Starting out with Sonoff

F1 Fan said:
Why does the mini have 3 lives
Click to expand...
It has 2 Lives. S1 and S2 are "Live" but only to send a switch pulse to the Mini to change state.

1-Neutral
2-Neutral
3-Live In
4-Live Out
5-S1 (Live)
6-S2

I am running unflashed Sonoffs on HAss.io and eWeLink simultaneously. I use Google Home on Android devices to interact verbally.
 
Dairyfarmer said:
snip

I am running unflashed Sonoffs on HAss.io and eWeLink simultaneously. I use Google Home on Android devices to interact verbally.
Click to expand...
I have the same setup., only diffs is iPhone instead of Android. Works great.

Do you have a working code for a loop timer on a Basic for Hass.io? I want to delay power being switched through for x period after Eskom power is restored.
 
Steamy Tom said:
communica
Click to expand...
And geewiz.co.za, they are actually the cheapest I think with a small discount when buying over 5.

F1 Fan said:
Excellent. Why does the mini have 3 lives if it only powers 1 lever? Or can it actually power more than 1 lever? By lever I'm referring to one button on a 3 button switch.

Do you personally use this with Google home or Echo?
Click to expand...
You need 1 mini for every lever on the light switch. My setup for example is that all the lives and neutrals terminate in the roof above the lights switch, connected to mini's in a box. Then the only wires that go down are 2 wires per mini that are connected to S1 and S2 respectively.

So a 3 lever/gang wall switch means I have 3 x S1 wires and 3 x S2 wires coming down the conduit, nothing else. The best part about the mini's in this setup is that no one knows you have smart devices, so it won't confuse anyone. The physical light switch will always just toggle the state of the light, so if the light is switched on, then flipping the wall switch will turn it off and visa versa.

I'm working my way through my house doing this, 7 mini's done another 7 to go I think.

Here is a pic of what it looks like in my roof above one of my light switches (repost from other thread).
1592148300369.png

1592148310676.png

I use Veti 2 light switches (must be 2 way one's, not 1 way), which are about R100 for a 3 gang.

1592148360391.png

Mine are all flashed with Tasmota and use home assistant. I can lie in my bed at night and say "Hey Google, I'm going to the toilet" and it switches on all the lights I need to go to the bathroom.
 
SAguy said:
And geewiz.co.za, they are actually the cheapest I think with a small discount when buying over 5.


You need 1 mini for every lever on the light switch. My setup for example is that all the lives and neutrals terminate in the roof above the lights switch, connected to mini's in a box. Then the only wires that go down are 2 wires per mini that are connected to S1 and S2 respectively.

So a 3 lever/gang wall switch means I have 3 x S1 wires and 3 x S2 wires coming down the conduit, nothing else. The best part about the mini's in this setup is that no one knows you have smart devices, so it won't confuse anyone. The physical light switch will always just toggle the state of the light, so if the light is switched on, then flipping the wall switch will turn it off and visa versa.

I'm working my way through my house doing this, 7 mini's done another 7 to go I think.

Here is a pic of what it looks like in my roof above one of my light switches (repost from other thread).
View attachment 860465

View attachment 860467

I use Veti 2 light switches (must be 2 way one's, not 1 way), which are about R100 for a 3 gang.

View attachment 860469

Mine are all flashed with Tasmota and use home assistant. I can lie in my bed at night and say "Hey Google, I'm going to the toilet" and it switches on all the lights I need to go to the bathroom.
Click to expand...

I assume your HA is open on the web to use google assistant?
 
Steamy Tom said:
I assume your HA is open on the web to use google assistant?
Click to expand...
I'm using that home assistant cloud subscription, I'm not sure what's safer/more dangerous... but I didn't want to open my ports to the web.
 
SAguy said:
I'm using that home assistant cloud subscription, I'm not sure what's safer/more dangerous... but I didn't want to open my ports to the web.
Click to expand...

As in google mini is risky for other people to get access to controlling your lights? Apologies, noob here.

SauRoNZA said:
I use a POW R2 with Tasmota for quite a few months now without issue.

3kw element. If you go beyond that you’ll likely have trouble.
Click to expand...

But I could use google mini and the ewelink app to set the timer right?

SAguy said:
And geewiz.co.za, they are actually the cheapest I think with a small discount when buying over 5.


