Uk switches / sockets

Hardware
1

hi!

i’m sure this has been asked too many times already, but the smart-home space is moving so quickly that i don’t trust old info/advice… what are some of the best budget-friendly 240v power-socket and switch solutions in uk?

i’m just starting out, got hassio running on a virtualbox on my main win10 machine, and esphome on hassio, so far i’m using a d1 mini esp32 to control a simple led strip. i have no zigbee (although i expect to get eventually), or zwave, am suuuuper reluctant to buy any google or amazon devices and local-only/offline operation is a dealbreaker - the internet here is sketchy (nb my wifi is solid, it’s upstream that is flakey. curse virgin media)

atm i want some sockets and some switches as well as a flood sensor.

i read that TP Link sockets are no longer recomended for hassio use?

i found these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-Socket-Compatible-Moulded/dp/B07VC1GWV9
mentioned here: UK WIFI Smart Socket - Screwfix - Testing
and here: Has anyone used BG Sockets (UK)

i’m new and it looks from those posts that integrating the bg socket into hassio is not the easiest - are there budget-friendly alternatives i should consider?

and re: switches i haven’t even really started to research properly, can you recomend a shortlist for uk (i.e. no neutral) use? i’m mostly looking at shelly but would appreciate up-to-date locale/voltage-specific input if anyone cares to share?

2

There was a thread about this the other day, though the OP was interested in power monitoring as well.

If you’re starting out, I’d suggest trying a couple of smart plugs like the ones mentioned, just to dip a toe in the water before you start rewiring.

3

thanks for replying

i saw that post and am following with interest, but as power monitoring is not a factor for me* i thought best to start a new thread…

i’ll definitely be getting some smart plugs too, but i know that i want some permanent install sockets in my bedroom whereas i’d be using the plugs to experiement…

rewiring? you mean changing a faceplate? i have to change them pretty often for work so it’s no issue at all. i’ll probably be running some new spurs as well as atm i have extensions running all over my room which is not aesthetically pleasing!

*out of interest do you know if i can leverage power-monitoring to, eg, get a notification when the washing machine or whatever stops drawing power and is therefore finished? i don’t have any interest in power monitoring to actually monitor power usage, but if i can use that data to run automations etc then it’s worth the extra cost…

4

The Tasmota plugs mentioned in the other thread provide a switch entity in HA as well as power usage data, so they can be used to turn devices on and off. As far as the washing machine goes, an automation should certainly be able to send a notification when power usage drops to zero.

This works on my kettle, for example:

- id: '1635529524507'
  alias: Test 2
  description: ''
  trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.tasmota_3_energy_power
    below: '1'
  condition: []
  action:
  - service: notify.mobile
    data:
      message: Time for tea
      title: Kettle's boiled
  mode: single

I imagine you’d have to adjust the trigger for devices that continue to draw power on standby.

5

Looking at the comments on Amazon, I think the BG sockets must be Tuya devices, which means there is an official integration, but it’s cloud-dependent (although there is a HACS integration to control them locally). Either way, they look a bit tricky to set up. There have been a lot of threads lately about Tuya devices not working after a big update at the beginning of the month.