Best firmware for Sonoff switch

[Colin Law]

Strictly off topic I suppose, but I hope that is ok.

I have just ordered my first ESP8266 based device, a basic Sonoff
single channel wifi switch, for integration into my node-red based
home automation. I assume that going via MQTT is the best route. I
see there are several possibilities to choose when it comes to
flashing the firmware, is there a consensus as to which is the best?
Alternatively are there any major pros/cons of the possibilities?

I have found this video tutorial which shows from scratch how to use
ESPeasy [1] so am thinking to go that route unless anyone suggests a
better option.

Cheers

Colin

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CuD6YBdACs

[cflurin]

Hi,

I'm using ESPEasy for approx. a year (Sonoff Basic and SV).

I'd install the latest version 2.0.0-dev11. https://github.com/letscontrolit/ESPEasy/releases.

By the way I didn't like the Sonoff Basic case so I replaced it by an own designed 3D printed one.

If anyone would like to print it, I'd publish the files on thingiverse.com.

[Dave C-J]

the Tasmota firware gets good reviews (mostly) - though I've not used it personally...

https://github.com/arendst/Sonoff-Tasmota

[cflurin]

I didn't use Tasmota but it seems to be specific for Sonoff devices.

ESPEasy is a general firmware for ESP8266, actually I've tested it on huzzah, wemos and amicat o connect different devices.

https://www.letscontrolit.com/wiki/index.php/Devices

[Garry Hayne]

I've been using Tasmota for some time using the same hardware as you Colin, well maintained and feature rich.

Garry

[Neil Cherry]

Another vote for Tasmota, I don't care for the Arduino IDE or the fact I needed tom mess with the user override (I think that's the file name). I did find it flexible and once I had the appropriate libraries it worked perfectly. I used it in a presentation on Smart Technology.  I'm now using it at home and I've recommended it to a friend. I've even demonstrated the Android app to configure it when it gets messed up and the demo'd the over the air upgrades. I like it.

[David Caparrós]

Me too!!!!!!!   Tasmota firmware for a sonoff branded device and ESP easy for your own ESP8266 project if you wanted to handle something  on the fly.

Regards 

[Derek McFarland]

Hi, will a Sonoff with Tasmota firmware be controllable by Node Red?  I have a 4CH Pro with Tasmota and would really like it in Node Red, but thought some other firmware was required

[Colin Law]

Yes, the tasmota firmware will write to an MQTT server, node-red can
pick the data up from there.

Colin

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[David Covell]

Another vote for Espeasy.
I really like the local 'rules' feature which seems unique to Espeasy. It allows the device to make local 'decisions' without the mqtt process if desired.

After you purchase or create the interface cable for USB to circuit header, or simply source the USB cable for those esp8266 with micro USB built in(dev/nodemcu/12e), the rest is easy.
No arduino ide really needed. ( I do use the arduino ide to monitor the serial port messages but that is it ).

Open the zip file , figure out which com port your device is on, run the small included executable, select the firmware and com port, execute, done. Some devices will need to be manually put into program mode (hold a button, short a specific gpio,etc). The esp8266 dev boards do not as the USB cable has the needed support to do this.

Full disclosure, I have not tried the new 'mega' version on the smaller memories Sonoffs as of yet (v 147 works great on them for me). However the esp8266 dev boards seem to love the new 2.0 dev version!

YMMV but just some positive input regarding my experience.

[Colin Law]

Thanks to all for the suggestions, I decided to go with Sonoff-Tasmota
initially, for no particularly strong reason, and got it going fairly
easily. I have another one coming and may try the Espeasy s/w on that
one so I can compare the two better.

Thanks again

Colin

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[cflurin]

@David Covell
I'm running v2.0.0-dev11 on Sonoff Basic and SV (Flash Size: 1024 kB).

[Julian Knight]

Bit late to this but I'll say that Tasmota is nice except for one thing I don't like. You don't use it as a library but as the core code. That means if you want to make changes to the configuration, you end up with custom code that you have to change every time there is an update - and those come very often. So if you use it, try to avoid even looking at the code :) Change the settings via the web interface instead.

The other thing that I'm not sure about is Tasmota's use of MQTT topics which are quite complex. You are very likely to end up republishing topics to match your own topic layout.

I've yet to try ESPEasy but the idea of having a common code base for all ESP devices is very attractive.