You need 1 mini for every lever on the light switch. My setup for example is that all the lives and neutrals terminate in the roof above the lights switch, connected to mini's in a box. Then the only wires that go down are 2 wires per mini that are connected to S1 and S2 respectively.

So a 3 lever/gang wall switch means I have 3 x S1 wires and 3 x S2 wires coming down the conduit, nothing else. The best part about the mini's in this setup is that no one knows you have smart devices, so it won't confuse anyone. The physical light switch will always just toggle the state of the light, so if the light is switched on, then flipping the wall switch will turn it off and visa versa.

I'm working my way through my house doing this, 7 mini's done another 7 to go I think.

Here is a pic of what it looks like in my roof above one of my light switches (repost from other thread).
View attachment 860465

View attachment 860467

I use Veti 2 light switches (must be 2 way one's, not 1 way), which are about R100 for a 3 gang.

View attachment 860469

Mine are all flashed with Tasmota and use home assistant. I can lie in my bed at night and say "Hey Google, I'm going to the toilet" and it switches on all the lights I need to go to the bathroom.
Click to expand...

Ah brilliant, thanks for the detailed explanation. Why do you need Tasmota? Why not just use the ewelink app and the home assistant?


Dairyfarmer said:
It has 2 Lives. S1 and S2 are "Live" but only to send a switch pulse to the Mini to change state.

1-Neutral
2-Neutral
3-Live In
4-Live Out
5-S1 (Live)
6-S2

I am running unflashed Sonoffs on HAss.io and eWeLink simultaneously. I use Google Home on Android devices to interact verbally.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude, appreciate your guidance. So I assume you are choosing to use Hass.io instead of Tasmato?

Think I can use the mini to control my .45kw spectre pool pump?
 
Communica website:

SONOFF ENERGY MONITOR POW R2
Latest Version SONOFF POW WiFi Switch with Power Consumption Measurement - MAX16A - Control and Monitor Connected Home Devices via WiFi Though APP-Ewelink. Not Suitable for AC Geysers and Inductive Loads

Why do you think they say it can't work? Weird. Maybe just playing it safe?
 
F1 Fan said:
Communica website:

SONOFF ENERGY MONITOR POW R2
Latest Version SONOFF POW WiFi Switch with Power Consumption Measurement - MAX16A - Control and Monitor Connected Home Devices via WiFi Though APP-Ewelink. Not Suitable for AC Geysers and Inductive Loads

Why do you think they say it can't work? Weird. Maybe just playing it safe?
Click to expand...

Yeah likely just don’t want to be held responsible as it won’t work with EVERY geyser.
 
F1 Fan said:
As in google mini is risky for other people to get access to controlling your lights? Apologies, noob here.



But I could use google mini and the ewelink app to set the timer right?



Ah brilliant, thanks for the detailed explanation. Why do you need Tasmota? Why not just use the ewelink app and the home assistant?




Thanks dude, appreciate your guidance. So I assume you are choosing to use Hass.io instead of Tasmato?

Think I can use the mini to control my .45kw spectre pool pump?
Click to expand...
Not so much the issue with google home, little I can do about that. Issue is more with punching holes in my network by opening ports. Using the Home assistant cloud service means I don't need to open ports, but does mean I'm trusting Nabu Casa to encrypt my traffic.

Biggest benefit of Tasmota is that traffic doesn't leave my network, so if my internet is dead (or ewelink servers is dead) then my smart devices will still work locally. Also, and this depends on your level or paranoia - I don't like having cheap Chinese made stuff on my network... so most of my IoT is on a separate vlan and flashed with Tasmota. Others are less cautious/paranoid so that's a preference thing.

I'd rather suggest using a Sonoff Pow on your pool pump, will give you the added benefit of power consumption monitoring.
 
SAguy said:
Not so much the issue with google home, little I can do about that. Issue is more with punching holes in my network by opening ports. Using the Home assistant cloud service means I don't need to open ports, but does mean I'm trusting Nabu Casa to encrypt my traffic.

Biggest benefit of Tasmota is that traffic doesn't leave my network, so if my internet is dead (or ewelink servers is dead) then my smart devices will still work locally. Also, and this depends on your level or paranoia - I don't like having cheap Chinese made stuff on my network... so most of my IoT is on a separate vlan and flashed with Tasmota. Others are less cautious/paranoid so that's a preference thing.

