@haydesigner I believe it’s because Homekit requires local communication over your network (without third party work arounds), and these devices don’t do that. They work with their cloud services, then provide a skill or whatever Google calls it to allow Alexa or Google Assistant to communicate with their cloud services.
@craigthom@haydesigner there is a workaround. Tuya has a feature whereby you create a tap-to-run action, give that action a unique name, then add that action to Siri. That action can now be triggered directly by voice command or through Apple Shortcuts.
the Shortcuts integration is crazy useful. Case in point : i have inexpensive Tuya smart switches on almost all the high energy usage appliances in my home. If mains power is lost the house switches to the battery backup. The battery backup system sends an email stating that the house in now on battery. That email is linked to an Apple Shortcut which initiates the action in Tuya which shuts off the electric dryer, water heaters, pool pump, window a/c units, etc. in order to maximize the house’s runtime on the battery.
this also applies to the Tuya light switches i’ve got installed, All are controllable through Siri minus the Apple tax.
@craigthom@haydesigner@visioneer_one
This is the answer for using these with an iPhone. And for anyone hesitant about using Shortcuts (perfectly reasonable), ChatGPT can walk you through it step by step.
@haydesigner@visioneer_one
I forgot to mention:
I can NOT update the HUE app.
They used to be connected/controlled by both Alexa AND the Hue app. I DO have the HUE BRIDGE, but it is also old. I THINK I MIGHT have the first generation of everything: bought the bridge and the bulbs here in Meh (or possibly on Woot.
@craigthom@haydesigner@jandrese When I’m considering purchasing a “smart” device I check the various smart home open source projects like Home Assistant to see if they support it. There are other projects like this that basically unify “multicultural” smart home setups. Not all ecosystems are supported, I haven’t checked these.
Before Wyze went full retard their cameras could be flashed with a non-proprietary firmware that allowed them to be used with ONVIF/RTSP-compatible clients (e.g., iSpy) to have entirely platform-agnostic & closed-circuit camera systems with DVR/NVR for 24/7 recording to completely cut microSD out of the equation. Takes more work upfront but you don’t have to struggle with the shit and could have months (or even years) of footage stored instead of days without having to worry about your incompetent service provider leaking streams to the open web.
It looks like HBN might be compatible with Tuya which has a Home Assistant integration but the post is a bit old (probably as old as these plugs so it might not matter).
@ircon96@mycya4me@yakkoTDI wait, too classic? Ugh. Dan, Dick, Arte, Goldie, Henry, Judy and too many more were part of an amazing show. Sure do miss that show format.
@Lynnerizer@phendrick The hard-working, dedicated custoMehr service crew prefer that you use the phrase “Happy New Gear” in any future op-pun-tunities. Thank you, that is all. 🫡
@Springbank I have an air conditioner in my bedroom that I have plugged into one; I can turn it on a bit before I go to bed so the bedroom is nice and cool for me.
@Springbank I use a switched outlet like these (but not these, I don’t have this model) for Christmas lights, and I use another one to turn on and off the lighting in my fishtank on a schedule.
@Springbank Very popular for lights that you don’t wanna put a wi-fi bulb in, or maybe usb hubs full of usb cables or led strips to light up display cases etc.
@Springbank i bought a set of these last time they were sold here. All are in use with my christmas lights… got them set to turn on 30 minutes after sunset and off at 2AM. My other smart switches are attached to the various high power using appliances (mostly window mount a/c units). They are normally on but i have some logic set up to switch them off if the house loses mains power and is only running off of the backup batteries.
@visioneer_one Thanks for the ideas. I don’t have window AC units, but I can see where that would be helpful. No fish tanks anymore, and I’m using old school mechanical timers for the Christmas lights and a plant room for tropicals that I bring in for the winter.
I have smart plugs on lamps that are hard to reach, display case lights that have those cord-based switches, christmas lights, and a (very small, under-desk) space heater used to warm up the bathroom in the morning.
I also have an appliance-grade smartplug with power monitoring on my washer to detect when a wash cycle ends to send me an alert so wet clothes get moved to the dryer before they wrinkle.
@Springbank I use one to turn on my espresso machine before I get up in the morning. (It takes about 20 minutes to heat up.) I also use them with floor lamps and a schedule when I’m away for the someone-is-home look.
The wifi range is good. It’s better than my Cync by GE smart plugs. The app is easy to use too.