[Colin Law]

Ironically that is part of the reason I went for Tasmota. I much
prefer to have config in source files under git control than having to
remember to save the config every time you tweak it, and having no
record of how you have set it up, other than the saved config file,
though one could put that under git control of course. So far I
haven't tweaked the source itself, just user_config.h file that
specifies the default values for ip addresses, wifi params, mqtt
topics etc.
Not sure what you mean about having to change it every time there is
an update, once a device is working there should be no need to update
it.

Colin

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[Julian Knight]

I meant that you have to merge your code into Tasmota - I think that the last time I tried, the user config file didn't cover everything.

It's great that we have choice for different use cases. I'm not so good with C++ so I try to avoid managing code on the ESP though conversely I also get annoyed when things don't work the way I want to - which means that I've gone back to using my own custom code after an experiment with Homie on other ESP devices :)

In particular, I don't like the way that you end up with only device-centric output (based on device ID, Homie is similar to Tasmota in that sense) rather than location-centric output. I find that both are actually needed & it is hard to externally copy from one to the other:

homie/<deviceid>/...

homie/<deviceid>/sensors/temperature

homie/<deviceid>/....

vs

HOME/IN/GRND/HALL/Temperature

...

[Colin Law]

On 6 September 2017 at 19:20, Julian Knight <j.kni...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I meant that you have to merge your code into Tasmota - I think that the
> last time I tried, the user config file didn't cover everything.

OK, I haven't had to hack the code yet.

>
> In particular, I don't like the way that you end up with only device-centric
> output (based on device ID, Homie is similar to Tasmota in that sense)
> rather than location-centric output. I find that both are actually needed &
> it is hard to externally copy from one to the other:
>
> homie/<deviceid>/...
> homie/<deviceid>/sensors/temperature
> homie/<deviceid>/....
>
> vs
>
> HOME/IN/GRND/HALL/Temperature

Tasmota is fairly flexible, for example I just have a basic sonoff and
to write to the relay I can use something like
myhouse/kitchen/lights/cmnd/power "on"
In fact I think I could knock out the cmnd section if I wanted to,
must try some experiments.
Admittedly myhouse/kitchen/lights has to be unique for that device,
but I can live with that. Another device could be
myhouse/kitchen/temperature for example. It would not be so simple if
the device had multiple sensors though.

I must try EspEasy too so that I can make a more educated judgement
about the pros and cons.

Colin

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[Mike Roberts]

I have been using Sonoff-Tasmota firmware with mosquitto broker and Node-Red running happily on an old Pi B. I have also explored some of the great wider functionality putting the firmware direct to a ESP12F.  A big plus I see with this system is that it works totally on my local network.  So I am immune from internet outages and more secure by avoiding WAN traffic.

For the Node-Red /Mosquitto and example Sonoff set up see:

  https://www.instructables.com/id/Powerful-Standalone-Home-Automation-System-Pi-Sono/

For examples of the wider Tasmota capability (lights, IR remote, temperature/Pressure/humidity.other sensors) see:

  https://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Automation-Sonoff-Tasmota-Sensors-LEDs-Develo/

Overall I am more than impressed with this system's capability and scope for expansion.  Note also the capability of Node-Red - voice alerts, sending emails, getting weather forecasts and so on.

Mike

[Adrian Brown]

You might also want to have a look at the http://www.visuino.com/ very much like node red visual flow based - supports lots of boards including the esp series 

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Regards
Adrian Brown

[Colin Law]

Thanks for the further suggestions guys, though as I posted on my last
post on this thread (six weeks ago) I have got it working nicely with
the Tasmota software.

Thanks again

Colin

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[Julian Knight]

Cool software! I'd not seen that, good call. I've got a couple of ESP8266's on my desk at the moment - playing around with some additional sensors and a neopixel - so this would be a good time to experiment.

[Phil Grant]

I'm using Pete Scargill's Home Control firmware on several Sonoffs and a few ESP8266 boards with OLED displays, I must say it's absolutely fantastic and of-course it all works with node red, it has so many built in functions that you can configure, I have tried the earlier version of Tasmota firmware but had problems with random switch offs on a couple of Sonoffs that I couldn't get rid of, Pete's firmware has never missed a beat.

Give it a try https://tech.scargill.net/home-control-2016/

BTW I have no affiliation to Pete at all I just like his firmware.

Phil

On Saturday, 26 August 2017 09:35:56 UTC+1, Colin Law wrote:

[Pedro ET Ferreira]

I'm currently using Sonoff-Tasmota firmware and I'm pretty satisfied with it. It's been working great for the past few months.