This sort of thing can definitely be done (by an electrician). ie: use a NodeMCU to switch a properly rated and certified relay. You don’t get power monitoring though. There are other non-intrusive ways (ie: pickup coil) that can be used again with the NodeMCU to monitor power.
Maybe Efergy, solid products, inexpensive
. If you want spend less, there are DiY solutions. Both solutions work great and well integrated in HASS (Efergy once in a while does not work)
Has anyone had a used or heard of zemismart? They seem to have the right markings on the box are reasonably well priced…http://www.zemismart.com/zigbee-smart-rgbw-downlight-compatible-with-hue-led-bulb-light-work-with-amazon-alexa-echo-google-home-smarthings-via-zemismart-hub_p0013.html
@Klagio Thanks for that. Yeah, Efergy seemed to be the way to go. Just thought I’d see if anyone has used anything else first.
there is also iotawatt, seems very flexible
I made my research before burying. That was my choice. I am very happy with my purchase.
Integration works most of the time. Now these days is NOT working
All right, this is getting frustrating. Just when you think there’s a “cheap” solution, (Sonoff TH), you find out that they nobble it by blocking of the io port. That leaves you pretty much with $100 z-wave stuff if you want proper automation with manual overrides.
So, let’s play hypotheticals. Hypothetically speaking if you were to get, say, some non-complaint items installed in Australia, what would you choose?
Hypothetically, I may look at the Shelly devices. They seem very well built and there’s no need to open them up and fiddle with them to get the connectivity you need - everything is exposed and they even run MQTT natively it’s not necessary to flash them with Tasmota even.
What does everyone hypothetically think? I hypothetically think they’re possibly the safest option.
Hypothetically I would suggest a custom built device using certified parts. Hypothetically someone could use a certified relay connected to an ESP8266 or similar which (running ESPhome) would interface natively to HA. A certified switch or pushbutton could hypothetically be connected to a GPIO on the ESP to provide local control.
Thanks Dave.
Could you name some of those certified relays and I will take a look. Hypothetically speaking of course.
Anything from https://www.schneider-electric.com.au/en/product-category/1500-contactors-and-protection-relays/
Schneider made good equipment but tend to be pretty pricey. Have at look at the Altronics website, some starter links below.
https://www.altronics.com.au/switches/relays/
https://www.altronics.com.au/switches/push-button-switches/
Depending on your location in Aus, Jaycar might suit you better. They have almost the exact same stuff but are often a few cents more expensive (nothing worth worrying about with a few cents!)
I’v almost bought out Bunnings at Stafford, Brisbane, of the Brilliant Wall Plugs. Every time I visit, 1-2 times per week, I pick up 2 or 3 of them. Stashing them for use at home, Parents house and my business. (all on HA)
Can’t beat $20 for off the shelf solution, that doesn’t need to be opened up to flash.
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If these are all Tuya based like the wall plugs, then happy days. We may be able to use the same OTA method as the plugs to flash Tasmota.
I haven’t been able to work that out yet. Their documentation doesn’t really give anything away. The main one I’m looking at is the wifi dimmer, but I haven’t been able to come across an equivalent Tuya wifi dimmer at this stage, so perhaps some of their stuff is unique.
I don’t think using relays from Jaycar or Altronics is going to give you certification. They might sell certified components but if the components are assembled in a product that is connected to the mains then the product still has to be certified (creepage distances etc…).
If however you use a mains rated contactor you are less likely to come up against this problem. The contactor is certified as a product for isolating control of the mains (as opposed to a component). As long as you supply the correct voltage to the switching coil you’re good.
This is a really fuzzy area that I had to navigate a decade ago when designing mains connected equipment. The easy solution in that case was to use contactors (as advised by an EE). Hence my link.
Tis rather a nightmare, especially for laypeople like me.
I think I’m just gonna get a Shelly 1 and see if my sparky will put it in. The location it is going is an exterior wall, surrounded by fire rated insulation, with fire rated cladding on the outside of the wall and fire rated gyprock on the interior wall. If it does catch fire (which 99.999999% chance it won’t), it should’t travel far.
I’ve bought electrical items from Bunnings which I reckon is far less safe than this thing.
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+1
I’ve seen a whole heap of complaints on Faceboob and Whirlpool from electricians complaining about this junk and that it is sold to consumers rather than contractors.
The Shelly1 isn’t certified for use in Aus. Some of the Sonoffs are. They’re larger and more expensive though.
So get the sonoffs, flash them with tasmota or whatever and add the wires to the GPIOs so you can operate them via a physical switch. I suppose at least that way the base hardware is Australian compliant, no insurer is going to check the firmware and, well, if the house burns down i’ll pull the wires I added out 
How would the relays etc differ from a contactor in terms of certification? At the end of the day the person creating the overall device with all of the components needs to have either an A or B grade electrical licence (as far as I’m aware) and as long as the relay used is rated for the voltage and current used, it is no different to a contactor. We use relays for control circuits that run 240/415v all the time and are in certified MCC’s and switchboards, no problems at all. Contactors are mainly designed / used for load break situations, and predominantly 3 phase. At the end of the day they are really just big relays…
The difference is the person maintaining isolation of ELV and LV circuits. Also I was making the distinction: contactor = DIN rail mounted with external wiring, relay = PCB mounted device. Which is often but not always the case for relays.
PCB mounted relays require creepage distances to be maintained by the PCB designer. For which no qualification is actually required. Hence certification of the final product is required if it is to be connected to the mains.
The internal isolation between the ELV and LV for DIN rail mounted contactors or relays has been checked during certification. A qualified electrician is responsible for maintaining correct separation outside the unit when wiring. Hence no certification is required for the ELV control circuit connected by an electrician to a DIN mounted type device.
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