SA smart plugs that can be flashed with Tasmota

Hello everyone,

At SmartPad, we have a love for Tasmota, and got tired of splitting open smart plugs so that we could Tasmotise them. We have been working with a supplier that has been willing to manufacture our new range of smart plugs with an ESP-32 Chipset.

Tasmota Smart Plug (Energy Monitoring) – SmartPad Store

store.smartpad.co.za store.smartpad.co.za

These plugs come with a Home Assistant friendly template and are calibrated before they are delivered.

We are happy to provide guidance to anyone that might need to be pointed in the right direction.

Happy automating.
 
Last edited:
SmartPad said:
Hello everyone,

At SmartPad, we have a love for Tasmota, and got tired of splitting open smart plugs so that we could Tasmotise them. We have been working with a supplier that has been willing to manufacture our new range of smart plugs with an ESP-32 Chipset.

Tasmota Smart Plug (Energy Monitoring) – SmartPad Store

store.smartpad.co.za store.smartpad.co.za

These plugs come with a Home Assistant friendly template and are calibrated before they are delivered.

We are happy to provide guidance to anyone that might need to be pointed in the right direction.

Happy automating.
Click to expand...
Nice, any chance you will make an Esphome version?
 
Syphonx said:
Nice, any chance you will make an Esphome version?
Click to expand...
Hi,

Our plugs use an ESP32-C3 Chipset, and we believe this is compatible with ESP Home. While we have not yet tested this exhaustively, we believe it should be possible to Migrate the devices to ESP Home (https://esphome.io/guides/migrate_sonoff_tasmota.html).

Our reason for settling on the Tasmota firmware is that we are able to supply the devices already calibrated, for those who either don't want to fuss with calibration of the power Monitoring capabilities, or who just don't have the tools available.

With ESP home, the power metering calibration needs to be configured in the firmware that is compiled per device. For us this is a challenge to implement at scale and still ensure the calibration is accurate and functional in every implementation.

However if you would like to reach out to us via one of the contact methods listed on our site, we would be happy to assist with some further testing, and see how we can assist you with your use case.
 
SmartPad said:
Hi,

Our plugs use an ESP32-C3 Chipset, and we believe this is compatible with ESP Home. While we have not yet tested this exhaustively, we believe it should be possible to Migrate the devices to ESP Home (https://esphome.io/guides/migrate_sonoff_tasmota.html).

Our reason for settling on the Tasmota firmware is that we are able to supply the devices already calibrated, for those who either don't want to fuss with calibration of the power Monitoring capabilities, or who just don't have the tools available.

With ESP home, the power metering calibration needs to be configured in the firmware that is compiled per device. For us this is a challenge to implement at scale and still ensure the calibration is accurate and functional in every implementation.

However if you would like to reach out to us via one of the contact methods listed on our site, we would be happy to assist with some further testing, and see how we can assist you with your use case.
Click to expand...

Are you planning to add more esphome or tasmota devices to your site?

I flashed the majority of my Sonoff devices to esphome but a few I can't, such as Sonoff SV and the din mountable high amperage switches, I guess similar to the Astute though.
 
I think something a lot of manufacturers don’t appreciate is that the enthusiasts recommend products to the average person, and catering for the enthusiast has payoffs down the line.

To speak to the esphome option, there is a “made for esphome” program specifically designed for manufacturers, which may be worth taking a look at. And while esphome can have the calibrations compiled in to the firmware, it is also possible to define configuration entities that are accessible via e.g a web interface or the esphome API, that can be dynamically updated, and saved into the flash. So, define a sane initial value in the firmware, calibrate the power metering to derive a more accurate value, and update it via WiFi. That last aspect might be a little annoying, actually, but I guess it is part of the final testing process, making sure WiFi is working.
 
Syphonx said:
Are you planning to add more esphome or tasmota devices to your site?

I flashed the majority of my Sonoff devices to esphome but a few I can't, such as Sonoff SV and the din mountable high amperage switches, I guess similar to the Astute though.
Click to expand...
Hi Syphonx

Our current focus has been on listing devices that would appeal to the widest audience, while making sure we can maintain a reliable supply, and keep up a level of service that will keep customers happy. But we are also always on the lookout for new products to add to our store and figuring out a model that will let us grow out our online offerings of ESP home devices is one of our goals for early 2025.

