Home Automation - Smartkit

[patrick123]

What I want to try out this weekend, (I was hoping to try out earlier, but circumstances got the better of me) is basically a passive repeater.
Essentially, I have one or 2 places that have a slightly weak WIFI signal, and instead of forking out money to cover these small areas with repeaters, is to create a passive repeater for them.

In summary, this means, taking a length of coax cable, making a 6.2cm dipole close to the router, and another in the area of the "recipient"

Router |------------------| recipient/target/other room far far away.

So it is simply a piece of coax with the 2 ends split apart. I have uploaded a wifi strength meter on my phone and will be experimenting with this the weekend.

 

[McAllstar]

Hopefully some samples in a few days ;-)

The US switches are only out next month, however.

thanks for the reply. They do look super sexy, much better than the older one's. Will have to wait for the US one's though.

 

[SauRoNZA]

But then if you want to make a change, you then need to apply to all lights? Instead of just editing the binary sensor which then affects all lights.

See I like that more granular approach because I can't think of any changes that I would make to all lights at the same time so this would never work for me.

I'd specifically want individual configuration options.

 

[SmartKit]

Yes of course, that's what I meant.

And **** IFTTT, Home Assistant can do it all.

Well for our non flasher friends.

 

[Jaybabe]

It used to be the case that the Sonoff SV with stock firmware could not handle it, but in later firmwares they added software inching modes, which means the Sonoff SV can now handle it.

Sonoff SV can easily be flashed with Tasmota which also supports software inching modes.

The Sonoff Inching can handle it with the stock firmware as it basically has a hardware inching chip. This makes it much harder to use with Tasmota, however.

I have been running my Sonoff SVs for quite a while on my gate motors (one a Centurion, directly connected, the other a Gemini with the Sonoff SV connected to the remote control since I didn't have Wifi reception at the gate) and they both work well. I did however flash them with Tasmota and is controlling it from Home Assistant.

To wire on vector 2 gate motor bat +- goes to input and output + goes to Com and - goes to Trig on the gate control board ? (Ignore the relay switch in the pic in between bat and gate motor).

 

[feo]

To wire on vector 2 gate motor bat +- goes to input and output + goes to Com and - goes to Trig on the gate control board ? (Ignore the relay switch in the pic in between bat and gate motor).

I connected mine to a D5 Evo and I have the +- power terminals connected to Aux 12V and Com. Outputs as you said.

Input terminals need to be bridged together by soldering a wire across them.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Surely you guys are referring to the power terminals and not the input terminals?

 

[feo]

Surely you guys are referring to the power terminals and not the input terminals?

Yep, input terminals need to be bridged by soldering a wire across them.

As you so kindly helped me with previously.

 

[SauRoNZA]

The end of my wireless pain and trauma.

Why the hell the screws are 5cm long and the mounting plate isn’t symmetrical is beyond me.

Yes I was an idiot but it’s also a silly over design.

Should have double sided taped it like I had planned, infinitely better option since it weighs nothing.

 

[feo]

The end of my wireless pain and trauma.

Why the hell the screws are 5cm long and the mounting plate isn’t symmetrical is beyond me.

Yes I was an idiot but it’s also a silly over design.

Should have double sided taped it like I had planned, infinitely better option since it weighs nothing.

I like the mounting system. The asymmetry is for the AP to lock into place after it's turned.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I like the mounting system. The asymmetry is for the AP to lock into place after it's turned.

The lock would be there even if it was symmetrical.

A bitch to get into place but once it’s done it’s done I guess.

 

[feo]

The lock would be there even if it was symmetrical.

A bitch to get into place but once it’s done it’s done I guess.

I did mine a few weeks ago, was pretty easy.

The only schlep was having to climb up into the ceiling multiple times as I did it myself.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I did mine a few weeks ago, was pretty easy.

The only schlep was having to climb up into the ceiling multiple times as I did it myself.

For me it should have only been once.

But then like an idiot I flipped the plastic plate around when it slipped out of my hand and didn’t realise, thus the complaint about the symmetry.

