, it is easy to connect to wifi and alexa if you actually folllow what it says, definitely not one for those that like to wing it.
Works well, and responds quickly to Alexa commands. Not received my RF switches yet so will have to see how easy they are to set-up - NOTE: the SONOFF wall switches will not work in the UK unless you have specifically wired for smart switches ie taken a neutral to the light switch - something not standard in the UK. I managed to find some RF stick-up battery powered switches from China
**** The BAD! ****
The Pro seems to have taken a silly decision to require you to loop the live feed from the input to the 'common' connection on each switch. The basic 4CH does this linkage internally and so you connect live to the L connection and just take a switched live out to the device. The big problem with the approach taken by the Pro is that it requires you to put a physical link wire from the Live terminal to the Switch 1 common then to the Switch 2 common etc. this means that each connector needs two wires in it - one 'in' and one 'out'. This a a huge issue as the connectors are only small push fit, not screwed down. Therefore the wires are barely held in a hole just big enough for one wire, let alone two. I'm certain this means of connection of mains voltage is not legal to building wiring regs. Having thought about it, I think that you need to effectively create a common live connection rail and then run a single wire to each common input. To do this safely I would expect that you need a small distribuiton box, which will significantly impact how cheap this solution would actually be.

My strong advice is to look at the 4CH instead, not the pro"

Good article here for heating system:

http://www.davidhunt.ie/diy-smart-home-heating-control-system/

I read that review before, I think that if you are wiring it to a traditional mains then the non-pro makes more sense (it's like a traditional sonoff x 4), but my thermostats are electronic relay ones with a much lower voltage (I believe), so effectively they are just acting as relay controllers and are not passing through the full current for the zones. So I believe the 4ch pro is the appropriate one to use here.

Of course I'm no electrician which is why I'm asking for opinion, but still it's only €25 to buy it and see if an electrician can then wire it.

john_doe. · 19-07-2018 7:16am

Ya I've been evaluating it for my own heating system. Biggest concern is how safe these things are and what certifications they have got.
The CE doesn't really mean much.
End of day a €30 switch is great but if over heats and burns the place down not so great. My current thinking is they are good for thinkering but not so sure I'm ready to allow them to control the home boiler.

banie01 · 20-07-2018 3:21pm

I don't know if I'm late to the party on this one, but have any of ye good people given Yeti App a try?

It's a home automation/control app but the nifty thing is that it allows control of Nest, Sonoff, Hue, LifX, netatmo, yeelight, Honeywell and a slew more flavours of home control in one app interface!

Currently it's running my Nest and my Sonoff, the caveat for Sonoff control is that it's Tasmoto compatible only.
I use a pile of smart bulbs from the Tuya/Smartlife/eFamilycloud range of stuff and they have said they are adding integration for that too!

It takes me from 3 apps to 1 and there's widgets for Oreo too!

OldMrBrennan83 · 20-07-2018 3:50pm

This post has been deleted.

Blanchy90 · 20-07-2018 3:55pm

Ive just ordered a sonoff pow r2 and I think my echo dots have arrived

air · 24-07-2018 1:59pm

john_doe. wrote: »

Ya I've been evaluating it for my own heating system. Biggest concern is how safe these things are and what certifications they have got.
The CE doesn't really mean much.
End of day a €30 switch is great but if over heats and burns the place down not so great. My current thinking is they are good for thinkering but not so sure I'm ready to allow them to control the home boiler.

I tested one to destruction and it was the relay that failed, there was no damage at all to the SonOff or the traces. I replaced the relay and it works fine to this day, I reduced the rating of the internal fuse in the SonOff as this failed to protect the relay.

I haven't seen any reports of them failing dangerously and last I saw they were selling North of 40k units a month.

A central heating boiler is typically a very small load for the boiler itself and a circulation pump.

clint_silver · 30-07-2018 1:41pm

air wrote: »

I tested one to destruction and it was the relay that failed, there was no damage at all to the SonOff or the traces. I replaced the relay and it works fine to this day, I reduced the rating of the internal fuse in the SonOff as this failed to protect the relay.

I haven't seen any reports of them failing dangerously and last I saw they were selling North of 40k units a month.

A central heating boiler is typically a very small load for the boiler itself and a circulation pump.

Pow r2 on my immersion stopped working at weekend. Melted internally and started to melt outside. I’ll try get pics up later.

durtybit · 31-07-2018 7:19am

clint_silver wrote: »

Pow r2 on my immersion stopped working at weekend. Melted internally and started to melt outside. I’ll try get pics up later.

Immersion would be too much of a load for these things from what I read.

clint_silver · 31-07-2018 7:48am

The pow 2 is rated at 16a so supposed to be ok for immersion. Many other reports say its ok.

However, after a bit of digging around, I found the problem or at least what looks like it is, this exact issue was reported and if mine was from the bad batch this exact problem would occur...

https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/03/01/some-sonoff-th16-and-sonoff-pow-manufactured-in-december-2016-january-2017-are-being-recalled/

msmx5 · 31-07-2018 10:51am

clint_silver wrote: »

The pow 2 is rated at 16a so supposed to be ok for immersion. Many other reports say its ok.

