Christmas 2022 with New Sonoff Units (Itead)

I lately arrived within the UK for Christmas to discover a bunch of stuff from Sonoff ready for me – so let’s get into it… for starters, the brand new WHITE Sonoff NSPanel Professional and the enclosure for desktop operation (mannequin “StandW”). Preliminary impression? Very Fairly!

And right here, the preliminary energy up screens precisely as I encountered them…No concept the aim of that “solid” display screen. Establishing my nation and signing in with my free Sonoff account was easy sufficient… remembering that this NSPanel doesn’t appear to have any relay outputs – so that you simply wire it into mains energy, add it to the eWeLink APP and also you’re off…

Establishing the climate was additionally simple, although I’m at a loss as to the way in which Itead make their climate tables – the closest city I may discover was HEXHAM (Northumberland, UK – perhaps 20 miles away) – who’s climate will not be the identical as ours in Bellingham (Google can handle it, so why not NSPro)

At this level, all was wanting effectively, I had my new NSPanel Professional WHITE in it’s new white case – nearly able to go, so once I seen that upgrades have been obtainable, I couldn’t resist.

GOOD however not excellent…(I appear to recall I had some improve points with the BLACK NSPanel Professional – see my earlier log entry on the topic…) AND… right here we go..

By no means the much less, all seems effectively and we’ve got the same old pleasant startup panel… I received’t go into including gadgets right here as there shall be nothing I didn’t cowl earlier (if I’m flawed I’ll replace this weblog entry and considering abou it I do have some new Sonoff machine). I’m nonetheless not 100% completely happy concerning the responsiveness of the display screen when making setting modifications but it surely all appears to work, I simply needed to strive twice on a few setting modifications. I DO like this factor within the enclosure… it isn’t all the time handy to have these mounted in a wall socket or gentle change becoming (UK gentle switches more often than not in my experence don’t embrace the impartial wire) so I’m completely happy to have this sitting on the kitchen window-sill for now…

Within the eWeLink APP, my new NSPanel is named “NSPanel Professional 3”.

Good job I stored going – as I used to be typing on this weblog entry, over on the different aspect of the room. the NSPanel Professional improve message got here up once more and this time the improve put in. And some minutes later – the unit rebooted and I famous new model numbering.

Now, each APP model and OS model say v1.5 – however observe, after setting the show brightness to handbook and full brilliance, I seen some brilliance fluctuation and I nonetheless needed to have a number of makes an attempt at backing out of that menu merchandise – Itead, I hope you’re studying this…

On the time I acquired the NSPanel Professional, a few different new Sonoff goodies arrived… The “Sonoff Zigbee LCD Sensible Temperature and Humidity Sensor” SNZB-02D – and the “Sonoff Mini Excessive – WiFi Sensible change” MINIR4.

For proper now I can’t do lots with the Mini Excessive as I’m over right here within the UK in a comparatively new home (for us – it’s really an outdated constructing modernised on the sting of a small village) and I’ve little or no in the way in which of IOT setup right here, proper now.

Anyway, in on the deep finish, I’ve eliminated the plastic safety from the temperature sensor (which has a pleasant magnetic wall mounting, that means the sensor can simply be moved for battery renewal with out leaving sticky goo on the wall)…

Alright – it got here full with CR2450 battery so all I needed to do was take away the plastic discharge safety strip. The query is, will NSPanel Professional act as a Zigbee gateway and see the sensor?

I went into the panel – ADD DEVICES – I pressed and held the little button on the again of the sensor – and – a number of seconds later – YES…

Now I don’t wish to sound too excited however I do wish to make clear that Sonoff don’t pay me to do that – however I’ve been utilizing their merchandise (together with many others) for therefore lengthy and writing about them – each good and dangerous that they often ship me their newest choices.

This Christmas I’m happy to say they’ve despatched stuff that works simply effective (with caviats – nonetheless bugs as these things is NEW) – together with what they described as a “current” – comprising a pleasant Sonoff-branded t-shirt and equally branded mug. Thanks guys however beware – if I discover one thing that doesn’t work effectively, that’s nonetheless going within the weblog 🙂 That mains-powered NSPanel Professional show remains to be various in brighness as if the built-in energy provide isn’t highly effective sufficient… (I’ve a rock-steady 240v provide right here within the UK)

I’m unsure if I’m simply getting used to Zigbee or if it actually does get simpler each time. Took me seconds so as to add that sensor and a minute to get it on the wall. I ought to say, whenever you detach the sensor from it’s base, it has a pleasant deal with on the again for table-mounting… all working but when I wish to rename the sensor I assume I’ll should go take a look at the APP as I can’t determine how to try this on the NSPanel itself (but… evidently shall be addressed quickly)… It’s referred to within the APP as “Temperature/Humidity Sensor” and I’m going to vary that to UK Kitchen sensor”. Achieved. It appears (I’ve finished NOTHING with Alexa right here and Sonoff) simply despatched me a message to say it has discovered UK Kitchen Sensor. NSPanel now has that new title, magically.

OK so I’ve not tried this earlier than… “Alexa, learn UK Kitchen Sensor”. “I’m sorry I can’t discover You Okay Kitchen sensor”. Okay, I believed it was all going too easily. I renamed the machine to CROFT KITCHEN SENSOR and informed Alexa to FIND DEVICES. Surprisingly Alexa on my cellphone is aware of all concerning the sensor however my ECHO says “sorry I couldn’t discover CROFT KITCHEN SENSOR in Maureen’s library”.