After knocking the ceiling before drilling to make sure no beams are in the way I got up in the roof after happily pushing the screws in only to find support struts literally 2mm away on either side.

So no backing plate for me.

But I double sided taped a mate’s months ago and it’s never been an issue, would really recommend everyone to just do that for a regular ceiling. Just get the premium Sellotape No More Nails stuff and it will never come off. That red one especially.

 

[Jaybabe]

I connected mine to a D5 Evo and I have the +- power terminals connected to Aux 12V and Com. Outputs as you said.

Input terminals need to be bridged together by soldering a wire across them.

So input + goes to Aux 12V and - to which com as there are x3 ? Output + goes to which com as ther are x3 and outward - goes to TRG ?

 

[SauRoNZA]

So input + goes to Aux 12V and - to which com as there are x3 ? Output + goes to which com as ther are x3 and outward - goes to TRG ?

The only time you would use the input terminals is if you put the Sonoff “inline” with an existing hardware button and wanted that to still work by triggering the Sonoff.

You want to bridge the two input pins and then use the the POWER pins (bottom right of the input pins) connected to your auxiliary.

Then you want to break off the resistors to make it a dry contest otherwise you might dry everything.

And then the outputs would be connected to the button/trigger terminals.

But you are the one who posted what appeared to be a guide from a known working solution, now you are asking these questions which deeply worries me so maybe you should remove the previous post if you don’t know it to be a working solution. It doesn’t appear to be correct (or necessary) in my view.

 

[feo]

So input + goes to Aux 12V and - to which com as there are x3 ? Output + goes to which com as ther are x3 and outward - goes to TRG ?

No, as the previous posted said, there's nothing connected to Inputs, you have to just solder a wire across the 2 to complete the circuit.

You can use any of the Com terminals AFAIK.

 

[ebendl]

The end of my wireless pain and trauma.

Why the hell the screws are 5cm long and the mounting plate isn’t symmetrical is beyond me.

Yes I was an idiot but it’s also a silly over design.

Should have double sided taped it like I had planned, infinitely better option since it weighs nothing.

Nice! Did you end up getting two or only one? And is it the LR?

Cost?

 

[ebendl]

My first Sonoff POW gave me a bit of a fright tonight. I have it hooked up to an oil heater (around 1.5KW, so well within the 3.5KW of the POW) and in my son's bedroom. It is set up as a generic thermostat in Home Assistant.

Was in the room and heard a buzzing noise and realised it is the POW. Disconnect it, opened it up and found some burning and also noticed some warping in the case (see pics attached).

Everything was still working just find, so I think it might have been some bad solder joints causing increased resistance, obviously heating up even more with a bigger load (previously it was monitoring an Ethereum miner of around 800w, so almost double now). Redid some solder and now running it again (outside my son's bedroom though) - so far so good.

Some guy online tested it and found it good to around 15A and even a bit over.

The normal basic was tested up to 20A (rated for 10A) and did fail of course, but luckily it just melts and chars and never catches fire -

 

[SauRoNZA]

Nice! Did you end up getting two or only one? And is it the LR?

Cost?

Only the one for now which seems it will do the job so will probably just get another for shits and giggles down the line or a USG.

It’s the LR.

I can get it at cost but around R1700-1800 at retail.

 

[SmartKit]

My first Sonoff POW gave me a bit of a fright tonight. I have it hooked up to an oil heater (around 1.5KW, so well within the 3.5KW of the POW) and in my son's bedroom. It is set up as a generic thermostat in Home Assistant.

Was in the room and heard a buzzing noise and realised it is the POW. Disconnect it, opened it up and found some burning and also noticed some warping in the case (see pics attached).

Everything was still working just find, so I think it might have been some bad solder joints causing increased resistance, obviously heating up even more with a bigger load (previously it was monitoring an Ethereum miner of around 800w, so almost double now). Redid some solder and now running it again (outside my son's bedroom though) - so far so good.

Some guy online tested it and found it good to around 15A and even a bit over.

The normal basic was tested up to 20A (rated for 10A) and did fail of course, but luckily it just melts and chars and never catches fire -

Is the older POW or the R2?