This blog features two gadgets who’s common thread is the ESP8266 processor and the (optional) use of Tasmota firmware. The March 2022 update here concerns the H801 – the original article was written back in February 2021. Firstly the H801 LED WiFi Controller If you are still new to these…
Category: General
NEJE Master 2S 30W Laser Engraver and Cutter
Just in (as they say in stores) this new laser engraver thanks to . The full title is “” – wow, there’s a mouthful – but did I just see WIRELESS? I initially took that to mean WiFi but it means Bluetooth – see below. Also – for 30w read…
InfiSense P2 IR USB-C Camera for Android and IOS
The full title of this gadget is “P2 Thermal Imager IR Sensor Resolution 256*192 Mobile Phone Infrared Thermal Imager Camera Thermal Leak Diagnosis Thermal Sensor Thermometer” – there’s a mouthful. Let me start by clarifying – Banggood sent me this item to review – I AM NOT getting anything out…
SHELLY Goodies to Write About on my Birthday
I’ve just started a write-up on the Sonoff Window/Door sensors (WIFI and RF) and what should arrive? The Shelly Door/Window2 sensor. This is no ordinary AliExpress job RF, it’s a MONSTER for starters. The sensor arrived with no batteries – that was a worry but luckly Amazon had some in…
Sonoff Goodies including WiFi Door Sensor and more
I just received a little package from Itead (Sonoff) including their DW2-Wi-Fi door/window sensor. DW2 RF sensor and RFBridgeR2. Nothing special about this lot? Well, the DW2-Wi-Fi has WiFi and Bluetooth built into it. OTT for a door sensor? That was my exact reaction (but read on). I figured they…
IESAFY Folding Solar Power Pack with Torch
Ok, not the most imaginative titles I’ve ever devised, but I have little communication from the company (Bonic) who sent this power pack to me – so basically I’ll give you some headline specs and photos I took this morning. As this is the first item I’ve received in the…
BlitzWolf® BW-OLT6 4-Heads Solar Sensor Wall Light
Why do I keep buying solar lights? after many years in denial, I’ve finally admitted to myself that while cheap solar lights work just fine in dry, sunny Spain, back here in rural Northeast England they are a complete waste of time. (a) there isn’t enough sunshine and (b) there…
Blitzwolf BW-GS3 Stereo Sound Bar + RGB
It’s a bit sad when I get excited mainly because something turns up quickly – but recently Amazon has been either out of stock of things I want, or delayed and/or more expensive than normal… and of course, AliExpress goods have recently been on unfeasibly long lead times to the…
Ravpower PD Pioneer 65W 2-Port Wall Charger
Not sure what happened here – back on May 4, 2020 I wrote about a Ravpower charger and somehow ended up with the info on the RP-PC133 – correct for the white charger you see below… but somehow I missed the stunningly good RP-PC136 which is the BLACK unit in…
SHELLY EM Contactor Power Control with Dual Power Metering
I recently took posession of a Shelly EM device and a pair of Shelly EM accessories – i.e. split core current transformers. The EM product is straight-forward enough – 2 pairs of polarised inputs from the transformers, live and neutral input – and an output (which I’ve not yet used).…
The Downright Amazing Aufero Laser 2 Engraver
Here it is, out of the box, shiny plastic bags removed but initially unassembled – the latest from Ortur – my new favourite laser engraver company (since I got the LM2 Pro) I have no doubt that some regular readers have had enough of me rabbiting on about my Aufero…
Ortur Y-Axis Rotary Roller YRR 2.0 – in SPADES
Well, I wasn’t expecting THIS start to February 2022 – I just opened the post and not one but TWO rotary roller kits. I have the Aufero Laser 1 Engraver here and I’m frantically making wooden door signs for our cottage – covered elsewhere – not to mention the Ortur…
Wireless Video Camera Doorbell with APP Revisited
Note: There is now far more in here than just a camera review – read on: Here’s a or to give it the full title from the Banggood website: “Wireless Camera Video Doorbell Home Security WiFi Smartphone Remote Video Rainproof”. I love it. Late in 2019 I received this wireless…
GUUDGO 4CH 1080P Wireless Surveillance System Kit
I’ve never had an NVR before so this is a novelty with a rather nice feature – the wireless cameras MESH which means I can have the NVR in my house-end office and the last camera at the very far end of the building even where I have no WiFi…
More Fun with the Laser 1 Engraver and my Two Trees Table
I only just finished updating my Aufero Laser 1 article – and yesterday, from Banggood, my new mesh base arrived, assembled. Inclused in the pack is a full size aluminium plate and 6 adhesive pads. No documentation so I had to make guesses, I cut the pads in half, I…
Fun with the New Ortur Aufero Laser 1 Engraver
When I started the blog entry for this new entry-level laser engraver from Ortur, shipped to me by Zbanx back in November 2021, I thoroughly expected to spend half the day putting it together. I’d even thought of doing a video of the assembly process. Well, I was wrong –…
Shelly Plus 1 and Plus 1PM Power Controllers
Way back in August 2019 I wrote about the Shelly 1 controller produced by Alterco Robotics in Sofia, Bulgaria. This at the time was one of a small but growing number of competitors to the likes of the very inexpensive Sonoff Basic. Later on, in March 2021 I followed this…
The Death of a Sensor and other Tales of Woe
We tend to rely more and more on our clever electronics these days – but here’s a timely, cautionary tale! My friend MAT over at NotEnoughTech has just TODAY written about the Tonga volcano and one of his Zigbee sensors which includes not only temperature but also a (generally) not…
52PI Raspberry Pi Mini Tower NAS Kit
I’m really not sure what to say about this 3D-printed kit – I’m not sure what I was expecting but not quite this. I was going to do a video but the way things turned out, a series of photos made more sense as I was putting this together. Here…
Aqara temperature sensors and Node Red – Info Overload?
AsI was sitting checking my Aqara Zigbee temperature sensors (blogged a while ago – the CR2032-powered model WSDCGQ11LM) using the Node-Red nodes for the job, I noted that if I covered the sensor with my hand for a few seconds, I’d get a reading – sadly, not just that but…