I'd rather suggest using a Sonoff Pow on your pool pump, will give you the added benefit of power consumption monitoring.
Click to expand...

Cool, once I have the set up going, I'll start looking into Tasmota. I have zero knowledge on how to even get started. So will just fit the switches first
 
F1 Fan said:
Cool, once I have the set up going, I'll start looking into Tasmota. I have zero knowledge on how to even get started. So will just fit the switches first
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's a good start. These days the eWelink can be integrated into Home Assistant directly, back in the day you couldn't and had to flash with Tasmota.

There are guys here with much more experience than me, and very helpful... so enjoy the journey and bottomless pit of money :ROFL:
 
F1 Fan said:
Cool, once I have the set up going, I'll start looking into Tasmota. I have zero knowledge on how to even get started. So will just fit the switches first
Click to expand...

I will definitely recommend Tasmota on the devices, my internet was down the past 2 days, but my house continued working... Would have been a big fight if we were dependant on the internet
 
JacoBushy said:
I will definitely recommend Tasmota on the devices, my internet was down the past 2 days, but my house continued working... Would have been a big fight if we were dependant on the internet
Click to expand...
With HAss.io you can manage unflashed Sonoffs. This allows you local access when the internet is off. At the same time, if there is internet, you are able to access them via eWeLink. eWeLink is also getting better with LAN control, but it is not quite there yet.

F1 Fan said:
Thanks dude, appreciate your guidance. So I assume you are choosing to use Hass.io instead of Tasmato?
Click to expand...
It is easier to set the system up and then decide whether or not to flash with Tasmota.
 
F1 Fan said:
Communica website:

SONOFF ENERGY MONITOR POW R2
Latest Version SONOFF POW WiFi Switch with Power Consumption Measurement - MAX16A - Control and Monitor Connected Home Devices via WiFi Though APP-Ewelink. Not Suitable for AC Geysers and Inductive Loads

Why do you think they say it can't work? Weird. Maybe just playing it safe?
Click to expand...

I'll be honest - driving 16 A continuously over that thin track would have me lie awake at night. Just drive a higher-rated contactor or relay with the Sonoff - easy to do and more peace of mind.
 
riscbroker said:
I have the same setup., only diffs is iPhone instead of Android. Works great.

Do you have a working code for a loop timer on a Basic for Hass.io? I want to delay power being switched through for x period after Eskom power is restored.
Click to expand...
You would want something like this:
YAML: 
automation:
  trigger:
    platform: homeassistant
    # Event can also be 'shutdown'
    event: start
  action:
  - delay:
      minutes: 2
  - service: switch.turn_on
    entity_id: switch.my_switch
Ensure that the Basic does not switch on when power is restored.
You can use https://github.com/peterbuga/HASS-sonoff-ewelink to communicate with an unflashed Sonoff.
 
patrick123 said:
You would want something like this:
YAML: 
automation:
  trigger:
    platform: homeassistant
    # Event can also be 'shutdown'
    event: start
  action:
  - delay:
      minutes: 2
  - service: switch.turn_on
    entity_id: switch.my_switch
Ensure that the Basic does not switch on when power is restored.
You can use https://github.com/peterbuga/HASS-sonoff-ewelink to communicate with an unflashed Sonoff.
Click to expand...
It appears that this automation inserts a delay when Home Assistant powers up. Assuming I have Home Assistant on backup power, I'm looking for an automation that monitors AC current to the switch, then when it detects current (ie Eskom restores power) it delays switching current through to the fridge/whatever for x minutes. I can do this in eWeLink but would prefer to let HA handle the automation if possible.
 
riscbroker said:
It appears that this automation inserts a delay when Home Assistant powers up. Assuming I have Home Assistant on backup power, I'm looking for an automation that monitors AC current to the switch, then when it detects current (ie Eskom restores power) it delays switching current through to the fridge/whatever for x minutes. I can do this in eWeLink but would prefer to let HA handle the automation if possible.
Click to expand...
I use the Tasmota flashed version which gives me a birth and LWT MQTT message for availability, I don't know if the AlexxIt has a similar option.
 
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