SO I made a room referred to as KITCHEN in Alexa and assigned the sensor to that room “What’s the kitchen temperature?”. “Kitchen doesn’t assist that”. I’m sitting within the Alexa cellphone APP wanting on the temperature readout from the CROFT KITCHEN SENSOR – this might effectively be me – if anybody is aware of higher – do let me know within the feedback. Because it occurs I’ve simply had a response to my queries from Itead who most likely received’t be celebrating Christmas (China).

For my subsequent problem, I pulled out an outdated, arbitrary Zigbee 3.0 wall socket(which controls mains output and a few USBs however extra of that later) and… will it work with

NSPANEL? Preliminary response “not an opportunity” – effectively, I used to be WRONG – I plugged the unit into the wall and held within the on/off/pairing button for a number of seconds, went to the NSPANEL and clicked ADD DEVICE – NO drawback – it’s in.

As NSPanel doesn’t but permit native re-naming (thanks for the Christmas clarification Itead) I went to the eWeLink APP and renamed the socket from essentially the most horrific default title (S26R2ZBTPG) to grove-z-sckt1 – I’m studying – put a Z within the title so I do know it’s not Wifi with out ripping it out of the wall. We’ve moved UK home and the brand new one is named “3 The Grove” – therefore “grove” and it’s the primary Zigbee 3 socket I’ve tried.

From the eWeLink APP, management no drawback. At the beginning, a message popped up on my cellphone from Amazon Alexa to say “Alexa AUTOMATICALLY CONNECTED IT WITH THE EwELink Sensible Residence Ability. To regulate it, say ‘Alexa, activate S26R2ZBTPG”.

Now, ask me why I used to be not surprised when my Gen 3 Amazon Echo didn’t recognise any of the next: “Alexa, flip off S26R2ZBTPG” (I attempted however ZED and ZEE), “Alexa, flip off Grove-Z-sckt1”. I’m inclined to pin this one on Amazon – ideas?

How will I get together with this concept of utilizing NS Panel as a controller? I’m used to Zigbee2MQTT with it’s glorious MAP however for now as I’m simply beginning on a brand new residence with no Raspberry Pi right here, this’ll do.

Im about to strive organising a tiny Ikea Zigbee repeater/USB wall provide – want me luck.

It has a pinhole for setup… nothing – even thought its white gentle began undulating after some time so it seems just like the assist inside NSPanel Professional nonetheless wants work to catch as much as Zigbee2MQTT… I do want a mains powered Zigbee machine for positive to behave as a spread extender. I’ll preserve wanting…

So ANYWAY – now I had a working temperature sensor and a mains controller – although as you’ll observe later, no good for thermostat management because of the constacts NOT being remoted from the mains.

NSPanel Professional Net Pages and the Thermostat Operate (or not)

Anyway… I couldn’t resist making an attempt an experiment… I went into the eWeLink APP once more and checked two issues – one – internet pages – THAT works – can put internet pages (just like the climate again in Spain) as blocks one one of many NSPanel screens – I say it really works – it does – however I don’t see the purpose of the panel sq. exhibiting the precise ugly URL. The pages themselves nevertheless look simply effective.

Extra importantly – the thermostat perform. I put within the kitchen sensor and my not-suitable-but-good-for-a-demo Zigbee controller as an motion, gave the stat a NAME and…. it might NOT save. THAT’s annoying…. I really feel SURE that the thermostat perform labored in my earlier black NSPANEL Professional but it surely’s not right here so I can’t verify. I can get no additional than the shortcoming to save lots of a thermostat.

In the meantime – Mini Excessive – at round 39mm x 32mm x 17mm (inc adhesive pad on the again) that is Sonoff’s smallest and neatest energy controller so far and will simply slot in a ceiling rose or behind a wall change (if impartial is obtainable the place you reside). No energy monitoring right here, only a straight ahead single-channel-relay on-off mains energy controller with APP for WiFi management – and native contact pair management. Like different such gadgets, this works with 2.4Ghz WiFi. Takes me again to earlier Sonoff controllers however it is a lot neater and smaller with the flush front-mounted reset/pairing button being fairly unobtrusive. I imagine that total that is even smaller than the blue Shelly machine I’ve coated elsewhere in right here.

The Mini Excessive energy consumption is typical of such WiFi gadgets at round 0.5W and it LOOK like the inner relay is an ordinary 10AMP job although it’s not marked (by 10AMP I imply 10AMP MAX non-inductive load. Usually I’d by no means apply greater than 75% of the rated most load).

Observe that the machine makes use of an Espressif ESP32 machine and therefore in idea, for those who wished, quite than utilizing the eWeLink APP you might flash Tasmota onto this machine, however beware, not like earlier fashions there are not any simply obtainable pads on the PCB to do that, I assume that’s the worth we pay for having an especially compact unit. The ESP32 board is a mini-sub-board positioned on one aspect of the MINIR4 unit (on the backside edge in my picture above). Change modes embrace push, toggle and observe modes and by default the MINIR4 is utilizing the native LAN.

You might or could not know that Sonoff manuals can be found all in obtainable on-line for his or her product vary, however on the time of writing (Dec 23, 2022), neither the Mini Excessive (MINIR4) nor the ZNB-02D sensor manuals are up there as a result of they’re so new. It seems like there shall be a full R4 collection of gadgets so anticipate reductions on the sooner fashions because the R4 and SNZB-02D gadgets change into broadly avalable in early 2023. I’m nonetheless utilizing a few of the unique Sonoff Mini models round the home and I don’t assume I’ve ever had one surrender on me – although I doubt we’ll see costs like we had when the unique Sonoff Mini went on sale – for some time, AliExpress had the mannequin 1 going for round £4 (sterling) every with free postage however that’s a distant (and fond) reminiscence.

That’s it for now – little question this entry shall be up to date as I hear again from Itead about my queries above.