Until then, if you are looking for a device that's not listed on our site in a different firmware flavor, please get in touch and we will be happy to chat about what we can do to help.
 
RoganDawes said:
I think something a lot of manufacturers don’t appreciate is that the enthusiasts recommend products to the average person, and catering for the enthusiast has payoffs down the line.

To speak to the esphome option, there is a “made for esphome” program specifically designed for manufacturers, which may be worth taking a look at. And while esphome can have the calibrations compiled in to the firmware, it is also possible to define configuration entities that are accessible via e.g a web interface or the esphome API, that can be dynamically updated, and saved into the flash. So, define a sane initial value in the firmware, calibrate the power metering to derive a more accurate value, and update it via WiFi. That last aspect might be a little annoying, actually, but I guess it is part of the final testing process, making sure WiFi is working.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion we will definitely look into this as we progress with ESP home.
 
SmartPad said:
Hello everyone,

At SmartPad, we have a love for Tasmota, and got tired of splitting open smart plugs so that we could Tasmotise them. We have been working with a supplier that has been willing to manufacture our new range of smart plugs with an ESP-32 Chipset.

Tasmota Smart Plug (Energy Monitoring) – SmartPad Store

store.smartpad.co.za store.smartpad.co.za

These plugs come with a Home Assistant friendly template and are calibrated before they are delivered.

We are happy to provide guidance to anyone that might need to be pointed in the right direction.

Happy automating.
Click to expand...
Looks like a great option. Does it use a relay as switch (not clear from the description)? If so, what is the current rating of relay?
Also, is there convenient access to the serial pins for manual flashing of firmware? Tasmota is fantastic, but sometimes I use alternatives such as ESPHome or even write my own firmware
 
ccrause said:
Looks like a great option. Does it use a relay as switch (not clear from the description)? If so, what is the current rating of relay?
Also, is there convenient access to the serial pins for manual flashing of firmware? Tasmota is fantastic, but sometimes I use alternatives such as ESPHome or even write my own firmware
Click to expand...
Doesn’t appear to be easily openable, the two halves seem like they are ultrasonically welded together.
 
ccrause said:
Looks like a great option. Does it use a relay as switch (not clear from the description)? If so, what is the current rating of relay?
Also, is there convenient access to the serial pins for manual flashing of firmware? Tasmota is fantastic, but sometimes I use alternatives such as ESPHome or even write my own firmware
Click to expand...
Hi,
The plugs do indeed use a relay, and the relay carries a 16Amp load rating

We have an ESP home option in the works. Unfortunately we haven't found a reliable way to cross flash the existing Tasmota devices "OTA", (this is in part due to how the newer Tasmota versions implement the boot loader) At the moment, we are working hard to have an ESP home option ready during Q1 2025 but it may stretch into early Q2

The Plugs are ultrasonically welded as Rogan suggests. If you are determined enough though, they can be opened fairly easily, but there will be some tell tale signs, if you work carefully you can keep the damage pretty small though you could then glue it back together.

Once opened, the serial pads needed to cross flash to a different firmware are fairly easily accessible, and there is no need to remove the ESP chip or the main board from the plug body to cross flash the device.

We have to mention that this would unfortunately void your warranty :) but you are welcome to reach out to use for assistance with the pinouts if you do want to take on the challenge of a custom firmware.
 
SmartPad said:
Hi,
The plugs do indeed use a relay, and the relay carries a 16Amp load rating
Click to expand...
Thank you for confirming this.
SmartPad said:
We have an ESP home option in the works. Unfortunately we haven't found a reliable way to cross flash the existing Tasmota devices "OTA", (this is in part due to how the newer Tasmota versions implement the boot loader) At the moment, we are working hard to have an ESP home option ready during Q1 2025 but it may stretch into early Q2
Click to expand...
I appreciate the potential difficulties with OTA and different firmware implementations. For me a particular firmware is not important, access to serial flashing pins is more important as I'm interesting in hacking.
SmartPad said:
The Plugs are ultrasonically welded as Rogan suggests. If you are determined enough though, they can be opened fairly easily, but there will be some tell tale signs, if you work carefully you can keep the damage pretty small though you could then glue it back together.

