Gadgets that just work

[timwilky]

I have just bought a pair of these from fleabay. £13 each
http://deal24hours.com/eBay/crystalchrist/19/1950/19500078/19500078crystal_1.jpg

Instructions very easy. No messing about with port forwarding etc. They just work.

I plugged a light into one to test. No problems, my android phone can turn it on/off from either the home wifi or when on a 4g network. I can even set up a schedule to automatically turn on/off.

What does disappoint me is I know it is ESP 8266, which I am starting to hack on my dev systems. It would be nice to be able to crack it open to inspect build quality and maybe hack the firmware on this so it no longer uses cloud service. But as it is a mains voltage device. I guess it is a good idea to not to make it an easy to open device.

If you have a need for remote networked switching. These things are great value for money

[Nobbylad]

Cheers Tim....what is the item # or description, or who is the seller?

[maviczap]

Indeed very handy to know about this sort of stuff

[timwilky]

Ebay item number is 272277763047, seller was crystal_wr2


I only know it is esp8266 based because of how it is detected in my dhcp service. the seller does not give details of the back end cloud service. But as there are now many similar devices such as the Sonoff devices, I am guessing that they all use similar.

Use of a cloud service makes for ease of use for joe public. No configuration required on firewalls etc.

But is also the reason why I may be taking the blade to the case and looking to hack the firmware so that I can then operate it as a switch directly within my network without requiring a phone app etc.

My own reason for wanting this device is simple. My home office is at the end of the garden Whilst most of the route there is lit. The lights only come on as I approach. When I leave at night to go home it is dark as all the passives are pointing the wrong way. There are potential high drops that I cannot see despite eating a sack of carrots a day. So the ability to turn on/off a light from the house does have an attraction.

[maviczap]

My own reason for wanting this device is simple. My home office is at the end of the garden Whilst most of the route there is lit. The lights only come on as I approach. When I leave at night to go home it is dark as all the passives are pointing the wrong way. There are potential high drops that I cannot see despite eating a sack of carrots a day. So the ability to turn on/off a light from the house does have an attraction.

Similar story, although I got 2 solar powered LED lights with PIR's to illuminate dark areas, but more to deter thieving scumbags at night when our street lights are turned off.

No wiring required, and the one above the garage door worked perfectly, the one on the drive needs re positioning to get more sunlight. These were Ebay jobbies & cheap enough to replace if they stop working.

I got a better one from Aldi, prior to these 2, and it works even better than these ebay ones. Aldi had sold its stock when I went back, as the MIL had another one I'd bought

[Blapper]

No doubt you have all noticed that although it is a 13A connector, the max rating is 10A so no good for things like immersion heaters. For a Chinese product like that I would de-rate it to 5A to give it a chance of lasting.