Re: USB controlled mains switch

On 2/10/25 14:42, Adrian wrote:

In message <TjgqpoLGRDjnFwvW@ku.gro.lloiff>, Adrian <bulleid@ku.gro.lioff> writes

I'm looking for a USB controlled mains switch (230V AC) that I can connect to a PI to turn a mains power supply on and off.
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I've done a bit of digging around on the net, and the options seem to fall into two categories, either a relay device which means having to rewire the device (which I'd rather avoid), priced around 30Euros or one that sits in line (between the device and the supply).  The latter appears to be in excess of 100Euros, which is considerably more than I want to pay.
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Any suggestions on where to look ?  I'm not interested in a wireless solution, as it is likely to be used in places where signals are not reliable.
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Thanks
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Adrian

 OP here with a follow up.
 After some ruminating, I decided to give the Local Bytes Smart plug a try. I've got it happily working now, although I did have to install (yet) another Pi to act as the control hub (Home Assistant if anyone is interested).  I'm now waiting for a fresh delivery of a Pi3 to install as a WiFi AP (the Pis in the locality are all Pi2).
 One useful feature of the Local Bytes offering is that you can see to power being consumed by the device it is controlling (although mine suggests that I'm on 245V), but I've yet to work out how to access that via a command line, rather than web interface.
 Thanks again for the suggestions.
 Adrian

Did you opt for ESPHome or Tasmota firmware?
I use Tasmota, but I use Domoticz rather than Home Assistant. From what I read ESPHome is tailored for Home Assistant and uses REST API rather than MMQT like Tasmota.
A Pi4 can handle a lot of different services on the same machine, installed in Docker Containers. So you don't necessarily need lots of Pis. If the Pi4 isn't enough, there are more powerful Pis.