However, after a bit of digging around, I found the problem or at least what looks like it is, this exact issue was reported and if mine was from the bad batch this exact problem would occur...

https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/03/01/some-sonoff-th16-and-sonoff-pow-manufactured-in-december-2016-january-2017-are-being-recalled/

Thanks for that link - good to know. I see the ITEAD recall notice is no longer available on their website but it is available on an internet archive for those interested. Pity its so difficult to identify the affected units.

As you mentioned the POW R2 (for example) should be able to handle a standard immersion which is typically 3000W. The POW R2 is rated for:-
Max current: 16A
Max Power: 3500W

Wheety · 01-08-2018 10:42am

I just ordered 2 of the standard Sonoffs for €8.72 on Banggood.

I hope these are ligit. Think they were around £10 on Amazon recently. Only 1 available for £15.99 now.

air · 01-08-2018 10:59am

clint_silver wrote: »

The pow 2 is rated at 16a so supposed to be ok for immersion. Many other reports say its ok.

However, after a bit of digging around, I found the problem or at least what looks like it is, this exact issue was reported and if mine was from the bad batch this exact problem would occur...

https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/03/01/some-sonoff-th16-and-sonoff-pow-manufactured-in-december-2016-january-2017-are-being-recalled/

Good catch, like I have said before though, I've had no issues but I don't have any installed on an immersion without a contactor.

clint_silver · 01-08-2018 11:31am

air wrote: »

Good catch, like I have said before though, I've had no issues but I don't have any installed on an immersion without a contactor.

I had an electrician look at it, he said he wouldnt have done anything different, once the unit is rated ok then the wiring is straightforward, no different then rewiring a plug.

In this case it looks like a faulty unit as per that recall notice. The melt is the exact same in same area. I've got sonoff basics on several lamps and the POW 2 on another appliance in the house so not worried.

Theres a youtube vid I showing how the sonoff can overheat if you push high amps through it more than the domestic send. Most lamps are 3a so should be ok.

Im waiting on another POW 2 to go back on the immersion, will have it in a junction box and have a smoke alarm over it. That vid has given me another thought though, get the temperature sensor that fits the sonoff, and put the guage on the sonoff itself as a monitor to switch off if the temperature rises above a certain level. I did have mine on for 4-5 months without issue so maybe one of the kids left it on for too long and it didnt like it.

air · 01-08-2018 11:53am

Yes, I wasn't implying you did anything wrong, just saying that I prefer the conservative option of using a contactor for loads approaching the specifications of these units.
If it's rated 16A then it should have no issues running 24/7/365 at 13A load.
Out of interest, how did you handle the sink / bath elements, did you just put it on one or the other?

clint_silver · 01-08-2018 11:59am

air wrote: »

Yes, I wasn't implying you did anything wrong, just saying that I prefer the conservative option of using a contactor for loads approaching the specifications of these units.
If it's rated 16A then it should have no issues running 24/7/365 at 13A load.
Out of interest, how did you handle the sink / bath elements, did you just put it on one or the other?

ah yeah, I got that no probs, all good.

Yeah I left it on one or the other all the time. I had it in mind to add some IFTTT and stringify to switch to bath or sink but think the solution I came up needed another switch so never got round to it. Theres a couple of solutions on line to do it

whizbang · 19-08-2018 9:42pm

Folks, Re IFTTT, i have a setup to turn on Sonoff switched lights at sunset, but lately I have noticed the timing is completely random.

Looking at the history in the IFTTT, the Applet is set to run at approx 9pm, but randomly triggers anywhere 9:57 to 10:49pm.

Is this normal, or is it something i shoud be looking into ?

viperlogic · 19-08-2018 9:55pm

Are the sonoff/EWeLink servers down? Devices won’t connect ðŸ˜¢

whizbang · 19-08-2018 10:52pm

all ok here.

JaCrispy · 21-08-2018 7:30pm

Still haven't found a way to replicate the "boost" function with normal boiler timers on the 4CH Pro.
The countdown timer has to be created each time and doesn't have a repeat or replay option.

The scenes work fairly well though so when the temp on my hot water tank reaches 48 degrees then my 4CH Pro will automatically turn of the relevant channel.

Tinder Surprise · 12-09-2018 12:02pm

So glad I came across this thread....

Looking for a simple way on how to take some Sonoff devices I have off the IOT train

All these ESP8266 devices kinda scare me with being tethered to central Servers in foreign lands

I am getting (so far) that the best approach is Rpi as a server on my LAN but I'm kinda lost after that when it comes to the simplest GUI to control/setup the devices, and also options for operating them over WAN

b.gud · 12-09-2018 12:06pm

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

So glad I came across this thread....

Looking for a simple way on how to take some Sonoff devices I have off the IOT train

All these ESP8266 devices kinda scare me with being tethered to central Servers in foreign lands

I am getting (so far) that the best approach is Rpi as a server on my LAN but I'm kinda lost after that when it comes to the simplest GUI to control/setup the devices, and also options for operating them over WAN

I have a couple of them and my plan is to flash them with Tasmota and control them through Home Assistant on my Pi.

