Quick update: This article was written in September 2022 and the iHorn LH-961ZB movement sensor has been sitting on a shelf under my desk since then, seeing quite a few movements per day. Regardless of my comments below, this sensor has been working all this time, 100% with Zigbee2MQTT, not…
SONOFF POW RING – What’s THAT?
Well, it’s new and it’s from Sonoff of the famous Sonoff BASIC IOT controller which I’ve written about many times. Many of you will know that Sonoff are known for far more than their original simple-but-effective-and-cheap mains power WiFi controller. SO, let’s take a look at this new device that…
Surface Pro 4 – Windows 11 or NOT?
Reddit and other locations are full of conflicting stories about the venerable Microsoft Surface 4 Pro concerning upgrading to Windows 11 – mostly from people who’ve not actually tried the conversion. I noted a number of writers saying they’d never trust Microsoft again and how betrayed they felt. Here is…
TOPGRO Mini Gaming PC i9-9880H NVIDIA GTX1650
I recently bought the above-named PC from Amazon.es to replace my Mini PC which has performed well but not a lot of use for games. The TOPGRO machine cost me €969 (no screen or keyboard, just the base unit) and came complete with 32GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of…
Cheap Sonoff-lookalike BASICs and Aubess Zigbee
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…
Another Tasmota APP for Android
From time to time I get ESP8266/ESP32 control units for example Sonoff BASIC lookalikes – basic mains control boards – which I usually de-Smartlife and convert to Tasmota – also Tasmota-pre-fitted bulbs – and more often than not, I end up with more than I need. Sometimes, dirt-cheap Sonoff-BASIC look-alikes…
Christmas Already? SONOFF Goodies and WLED Lighting
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. This post December 20, 2023…
Algolaser 5.5w DIY Laser Engraver Kit
Some months ago, Algolaser contacted me re: their 20w laser engraver – and while I still plan to progress this in the future, for now they asked me if I’d build and review their DIY Engraver KIT with the 5.5w laser. As you’ll see looking around the blog, I’ve reviewed…
Meross Product Update MSS315 Smart Plug
The Meross MSS315 Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug with Energy Monitor (EU Version) is a handy smart plug, not a lot to differentiate it from other, similar products but over time I’ve found the Meross products to be good. Initially when my MSS315 arrived, I simply got no-where setting it up…
Chrome Create Shortcut or Not?
I’m trying to pin Google Calendar to my taskbar and I keep seeing references on the web to this: That sounds easy but my recently updated Chrome on my recently updated Windows 11 Pro PC no longer has that option: Here’s the thing: you can do this in Microsoft Edge…
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…
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 –…