digiblurDIY

  I had the pleasure (or not) of testing out another PTZ camera.  I'm always down on checking out a new one after the last three I checked out, such as the Amcrest , Reolink and I'll not mention the last one that didn't fair to well in a video .  PTZ cameras are addicting and useful to complement your fixed position cameras, once you go PTZ you can't go back!   The H.View PTZ 502 is a 5MP camera with 5x optical zoom and is POE capable, even at non POE+ specs it works!  Other PTZs we've had to use POE+ for additional power.  Speaking of that at first glance I noticed something.... I had seen this camera before!  Well at least the shell of the camera.  The lens part was a little different but it was almost the same housing.  The Reolink is only 4x though instead of the H.View being 5x.  The one drawback I had with the Reolink was the speed of moving and focus took too long, especially after we got spoiled with the Amcrest PTZ camera.  After opening the box I decided

  At first I didn't want to believe it but there's no going back to using the old school RJ-45 connectors for Cat5e or Cat6 cables.  Pass through has definitely spoiled me after doing a few of them especially up on the ladder at 8pm on the eave of the house.   Cable Crimper - https://amzn.to/2TGbytY Cable Stripper - https://amzn.to/2ws16ys or https://amzn.to/3i3iVpx Cable Ends - https://amzn.to/2TzyH1k Cable Tester - https://amzn.to/3n4J3nY Cat5e Cable - https://amzn.to/2ZakBp0 or https://amzn.to/2WmLPtn Fiberglass Wire Fishing Sticks - https://amzn.to/2UhCLS0 MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  Most or all product links are affiliate links and digiblurDIY will receive compensation if used. -=-=-=-Connect!-=-=-=- Discord Chat - https://discord.gg/bNtTF2v Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/dig

(Don't forget the 30% coupon code towards the end of this post!) UPDATE 2020/11/01 - Notice posted on their website: Notice: The product purchased ealier than 20th Oct are 2m bin which is not compaitble wih official Tasmota OTA server. After 20th Oct 2020, the product changed to standard 1m bin and fully compatible with official Tasmota OTA server You heard correctly.  No flashing, no jumper wires, no soldering, no Tuya Convert, etc., take the smart bulb, switch, plug, etc., out of the box, plug it in and it is ready to go!  The device will be in access point mode ready to add to your Wi-Fi network.  ESPHome users can easily apply their own configuration to use them as well!   But why do we need this?  Can't we just flash our own devices?  Absolutely! If you have the skills and know how to flash the all of your devices then this might not be for you.   Do you just want something ready to go?  Keep reading, more and more smart home devices such as Smart Bulbs and Smart Plugs are

  UPDATE: Full video review/setup an issue or two I found -  https://youtu.be/_TSJB_IzxG0 If you are familiar with the Shelly devices from the Shelly1 to Shelly 2.5, etc this might be old hat for you.  They are 120VAC power, 15A smart plugs with power monitoring!  Local control options right out of the box.  No flashing, no Tuya Convert, etc. required.  If you are thinking at first glance you might have seen this plug before, you might not be wrong.  Subscribe and enable notifications for the digiblurDIY YouTube  channel to catch an upcoming video on it. Purchase from the ShellyUS Store - 2 Pack US Plugs (use the 10% off coupon of travis10) There are a few things they got right and few things they didn't get right unfortunately.  For starters the design is a plus, it doesn't block the second plug.  You can put two of these on the same outlet with ease.  Power monitoring is another huge plus!  Great for those washer and gas dryer notifications on the laundry which is still one

I reviewed the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge a few months ago in a video and was excited to see it had an ESP82xx chipset onboard.  This meant there was a glimmer of hope it could be flashed with open source local control firmware such as Tasmota !  That time has come!  The genius developers with Tasmota have done their magic again.  An inexpensive device you can add to Home Assistant as a Zigbee controller.  No YAML, no custom plugins, no MQTT.  One of the major advantages is being able to place it closer to your Zigbee devices which is especially helpful if you have your Home Assistant box in the basement or buried back in some closet.  Behold the ZHA Integration below. Purchase Sonoff Zigbee Bridge from Banggood or iTead So how do we flash this?  First and foremost, there's NO soldering; don't close the window just yet!  It's relatively easy to do.  This is a full step by step walk through, some of the Tasmota veterans can skip many of the steps such as adding Tasmota to your

If I you have an easy to open device with the TYWE3S module or simply open via/pin headers please be sure to share it in the comments below, email digiblurDIY on the Gmail domain, or send it via Discord (link below).  I'll update this post with various pictures and setup information as things progress below. Take your stuff out the cloud and make it yours!  You paid for it, don't let someone else control it or possibly steal/spy on your data.  Tuya-Convert blocking have you locked into the cloud?  Let's check out the Tuya / Smartlife Flashing Jig.  You'll definitely be doing a dance of some sort after flashing Tasmota or ESPHome to your devices containing the TYWE3S module.   Jig Pogo Pins USB Flasher (FTDI)  or others Jumper Wires Test Probes  or others   2 inch Clamp(optional) Fan/Dimmer Combo mentioned  If you are looking for a jig to be printed please message me on Discord - https://discord.gg/bNtTF2v Resources How to Use/Configure Tasmota - https://youtu.be/KOg5qwO