Bunnings - internet controlled power strips

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Bunnings - internet controlled power strips

surfisup1000

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#261814 16-Dec-2019 16:47

Just noticed these in bunnings. . .

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/arlec-4-outlet-smart-powerboard-with-usb-charger_p00074829

Price is sharp, but, I just can't get over the security risk in using cheap brand wifi smart products .

I found this link about 'smart' home hacking...

https://media.ccc.de/v/35c3-9723-smart_home_-_smart_hack#t=0

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#2376448 16-Dec-2019 17:07

While don't want to speculate, unknown brand, cheap price - could be dodgy IoT items. Things like power control moving to IoT is introducing risk for nefarious actors to overload power networks by suddenly turning on millions of devices at once for example. Need to release my blog on this!

Speedtest 2019-10-14

richms

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#2376449 16-Dec-2019 17:09

The one without the useless USB charger is way cheaper. They are all using the tuya cloud, so may be simple to reflash with tuyaconvert to run something that stays on your lan only. Im not to worried about someone powering my lights on, its more of using it as a go between to get to the rest of the lan, so I have all my IOT tat on a seperate vlan. Once you have them connected to their own cloud they dont need to be on the same lan as the device controlling it, only for initial setup.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#2376450 16-Dec-2019 17:11

Zeon:

While don't want to speculate, unknown brand, cheap price - could be dodgy IoT items. Things like power control moving to IoT is introducing risk for nefarious actors to overload power networks by suddenly turning on millions of devices at once for example. Need to release my blog on this!

With how slow the clouds are there would be little chance of getting them all to turn on at the same time. Even with 20 bulbs and alexa turning them all on or off there is about 3-4 seconds to itterare thru them all most of the time, blowing out to 10 seconds sometimes. When the servers get really trash slow then some of them even dont trigger, but that seems to be the ewelink platform that does that, tuya seems much more reliable.

End plan is to reflash them with tasmota once I have something local to control them but for now I have minimal issues with the cloud control - mainly the speed of controlling groups of lights.

Richard rich.ms

boosacnoodle

963 posts

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#2376466 16-Dec-2019 17:57

I have some of the Bunnings internet controlled light switches. All of the products are actually manufactured by Tuya. Tuya offers a white label IoT-as-a-service platform. My only comment on these is that the relay inside them is fairly loud. They also have an always on LED when connected to the Wi-Fi (should really only be on when the Wi-Fi fails IMO). Other than that they seem to be of a fairly decent quality.

While they use a Chinese server for the app (all Tuya-based products do), I am in the Apple HomeKit environment primarily & there are stable Homebridge plug-ins for either WAN / Cloud or LAN-only (so you could firewall them off) available for most of these products. I caution you on reflashing these products as you may not be able to recover them if something goes wrong as the unit is completely sealed off.

In terms of automations in the Tuya app I've literally never experienced a 3-4 second delay. I have two light switches set-up to turn the other one on / off and vice versa. It's literally immediate when I press the button. The automation is setup in the Tuya app.

PANiCnz

990 posts

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#2376533 16-Dec-2019 18:52

Looks like its supported by Tasmota, so only question is can it be flashed OTA or do you need serial access.

richms

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#2376540 16-Dec-2019 19:07

The server is an Amazon one not in China. I have gear that uses a Chinese server and they barely work some of the time. App always popping up can't connect to the server messages.

Richard rich.ms

neb

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#2377674 18-Dec-2019 12:29

If you really feel the need to allow Russians to [b|t]urn your lights out remotely, you could go with the Fingerbot, which (a) will Internet-enable any existing non-Internet-enabled device as long as it has a pushbutton or toggle switch and (b) is mechanically constrained to be single-action-only, i.e. you can push a button but no more.

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russelo

328 posts

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#2377771 18-Dec-2019 13:28

I just bought this twin socket for $38 https://www.bunnings.co.nz/arlec-smart-plug-in-twin-socket_p00074828.

Planning to replace its firmware so I can control it via MQTT and remove cloud dependency.

PANiCnz

990 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2379521 21-Dec-2019 10:15

Picked up a Deta 6911HA switch and Arlec GLD112HA bulb this morning from Bunnings, both flashed with tuya-convert to Tasmota and now integrated with HASS using MQTT. Took all of about 5 minutes to flash each one. Nice to see some cheap smart switch and bulb etc available locally.

surfisup1000

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#2379545 21-Dec-2019 10:55

russelo:

I just bought this twin socket for $38 https://www.bunnings.co.nz/arlec-smart-plug-in-twin-socket_p00074828.

Planning to replace its firmware so I can control it via MQTT and remove cloud dependency.

Let us know how you go -- i presume if this is flashable, then it is likely their powerstrips are too.

huckster

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#2379617 21-Dec-2019 11:59

I've flashed the single socket Arlec with tuyaconvert and tasmota. Took a couple of goes but got there in the end.

Also did an Arlec colour bulb too.

The trick was to run a console command after the initial flash to tasmota.

https://templates.blakadder.com/arlec_PC189HA.html

And of course can't find that command now....

russelo

328 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2380268 23-Dec-2019 01:20

surfisup1000:

russelo:

I just bought this twin socket for $38 https://www.bunnings.co.nz/arlec-smart-plug-in-twin-socket_p00074828.

Planning to replace its firmware so I can control it via MQTT and remove cloud dependency.

Let us know how you go -- i presume if this is flashable, then it is likely their powerstrips are too.

Successfully converted it to Tasmota on first attempt using Tuya convert.

The powerstrip has the Tasmota template value available here https://templates.blakadder.com/arlec_PB89HA.html indicating that it is flashable.

gcorgnet

1078 posts

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#2380317 23-Dec-2019 10:54

Hey guys, just bought a Twin pack of single plugs.

Any high level instructions about how to flash this to have MQTT or Home Assistant control?

Should I follow the normal procedure to start with using their app?

Thanks

PANiCnz

990 posts

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#2380318 23-Dec-2019 10:56

Don’t use the app, you need to replace the firmware with Tasmota or similar. Google a piece of software call tuya-convert.

gcorgnet

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#2380319 23-Dec-2019 11:03

PANiCnz: Don’t use the app, you need to replace the firmware with Tasmota or similar. Google a piece of software call tuya-convert.

Sure, but I supposed I need to somehow be able to connect the plug intom my network first, right? How do I do that without the app?

Also, is tuya-convert linux only?

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