11Jul

Sonoff 4CH Pro Review

11 Jul 2017 Eric M Leave a comment

I received a Sonoff 4CH Pro the other day and have had a fun time playing with it. It is similar to the original Sonoff 4CH in the number of outputs that it supports, but differs in the fact that the relays are dry contact relays. This of course means that varying types of devices can be connected to the relay as each channel essentially has an input and output power terminal.

There are limitations on what the device supports. Itead advertises the voltage range as 90-250v AC(50/60Hz) / 5-24v DC and the max power as 10A/channel. This should be able to cover a wide range of projects and uses out there.

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1Jul

Inovelli Dual Z-Wave Smart Plug

1 Jul 2017 Eric M Leave a comment

There are a lot of “Smart Plugs” available in the home automation market today. From big names such as Wemo and SmartThings to smaller guys such as Sonoff and Eco.

For the most part, they all work the same, so it is kind of tough to do a comparison review. In regards to companies in this market place, there is one that I was recently introduced to that has impressed me. They and their Smart Plug, the Inovelli Smart Plug, have a lot going for them.

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20Jun

Sonoff TH – Temperature & Humidity Sensing Relay on the Cheap

20 Jun 2017 Eric M 2 Comments

I have been following the Sonoff devices ever since they released the original 10 amp 2 wire wifi relay several months back. Itead, the company behind Sonoff’s stuff, has gotten quite the reputation in the hacker community for making low cost devices that are easily updated with custom firmware. There are several Sonoff devices that I have merely taken out of the shipping box, tore open, and began to tinker with before even testing the Itead firmware. That’s how community friendly they are.

The Sonoff TH, I believe, is a great product to add temperature sensing to multiple rooms in your home. The fact that it has a low price tag makes a whole home deployment much more palatable. Other than that, how does the Sonoff TH stack up against the rest?

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19Jun

SmartLife Devices WiFi & SmartThings Configuration

19 Jun 2017 Eric M Leave a comment

WiFi Configuration

After flashing the device and attaching standard power to it, the device should start broadcasting a wifi SSID. The SSID will match the device type followed by a period and then some characters representing the devices MAC address. For example, the Sonoff TH would look like SonoffTH.3d8883d0f90f and the SmartLife H801 would look like esprgbw.5d7d404fe294. You then connect to the AP with the password: configme.

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31May

Fibaro KeyFob Review

31 May 2017 Eric M 1 Comment

I really feel that Fibaro does a great job at making their hardware attractive, and their software feature rich and stable. The Fibaro KeyFob is an example of them sticking to that process with a sleek, small design, and plenty of capability.

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22Mar

Qubino Weather Station Review

22 Mar 2017 Eric M 2 Comments

I’ve seen the Qubino Weather Station floating around the Z-Wave market for the last few months. It definitely stands out as a unique home automation product. With 10 measured values, it is marketed as having all the climate sensors you will ever need. I can in no way deny that claim, but does the device deliver what it promises?

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26Feb

Qubino Flush 1D, 2 Relays, & Dimmer Review

26 Feb 2017 Eric M Leave a comment

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I have recently received three in-wall Z-Wave devices made by Qubino. Qubino has been making Z-wave products for the European market for a few years and has recently started releasing devices for the US Market. Even with the Z-wave Alliance having more than 450 companies participating in the technology’s growth, it is great for consumers to have even more choices. From the spec sheets, these devices seem extremely capable with plenty of options to fine tune them to fit your needs. With in-wall relays and dimmers from several companies now (Fibaro, Aeon, Enerwave, etc.) how do these stack up?

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21Oct

zooZ Contact Sensor, Mini Plug, & Mini Sensor Review

21 Oct 2016 Eric M Leave a comment

 

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zooZ has done a fantastic job making 3 new devices that are sleek, affordable, and on par with some of the more well known Z-Wave device manufacturers. Each device has a lot to like and very little to complain about. In fact, one of the devices has even ended up being my favorite of it’s category (which isn’t easy considering the competition). So, what is it that I like so much about zooZ’s latest and greatest?

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