Well, not quite and I always thought people put their lights up from December 1.. but, not to be left behind… thanks to WLED, Tasmota and my cheapy projector – it’s a start…. and if WLED interests you – check out the WLED MoonModules project. But I digress – Sonoff…
The Brand New Sonoff iPlug S60TPF type F/E WiFi Smart Plug
You could be forgiven for thinking I just did a write-up on Sonoff – I did – but then realised I’d released it too early as two of the products therein are not released until December 20, 2023 – apologies for that – meanwhile, the new WiFi Smart Plug is…
The Ridiculous Windows 11 “Show More Options” and How To Bypass
I’m taking no credit for this one. EVERY time I go to right-click a Windows Explorer window, from as simple as DESKTOP to my SCREENSHOTS folder – I invariably want to COPY something… is it there? NOPE. I have/had to use SHOW MORE OPTIONS just to get a simple COPY…
Cheap Sonoff-lookalike BASICs – Erm – NO. Aubess – YES.
No doubt I’m not the only one, despite being a long-term Sonoff BASIC user, who’s noticed that AliExpress and Temu have what look like cheap Sonoff knock-offs running as low on Temu as €2.00 on special offer and not much more on AlieExpress. Good deal? Well, for the sake of…
Rechargeable Hoofun Air Duster from Amazon
No, not an ad, not expected to write about – my last air duster simply stopped working yesterday and so I had to urgently buy another – couldn’t clean out the vacuum without one and by this morning the filter was caked. Which vacuum – this one. Which old blower?…
ChatGPT BooBoos (guest appearance from Bard)
A pal of mine just messaged me to say he’d asked ChatGPT to write a script to check network drives for space and usage – and it worked. Brilliant I thought – so off I went to ask ChatGPT to write a python script to check for loss of Internet…
Sonoff iPlug S60TPG UK Smart Plug
Officially launched November 11, 2023, iTEAD (Sonoff) recently sent this UK-fitting smartplug to me. Looking quickly through the specification, it of course works with Google Home and Alexa. The reference to “Type G” will be for the UK, I’ve no doubt they’ll have EU and USA versions. On the side…
Tuya Smart Knob from AliExpress
I’m not convinced. Here it is… my new Tuya Smart Knob from AliExpress. No doubt about it, the device LOOKS good. Press, rotate, press and rotate, long press etc. This handy “Zigbee + Bluetooth low energy” multifunction button looks wonderful at first glance and is supported by Zigbee2MQTT. Installation was…
Beautiful Christmas tree Lighting this year
Just a quick one but I thought this was worth sharing. I just bought some new “external use” RGB LED STRIP from AliExpress. Not your usual 5450 strip and not the popular copper wire strip with VERY THIN coated copper wire and very small LEDS – no, this seems to…
Sonoff NSPANEL – I STILL like It – Update
Originally blogged in here back in 2021, the now venerable NSPANEL still looks good and out of the box – it can control 2 internal relays while displaying time and temperature, local weather etc. on a pretty, auto-dimming touch-display but there is far more to it than that of course.…
Even More 4G Modems – The ZTE MF286D
In my search for decent 4g modems – that is – to use a 4G LTE signal instead of broadband in areas like ours where fibre Internet isn’t practical, I’ve tried everything from a cheap AliExpress 4G modem (no good) through GL-iNET routers to the TP-Link MR600 V2 then V3…
My New Drone/Bicycle Strobes
Well, that was all FAR too simple.. note: the image below has been through Google translate and so will likely have the odd foo-pah. And I bought these for what reason? Well, having just ordered a “new-to-me” sub-250gm drone and while eagerly awaiting it’s arrival, I watched every video going…
ReoLink CX410 and Reolink Argus PT Ultra IP Cameras
After my tremendous success with the Reolink 4K Duo+Floodlight camera and the Reolink WiFi Video Doorbell (the latter has replaced my original front door video doorbell and has proven invaluable in tracking delivery companies who say they tried to deliver but no-one was home)…. I’m ready for new challenges –…
Xiaomi Mijia 1S Second Generation Smart Vacuum
Long-term Update October 2023: See video right at the end…but read on… Updated August 2021: For a couple of months now now we’ve been testing the very neat 2nd generation Xiaomi Mijia 1S Robot Vacuum Cleaner – I’ve provided a Banggood link here but I should say immediately that I’ve…
Another New Sonoff Sensor – the Zigbee Human Presence Sensor
This is my initial writeup also the follow-up on the brand-new SNZB-06P Presense Sensor whose box says “Microwave Radar”, “Presence Detection”, “Light Sensing” and “Intelligent Linkage” – not sure what that last one is about… maybe causing an action on another device… The device was made available October 5, 2023…
Upgrading an old Tasmota and MUCH MORE
When it comes to upgrades, updating old IOT devices with the latest Tasmota can be quite a satisfying way to spend a Sunday. I was just tidying up my wiring in the office and noted a Tasmota’d Sonoff BASIC, so old it doesn’t even have an ID – check this…
The All-New Raspberry Pi 5 !!!
Quick thoughts about the new (at the time of writing) Raspberry Pi 5
Wifi 2.4g vs 5G – a Very short Rebuke
My wife just pointed me to a YouTube video – on the surface, innocent advice about doubling your WiFi speed. It took me 30 seconds to realise just how bad that could turn out in the wrong hands. I won’t name names and I don’t know the fellow (he’s not…
New Sonoff BASICR4 and Battery-Powered S-MATE 2
Remember the original Sonoff BASIC? – the cheapest mains controller on the planet (if a bit rough around the edges) – that was YEARS ago. I reviewed and messed around with them and I still use the original as you;ll see in another recent blog entry… along with most other…
Orein Smart Bulbs E14 RGBTW 4-Pack
Just a quick one. I received these “Elves E14” candle-style bulbs as samples to test. Good, bright white from cold to warm. Work with Alexa and Google Home. Took me seconds to link the free Orien account with my Google Home account. Nice soft-start and stop. Easy to setup thanks…