I haven't gotten around to doing it yet but it looks pretty simple. This guy has lots of videos on flashing various different Sonoff devices

xckjoo · 12-09-2018 12:19pm

b.gud wrote: »

I have a couple of them and my plan is to flash them with Tasmota and control them through Home Assistant on my Pi.

I haven't gotten around to doing it yet but it looks pretty simple. This guy has lots of videos on flashing various different Sonoff devices

I did it a while ago with a couple of the plugs. It's wasn't plug-and-play levels of simple, but I half-read things before starting

. I think the biggest issue I had was not identifying the correct settings to flash before starting. I will do it again without hesitation though. It was more an issue of taking longer than expected. There isn't a huge amount you can mess up permanently.

Disclaimer: Background in electronics so not my first time using Arduino IDE

Tinder Surprise · 12-09-2018 12:41pm

xckjoo wrote: »

I did it a while ago with a couple of the plugs. It's wasn't plug-and-play levels of simple, but I half-read things before starting . I think the biggest issue I had was not identifying the correct settings to flash before starting. I will do it again without hesitation though. It was more an issue of taking longer than expected. There isn't a huge amount you can mess up permanently.

Disclaimer: Background in electronics so not my first time using Arduino IDE

Think I can handle the re-flashing and will go ahead and order whatever is needed to do so.

I'm looking for the easiest way/software after that to get the devices added to a LAN hub and the best user friendly GUI to manage them after that.

xckjoo · 12-09-2018 1:10pm

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Think I can handle the re-flashing and will go ahead and order whatever is needed to do so.

I'm looking for the easiest way/software after that to get the devices added to a LAN hub and the best user friendly GUI to manage them after that.

I've been using home-assistant and haven't had any major issues, but I'm not doing too much automation at the moment. I don't find it the most intuitive to use, but maybe I just need to get used to it. Flashing the Tasmota firmware will give you a web interface and MQTT for each device. There's probably loads of things that can interface with the devices if home-assistant doesn't appeal

UsedToWait · 12-09-2018 1:13pm

Would appreciate a guide for Dummies if you manage to get sorted Tinder Surprise..

kenmc · 12-09-2018 1:40pm

xckjoo wrote: »

I've been using home-assistant and haven't had any major issues, but I'm not doing too much automation at the moment. I don't find it the most intuitive to use, but maybe I just need to get used to it. Flashing the Tasmota firmware will give you a web interface and MQTT for each device. There's probably loads of things that can interface with the devices if home-assistant doesn't appeal

Similarly use openhab, but it's not really for the faint hearted, the documentation is a bit sparse. Pretty cool when you figure it out though. But definitely use tasmota, the other option is espeasy, but tasmota is more fully featured.

Tinder Surprise · 12-09-2018 2:09pm

WOW!!

Looks like Home Assistant with LoveLace is nearly there with the complete package

The mind boggles to think what the finished article will look like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObfRzMIEJPg

this is exactly what I am looking for but probably still a bit early in its development for an amateur like me to go in balls deep - it looks like they really are going down the route of a user friendly GUI which excites me

Black_Knight · 12-09-2018 3:07pm

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Think I can handle the re-flashing and will go ahead and order whatever is needed to do so.

I'm looking for the easiest way/software after that to get the devices added to a LAN hub and the best user friendly GUI to manage them after that.

FYI, I bought 2 of these when I was flashing my SONOFFs (hoping 1 would arrive earlier than the other), so i've a spare on going if you want. Save ya waiting a month for aliexpress, or 4-5 times the price if ordering on amazon.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FT232RL-FT232-USB-TO-TTL-5V-3-3V-Download-Cable-To-Serial-Adapter-Module-For-USB/32634246159.html

For a simple on/off switch, tasmota is the simplest GUI to use. Watch DrZzz videos as suggested to learn how to flash it and set it up.

Here's how my lights out the back of the house look. Tis super simple once it's flashed and you've set it up on you wifi.

EDIT: If integrating with Home Assistant, you'll need an MQTT server. This can run on a raspberry Pi if you have one. Put simply, when you turn the switch ON, it sends a message to this MQTT server. At the same time, Home Assistant is listening to this MQTT server for that specific message (you config this in HA) and the GUI in HA updates by representing that ON switch. DrZzz covers all that in his videos too, though I didn't have a super smooth time getting mine to work when following whatever video I watched.

Here's my HA config for my sonoff switch:
https://github.com/matthewbyrne/homeassistant/blob/master/packages/sensors.yaml#L193

Tinder Surprise · 12-09-2018 4:05pm

Black_Knight wrote: »

FYI, I bought 2 of these when I was flashing my SONOFFs (hoping 1 would arrive earlier than the other), so i've a spare on going if you want. Save ya waiting a month for aliexpress, or 4-5 times the price if ordering on amazon.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FT232RL-FT232-USB-TO-TTL-5V-3-3V-Download-Cable-To-Serial-Adapter-Module-For-USB/32634246159.html

Perfect! ..was just about to pull the trigger on one. You're a gent

PM me your Paypal details and price (include shipping) and I will send you payment and address.

SonOff Low Cost Wifi Switches for Home Automation

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