Re: Pairing Ketotek smart switch ?

[Andy Burns]

Jethro_uk wrote:

> However no matter what combination of slow or fast flashes I get, my
> Smartlife App (which already controls my smart thermostat) refuses to see
> the device.
>
> I am following the brief instructions that came with the device and they
> say to pair as "Switch Wifi + BLE".

Does the smart device give out its own SSID once it's in pairing mode,
if so can you connect to it from your phone?

For devices that use BLE as a "helper" to make the initial connection
you sometimes need to be really close to them.

[Roger Mills]

On 09/02/2024 12:35, Jethro_uk wrote:
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LLXWVPC
>
> Switch is fitted with 2 wires - one to LED tube, other to Live.
>
> Switch is working perfect in "manual" mode (touch it an light is on off)
>
> I have the faceplate off and can see the little blue LED, which I can get
> to flash quickly or slowly with a long press on the switch (and that
> should serve as a warning about putting such devices "in the wild" ...).

>
> However no matter what combination of slow or fast flashes I get, my
> Smartlife App (which already controls my smart thermostat) refuses to see
> the device.
>
> I am following the brief instructions that came with the device and they
> say to pair as "Switch Wifi + BLE".
>

> Just wondered if anyone else has any pearls of wisdom. I have tried a
> preliminary Google, but the amount of fucking videos I am expected to
> watch these days means it's probably quicker to ask here.
>
> I can't see any wifi networks appearing, so can't connect that way.
>
> Worst comes to the worst I will have a touch sensitive dumb switch. But
> the idea was to allow SWMBO to use Google Home to control it as she can't
> reach it from her wheelchair.

What are you trying to pair it with? My reading of the blurb is that it
doesn't create a wifi network (SSID, etc.) but rather needs to use your
domestic wifi to connect to your router, and thence to the internet so
that you can control it from "anywhere". You probably need to press the
button on your router while the blue light is flashing. Once you have
done that, the Smart Life app should be able to detect it.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Roger Mills]

A further thought . . . It needs 2.4GHz wifi. If your router only uses
5GHz (unlikely) you're stuffed. If it uses both, you may need to disable
5GHz temporarily while you get it to connect. Once it's connected it
will be ok with 5GHz turned on again.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Theo]

Roger Mills <mills37...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What are you trying to pair it with? My reading of the blurb is that it
> doesn't create a wifi network (SSID, etc.) but rather needs to use your
> domestic wifi to connect to your router, and thence to the internet so
> that you can control it from "anywhere". You probably need to press the
> button on your router while the blue light is flashing. Once you have
> done that, the Smart Life app should be able to detect it.

The usual deal with Tuya smartcrap is that you're pairing it with the phone
app. You put the device in pairing mode and start the app, the device
broadcasts an open SSID that the app configures the phone to connect to.
Once connected the app squirts down the SSID and password of your actual
wifi network, the device replying with its global ID. The device turns off
its SSID and reboots with the new connection details. Once established on
your network it then phones home to its server from where the phone app can
hook up with it.

A variation on the same is the device doesn't do the first wifi dance but
instead broadcasts itself via Bluetooth, from where the app can connect and
do the squirt.

The usual problem is the apps are awful at managing the wifi/Bluetooth on
your phone and it fails in some way (security permissions or a gazillion
forks of Android), leaving the device hanging about with no SSID. Or the
SSID squirt works but the device fails to connect for some reason (eg lack
of 2.4GHz signal, which the phone hasn't noticed since it's on 5GHz)

Of course with a lack of display and interface consisting of an LED and a
single button, the UI for this is awful.

I've not seen them do WDS as you suggest - the problem with that is that it
gets the device set up on the wifi but doesn't tell the phone app its ID, so
when they both phone home there's no way to hook them up with each other. I
suppose you can scan a QR code or similar, but that's not typically part of
the flow. (For another thing, not all routers have WDS and if not you're a
bit stumped)

Theo

(who won't buy this stuff unless it can be retrofitted with Tasmota or
ESPHome)

[Andy Burns]

Jethro_uk wrote:

> Which means whenever you say "Hey, Google, sink on", it hears "Hey,
> Google, sync on" and you get a 5 minute spoken lecture on how to pair a
> bluetooth phone to the nest speaker.

Shouting "stop!" or "you're shit!" helps ...

[Peter Johnson]

On Fri, 9 Feb 2024 13:40:29 +0000, Roger Mills
<mills37...@gmail.com> wrote:


>
>A further thought . . . It needs 2.4GHz wifi. If your router only uses
>5GHz (unlikely) you're stuffed. If it uses both, you may need to disable
>5GHz temporarily while you get it to connect. Once it's connected it
>will be ok with 5GHz turned on again.

Most of these devices require 2.4GHz, but I have just discivered that
I have a so-called smart socket if I try to upgrade the WiFi security
from WPA2 to WPA2/WPA3, because I guessed that I had some devices that
wouldn't cope with WPA3.