UPDATE: (2021-10-22): Tasmota 9.5.0 has been superseded by the new Tasmota 10.0.0 release. This release works perfectly with the rules/automation outlined below; you no longer need to avoid the problematic 9.5 release with the DS03. I am extremely grateful to every one of the people that contributes to the Tasmota project to keep it improving!

Stack/signal lights are everywhere in industrial applications for good reason: they’re a compact and relatively information-dense indicator system. They always seemed like the kind of indicator that only people with expensive machines needed. Until I found that they can be had for just under $6/light from Ali Express, that is.

This is “reference” post for anybody else that happens to have this same very specific problem.

I was looking for a way to incorporate some of the many cheap / industrial grade sensors from AliExpress with Home Assistant. Long story short: almost everything electronic in the industrial space uses Modbus to communicate, typically with a PLC. While Home Assistant does have support for the Modbus protocol, but wanted to use a PLC that could manage the sensors directly and expose the values over the network in a more standard format; MQTT.

The APC AP7900 is a 1U single phase PDU with 8 switchable outlets and a network interface. It’s been EoL’d and can be had for less than 20% of it’s original price on eBay. The network interface is so underpowered tha it can’t support any modern cryptographic ciphers.

So with that, here’s a revised copy of my notes from the process of getting the device reset, updated and monitored.

This is part rant, part “reference” for anybody else that’s struggling to get their Amcrest IP Camera to work with Home Assistant via ONVIF. Skip to TL;DR for a working Home Assistant config.

Briefly, ONVIF is an industry group that maintains a set of standards to allow for interoperability between IP Cameras and related devices from multiple vendors. One set of protocols so your cameras from $vendorA will work with with the recording/analytics software from $vendorB which can then pipe events into software from $vendorC. How ONVIF works and how it’s implemented are beyond the scope of this rant, but, like most standards that haven’t aged well, SOAP is involved. 🤮.