12

I'm tinkering with our ventilation over-pressure function in combination with an inline fan I run when 3D printing or soldering, to get the fumes and particulates out while simultaneously not creating a massive vacuum inside. The plan is to control it with MQTT from HA to a PLC that controls the ventilation via RS-485.

Therefore I'm looking for a simple but clean looking smart plug that I can integrate with HA to let me know when the fan is on (pulling power, actual wattage is irrelevant) to automatically enable this function.

I know Sonoff makes some, but I always prefer personal advice over random search results.
Preferably Zigbee or WiFi (offline) as I don't have any Matter/Z-wave hub/dongle. Compact design and black would be nice, but not a must. Stability and ease of setup matters more than added functionality.

Does anyone have any personal experience to share?
I'm grateful if you do. Thanks!

top 13 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] whaleross@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If you pick a ZigBee device and don't try to power a refrigerator or a washing machine with it, it probably doesn't matter much. Just get some reliable brand, Sonoff, IKEA, something, for wall powered stuff. Battery sensors are fine OEM from AliExpress. I'd advice against anything WiFi that requires a cloud connection, as most of them do, but that is my personal preference.

[-] infeeeee@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

While Shelly wifi devices can use their cloud, it's optional. By default cloud is disabled, you can even make them report to your own MQTT server.

[-] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Yeah Shelly and Meross seem to fit the bill quite well, and can run local only. Leaning towards those two.

Cheers!

[-] Strit@lemmy.linuxuserspace.show 2 points 1 month ago

I use 2 kinds in my house.

Aqara Smart Plugs. Zigbee based, runs from the ZHA integration, has control and monitoring built in. Only does up to 10A. Well known brand. Nous A1Z Smart Plugs. Same as the Aqara, but smaller, handles up to 16A but the brand is not as known as Aqara.

None of them exists in black as far as I know. I go for the Nous ones going forward, as they are smaller and can handle more power hungry devices.

[-] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Cheers mate. Aquara I can find, so I’ll have a look at it!

[-] tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm using BlitzWolf ones and they're pretty reliable so far. Been using them for almost a year, so no long term results yet. Measure Power and turn on/off.

I've had bad experience (malfunctions after a year or two) with old Ikea Tradfri ones and some Sonoff plug.

[-] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Sonoff s31 flashed with tasmota if you want WiFi or s31 lite for zigbee. Both have been utterly reliable for me. No cloud nonsense either.

[-] philpo@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

Nous A1T.

Simple, with measuring (after manual calibration) of all important parameters, Tasmota, well build where it matters.

[-] mhzawadi@lemmy.horwood.cloud 1 points 1 month ago

I would recommend Shelly plugs, they have been rock solid

[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

I have liked the Sonoffs with Tasmota for many years. But recently, they use different chips that make this impossible.

So I ordered my last ones from athom.com, because they sell them preinstalled with Tasmota (or other firmware).

[-] clb92@feddit.dk 0 points 1 month ago

I have a bunch of smart plugs from Athom too, and they're good. Unfortunately I chose those with WiFi back then. Tasmota is fine, and reliable too, but nowadays I prefer ZigBee for most of my home automation.

I have a few of the discontinued old version TRÅDFRI plugs from IKEA too, since it's ZigBee, and one of them makes weird clicking noises sometimes, almost as if the relay is extremely quickly switching on and off for no reason. Perhaps the new IKEA plugs are better quality.

[-] spacewave@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago
[-] Bronzie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Shelly seems popular and is available in black. Happy wife, happy life, ey…

this post was submitted on 16 May 2025
12 points (100.0% liked)

homeassistant

15073 readers
1 users here now

Home Assistant is open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first.
Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts.

Home Assistant can be self-installed on ProxMox, Raspberry Pi, or even purchased pre-installed: Home Assistant: Installation

Discussion of Home-Assistant adjacent topics is absolutely fine, within reason.
If you're not sure, DM @GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS