Well, I was doing some 4G testing (covered elsewhere in the blog) and when I realised that my Windows 11 Beelink Mini-PC was not picking up a very fast signal from the 4G router, I took into account that my WiFi adaptor is an old 2.4Ghz-only USB 2.0 version (I…
The Sonoff iHost Smart Home Hub – revisited
Just another Zigbee Bridge? or Bluetooth bridge? No. The iHost originally ended up on my doorstep back in March 2023 and at the time I commented that this looked WAY more interesting. The iHost arrived with a 32GB Kingston “Select Plus” microSD. I also commented that the unit “does not…
Zhiyun Smooth 5S Gimbal Combo
I have in front of me the best looking smartphone gimbal I’ve come across to date. Also the most complex. If you just want to know about the gimbal without context, skip to “Enter the Zhiyun Smooth 5S”. Why a Smart Gimbal for a Smartphone? As you’ll soon gather, I’m…
The Aqara Zigbee 3.0 Smart Pet Feeder and the TVOC Sensor
As you may know I’m increasingly becoming a fan of Zigbee where possible (as against WiFi) because with the latter, signal quality varies depending on availability of WiFi access points. I manage, but as I’ve fitted more and more Zigbee smart sockets and Zigbee lights around the house – by…
More from AliExpress – Zigbee Electronic Hygrometer
Much as I hate to promote AliExpress, I took a chance and bought one of these devices and it was only €9.19 (Euros) delivered to me in Spain – ordered February 18, 2023, delivered March 2. The chance I took was that it might only work on the Smartlife APP…
More Cheapies from AliExpress and a VALUABLE Experience
I couldn’t help myself – AliExpress had one of those “3 items for a fiver” sales and I simply couldn’t stop myself. The Not Worth-a-Light Solar Grasshopper First on the list – a solar grasshopper. Marvelous idea for a toy to annoy the cats… the grasshopper works (worked) in the…
My ESPHOME Adventure
Back in 2021 I wrote about experimenting with the LILYGO TTGO ESP32 development board and my first attempts at using ESPHOME as against my firmware of choice Tasmota. Well, I then went heads-down for several days of learning – with several false starts I may add. The short version of…
New Smartlife Desk/Wall Temperature/Humidity Display from Banggood
This is just going to be a quick one. Not seen much of Banggood recently but now that the Chinese New Year is over and hopefully we’re on the other side of the Chinese Policy reversal on Covid, it seems that Banggood are bouncing back. So here, I have a…
Another Fun Aqara Weekend
I LOVE getting new tgadgets from Aqara. Before I start, lets get this out of the way.. You can skip to New Aqara Devices if you’re familiar with the company, Zigbee2MQTT etc. Aqara Aqara sell IOT products in 192 countries and I was first introduced to them by purchasing (almost…
The Smart Shelly Button 1
And what’s a Shelly Button 1? Not to be confused with the sadly now defunct Shelly Button which was a white plastic case to put around the original Shelly One or similar. I have of course used the Ikea Zigbee Smart button (remember the nice plain button that they stopped…
AliExpress RGB vs Athom RGB Lamps
This post came from my need-to-know why AliExpress-sourced RGB bulbs (E27) were less than half the price of Athom bulbs of the same power. The Athom bulb in the link above is one of several of their 15w models I use around the house and they are pre-programmed with Tasmota…
WiFi 6 GL-iNET AX1800 (FLINT) Router and Tailscale
I know – I wrote about this router model some time ago BUT THERE’S EVEN MORE – READ ON… While I was over in the UK at Christmas (where my first GL-iNET AX1800 Flint router remains, fully operational with firmware v3.2), my Convexa-S here in Spain fell off the wall…
Is ChatGPT the End of Creative Writing and Blogging?
I’m quite new to ChatGPT 3 but have played with several other packages capable of writing code, creating general text and more (I’ve been fascinated with AI before the term was in general use). I have of course played with the various AI programs that create art from simple text…
Blog Newsletter – Starting from Scratch
Hi everyone and let me start by apologising to the many of who you have at one time or another genuinely signed up for the weekly news brief due to a phenomenal amount of spam which started to worry my service provider, I’ve had to wipe the large subscriber list…
Local Bytes Tasmota Smart Plugs and Lights
Local Bytes are a company who make, amongst other things, Smart Plugs and Smart RGB+CT lamps (E27, Bayonet etc.) which come preconfigured with Tasmota – the free firmware for ESP-based devices about which I regularly rant in here. Local Bytes is a small British company based in Oxfordshire – that…
A Brand New Year is Upon Us
Happy New Year everyone – I’m sure most of us have high hopes for a better year this year. 2022 has been a mixed year here at tech.scargill.net, my old favourite Banggood have not been having a good time and have been very quiet, meanwhile I’ve made all sorts of…
Christmas 2022 General Goodies
I’ve just arrived in the UK to a shedload of samples and stuff I’ve ordered from Amazon etc… first off – a lady over here called Marianne Wilson (her UK-based company is called PRotocol) sent me a “Defender door handle alarm” from another UK-based company called Solon Security and is…
Christmas 2022 with New Sonoff Devices (Itead)
I recently arrived in the UK for Christmas to find a bunch of stuff from Sonoff waiting for me – so let’s get into it… for starters, the new WHITE Sonoff NSPanel Pro and the enclosure for desktop operation (model “StandW”). Initial impression? Very Pretty! And here, the initial power…
Zigbee Motion Sensing – Tuya Z20ZL and Aqara P1 Sensors
Last update 12/12/2022 at the end. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a Zigbee TUYA Mini-PIR Sensor ZG-204ZL from (in my case) AliExpress – taking a leap of faith – as I wanted initially to see if it was worth turning Alexa Show off overnight. Today the sensor appeared…
Vyze-Link WiFi PTZ Security Camera VYZ-KT5
This is the point where I’d often show you the box, but guess what… the box ended up in the bin.. SO, the camera – full PTZ (i.e. pan and tilt) and the KT5 camera produces a 4MP output with a field angle of 110 degrees. Night vision is claimed…