"Definitely doable on a budget—just don't rush it and fry anything (speaking from experience here...)"
Haha, been there myself... Curious though, has anyone compared the long-term reliability of DIY-flashed plugs versus off-the-shelf budget smart plugs? Wondering if the savings hold up over time.
I've been using DIY-flashed plugs for about a year now, and so far they've held up surprisingly well. I did have one hiccup early on—probably user error—but since then, smooth sailing. That said, I'm curious if anyone's noticed differences in energy consumption or efficiency between DIY setups and store-bought plugs over time. Could that factor into long-term savings too?
"I'm curious if anyone's noticed differences in energy consumption or efficiency between DIY setups and store-bought plugs over time."
That's a good point—I've been wondering about that myself. Honestly, from what I've seen, most DIY-flashed plugs use similar hardware to the branded ones, so efficiency differences might be minimal. But maybe firmware tweaks could impact long-term consumption? It'd be interesting to see some actual numbers comparing them over a year or two... Has anyone tracked their usage closely enough to notice a real difference?
I've never tracked mine super closely, but here's what I've noticed casually:
- DIY setups usually run on similar hardware, true, but sometimes the firmware isn't optimized for low-power standby modes. I had a DIY plug flashed with Tasmota that got oddly warm even when doing nothing... made me wonder about power draw over time.
- Store-bought plugs (at least decent ones) seem to have more polished firmware out of the box—probably tested for energy efficiency standards. But, honestly, the difference might be pennies per month at most.
- If you're running a ton of these plugs around your home, maybe those pennies add up? But for most of us with just a handful scattered around, I doubt it's significant enough to justify the higher price tag.
"It'd be interesting to see some actual numbers comparing them over a year or two..."
Agreed. Actual data would be helpful instead of guessing. I suppose someone with a smart home hub tracking energy could easily pull those numbers—any volunteers out there with too much free time on their hands?
I've actually done a bit of casual monitoring on mine (nothing super scientific, just curiosity):
- DIY plugs with Tasmota definitely vary. Some stay cool, others run oddly warm—probably firmware quirks or hardware quality differences.
- Store-bought brands generally seem more consistent, but honestly, the savings aren't huge unless you're scaling up big-time.
- Realistically, if budget's tight, DIY still makes sense. The pennies saved on energy probably won't offset the higher upfront cost of premium plugs anytime soon.
Maybe I'll finally set up proper tracking someday... if I ever get through my endless to-do list.
