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Details: Category: Hardware; Created: 07 August 2022; Last Updated: 07 August 2022; Hits: 43

To remotely power on/off devices, one would for example think about WiFi Smart Plugs but they require an existing local WiFi that has internet connection and then you need to install an app on your smartphone to be able to control them.

In my example I wanted to remotely power off/on my EdgeRouter (which is responsible for my Internet connection), in case the router hungs up and needs a reboot. Even if the EdgeRouter is connected to a WiFi Smart Plug, if the router hungs up I would not be able to reboot the router because then my local WiFi would be offline too and thus the Smart Plugs not reachable from the Internet. So another possibility would be to utilize the LoRaWAN network, which nowadays is nearly everywhere accessible, especially in cities there are often enough LoRa gateways you could use. Looking for off the shelf products which use LoRaWAN and are able to switch off/on I did not find much.
Sure, there are some possibilities with ESP32 but I wanted a product which is ready to use and just needs some configuration.

Best I could find is the RFI Remote Power Switch and the Dragino LT-22222-L LoRaWAN I/O Controller.

The product from RFI is quite simple to use, RFI offers nice software and a good pdf manual to get it running with the thethingsnetwork.org
Only that it supports "100-250 VAC Universal Input/Output" and "universal IEC320-C14 type input and IEC320-C13 output connectors" which is cool for applications using those parameters/connectors.

But I needed something working with PoE 24V for the EdgeRouter, so the Dragino LT-22222-L looked promising. It has a good wiki with a manual online describing to get it configured for thethingsnetwork.org and is able to switch off/on 24V.

RFI LoRaWAN Remote Power Switch:

Product website: LoRa Remote Power Switch

Manual: https://www.rfi-engineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/QIG_LoRa_RPSW_v1.20.pdf

see product website to download MacOS/Windows software for configuration of the device
(needs any USB-A to microUSB cable for configuration)

Shops:

(I bought it from iot-shop.de but they don't offer it any more)

connectedthings.store -> RFI Engineering LoRaWAN Remote Power Switch

market.thingpark.com -> LoRaWAN Remote Power Switch

Dragino LT-22222-L LoRaWAN I/O Controller:

Product website: LT-22222-L LoRa I/O Controller

Manual: http://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/User%20Manual%20for%20LoRaWAN%20End%20Nodes/LT-22222-L/#H3.1A0Howitworks3F

needs CP2102 Module USB to TTL 6Pin for UART to use shipped cable for configuration

Shops:

Amazon -> Dragino LT-22222-L LoRaWAN I/O Controller

iot-shop.de -> Dragino LT-22222-L LoRaWAN I/O Controller

Details: Category: VoIP; Created: 28 July 2013; Last Updated: 04 June 2022; Hits: 34203

Having an own VoIP solution with FreePBX wasn't that much exciting for me, rather connecting it to a cellular network is much more interesting! Looking over and over the web you mostly find expensive solutions or solutions where much knowhow is needed to configure it properly. Also there are some cheaper (~100eur) products where there is too less description to be sure of it, sure its cheap in comparison but would you go ahead and buy another one if that one doesn't fit your needs? And then its a question about who you could talk to, to share experience and solve problems if there is no large number of users. In the end i gave up that idea and put it back in the dusty shelf of collected ideas. But that didn't last long this way...