Once opened, the serial pads needed to cross flash to a different firmware are fairly easily accessible, and there is no need to remove the ESP chip or the main board from the plug body to cross flash the device.
Click to expand...
This is a pity, the plug case looks quite nice. Would have been ideal if the casing was held together with a screw or two. I know most people will not want to fiddle with the electronics inside, so this was probably not a bad design decision.
SmartPad said:
We have to mention that this would unfortunately void your warranty :) but you are welcome to reach out to use for assistance with the pinouts if you do want to take on the challenge of a custom firmware.
Click to expand...
I'm interested in the hardware not the warranty. If the hardware is crap I will just avoid it in future :). Thank you for offering pinout information. Will wait until I have a need for another wifi switch then try one of these.
 
I do like the compact size of these plugs- it seems like there is a better chance of having two plugged in next to each other on the wall or in a multi-plug. A little unsure about the footprint for the small 3-pin plug, afaik they are not used in South Africa.

And of course, I love that the vendor is actually listening to us, and offering open source local control options.
 
RoganDawes said:
I do like the compact size of these plugs- it seems like there is a better chance of having two plugged in next to each other on the wall or in a multi-plug. A little unsure about the footprint for the small 3-pin plug, afaik they are not used in South Africa.

And of course, I love that the vendor is actually listening to us, and offering open source local control options.
Click to expand...
I use 2 of their Tasmota plugs side-by-side without issue. I never bought pre-flashed hardware before but the ease of unboxing, powering up, adding to the existing setup and then sitting back was actually fun (for a change)! That said, having this convenience won't take away my curiosity for tinkering or making smoke come out of things.
 
Thestealth said:
I use 2 of their Tasmota plugs side-by-side without issue. I never bought pre-flashed hardware before but the ease of unboxing, powering up, adding to the existing setup and then sitting back was actually fun (for a change)! That said, having this convenience won't take away my curiosity for tinkering or making smoke come out of things.
Click to expand...
I could smell the magic smoke while reading this :)

Glad to hear your setup experience went well.
 
Haven't heard of this store before, but definitely adding it to the bookmarks, will grab some of those Tasmota plugs in the near future, haven't had a good success rate with smart plugs
 
I must say I've had a pretty flawless experience with all the Tuya smart plugs I own currently. Using TuyaLocal in Home Assistant and they're all working really well.

We had a prolonged internet outage two days ago and all these Tuya plugs continued working unaffected, the only Tuya based devices I had a problem with during the outage was the CBI Astute switches that sit in my db, they still worked to toggle on and off but power/voltage reporting didn't work, even with polling only enabled.

Would love to flash all these things to Tasmota at some point if they're compatible, just never had the time to really start getting into the weeds with it. I would prefer getting away from Tuya in general.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
I must say I've had a pretty flawless experience with all the Tuya smart plugs I own currently. Using TuyaLocal in Home Assistant and they're all working really well.

We had a prolonged internet outage two days ago and all these Tuya plugs continued working unaffected, the only Tuya based devices I had a problem with during the outage was the CBI Astute switches that sit in my db, they still worked to toggle on and off but power/voltage reporting didn't work, even with polling only enabled.

Would love to flash all these things to Tasmota at some point if they're compatible, just never had the time to really start getting into the weeds with it. I would prefer getting away from Tuya in general.
Click to expand...
You can flash the CBI devices to ESPHome via the libretiny project, as they are RTL8710BN microcontrollers, not ESP*. It’s a little involved, but not horrendously so, if you are comfortable with uarts et al.
 
SmartPad said:
Hi,
The plugs do indeed use a relay, and the relay carries a 16Amp load rating

We have an ESP home option in the works. Unfortunately we haven't found a reliable way to cross flash the existing Tasmota devices "OTA", (this is in part due to how the newer Tasmota versions implement the boot loader) At the moment, we are working hard to have an ESP home option ready during Q1 2025 but it may stretch into early Q2

The Plugs are ultrasonically welded as Rogan suggests. If you are determined enough though, they can be opened fairly easily, but there will be some tell tale signs, if you work carefully you can keep the damage pretty small though you could then glue it back together.

Once opened, the serial pads needed to cross flash to a different firmware are fairly easily accessible, and there is no need to remove the ESP chip or the main board from the plug body to cross flash the device.

We have to mention that this would unfortunately void your warranty :) but you are welcome to reach out to use for assistance with the pinouts if you do want to take on the challenge of a custom firmware.
Click to expand...
Please update this thread when you launch the ESPHome versions.
 
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