I need some holiday gift ideas (that I will probably gift to myself as well)!

  • BillDaCatt@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Smart plugs! These outlet switches come in packs of four for about $25 dollars. Once installed and set up in the app, you can automate them with scheduled timers or turn them on or off remotely. They will also integrate with Home Assistant, Google Home, and Alexa.

    • grue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I almost went with the newer Matter version of those (for those unaware, “Matter” is the new open standard for this sort of thing), but decided I cared about open-source firmware more than open standards, so I bought some Sonoff S31s and flashed them with ESPHome instead.

      (The 4-pack of Sonoff S31s is $28.50 right now, but cost $22.10 in August when I bought my most recent set, so it’s basically the same price as the non-Matter Kasa switches. It’s also basically the same functionality between them as stock, so IMO having the option to use third-party firmware lets the Sonoff edge out the win even if you don’t actually avail yourself of it.)

      (Edit to add: that’s not to say I don’t like TP-Link, by the way – if anything, I was initially biased in favor of the Kasa switches because I’d already standardized on TP-Link networking gear.)

      • walden@sub.wetshaving.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        I have a bunch of Sonoff stuff in my house flashed with Tasmota. The flashing process isn’t for casuals, but the end result is great.

    • BodePlotHole@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      We use these in conjunction with their smart bulbs all over the house.

      Being able to turn on/off the lights without getting out of bed is addicting.