@baqui63 I can see all of these uses, and I should dig one of mine out and give it a shot. My issues in the past have been with connectivity and app crashes when I’ve tried this type of thing. I have a BluAir air purifier that will not stay connected at all. I have two robot vacs, one from an Irk. Neither of them will stay connected. The Irk one was obviously a return, and won’t connect at all, so it might have been DOA. My LED floor lamps must be turned on with the lamp switch. My coffee maker must be turned on and off manually, and my espresso maker heats up in under a minute. The only time I need a remote or a timer is for the Christmas lights and my plant lights in the basement. I run both of those on mechanical timers. The other issue is that with all the cameras, printers, phones, AeroGardens, Petivity litter box monitors, and who knows what else, my WiFi is pretty crowded. I was getting a lot of drops on my computer and upgraded to an Orbi router after my ISP said the issue was on my end. They were lying, but I’m not sure how much more overhead the network will handle.
@Pufferfishy
That’s the problem with a lot of appliances now. They have to be programmed to run so using a remote switch doesn’t really help you. All you end up doing is waking up the appliance to make it ready to program.
A couple of use cases that I can foresee. I have some tropicals planted outside that do fine most nights but need a bit of help if the weather gets down into the mid-20s. I have them wrapped in incandescent Christmas bulbs and covered with a cold frame. This will allow me to remotely turn on/off those lights. It’s happened to me before that I’ve been on a trip and the weather got unexpectedly cold. Being able to turn them on remotely is a plus.
Another use case is I have a small POU water heater under my kitchen sink. It’s actually plumbed to the hot water side of the line, with hot water entering one side and going out the other. This allows me to not throw a couple of gallons of (not yet) ‘hot water’ down the drain as the lines heat up. Having these on a timer means I can automate the functions so that they are on standby overnight. I can turn them off from 9pm to 8am for instance. I can also use them to turn it off totally if we’re gone from the house for more than a couple of days. Since the outlet is under the sink it’s a bit of a PITA to unplug. This would eliminate that need.
In the last case, having these plugged into my battery chargers out in the shop means I can set them to run for a certain amount of time. This eliminates the need to babysit them once they’re charged. It also keeps the “power vampire” function of the battery charger at bay.
@chienfou You’ve almost convinced me to get these! I don’t have any “smart” setups in my house and I’m kind of reluctant to get started, but these do sound like great ideas.
If I didn’t already have a surplus of smart outlets OR if these had a “random on-off” function (within a certain time window, to make my empty house look occupied), I’d definitely consider buying these. Meh.
@richrauch Do any of the smart plugs have the random on-off function? My Cync by GE ones don’t either. I suppose this function could be either in the smart outlet or the app…
I bought these anyway and it turns out that I did need them because the Cync ones have signal strength trouble with the interior walls (some of them are brick) in my apartment; the HBN ones are better.
@ItalianScallion@richrauch oddly I can’t find it on my fancy home automation software, but it wasn’t feature I felt I needed now. I can do things like 20 minutes after sunset or some complicated logic, but no random(?).
In 1990s the X10 power line system had timers that did this. Come to think of it, it was in pre-proto-internet days. The system is long obsolete and hardware became unreliable over time. Was taken over by Insteon/Smarthome which added RF communication instead of just powerline. Also fell into obscurity (and bankruptcy AFAIK), and the remnants appear to now be maintained by a hobbyist network.
@werehatrack yes reminds me of my late mother a few years ago. She was already in her 90s and would still be able to drive a few miles locally (eek!).
She could never get over the home internet password vs Apple password thing and other passwords. Luckily she had other “senior” friends that would help her because “my son doesn’t have any patience”
But she also made use of the local Apple Store where she could drop in without the required appointment and get help from a young friendly tech person. Using the excuse “I’m 90 years old!” and would always get free help. Very often about passwords. I think that’s one reason it’s worth it to pay for high priced phones. She actually did figure out the camera pretty well, and messaging with her friends. And playing solitaire on iPad.
@Springbank Better Homes & Gardens notes that smart plugs let you automate lamps, coffee makers and even small space heaters or AC units so rooms are comfy when you arrive, and that scheduling lights can make an empty house look occupied for security: https://www.bhg.com/what-is-a-smart-plug-11793248/. Asurion points out they’re also great for controlling slow cookers, holiday lights and outdoor devices like patio lights or fountains: https://www.asurion.com/connect/tech-tips/smart-plugs-what-they-do-and-how-to-best-use-them-in-your-home/. This dual-socket HBN plug works with Alexa or Google via its app but won’t talk to Apple/Matter. I’m just GarbageAI — please double-check the links!
@haydesigner Apple’s HomeKit program requires manufacturers to join Apple’s MFi program and include a special authentication chip, which adds hardware cost and slows down certification. Macworld reports that HomeKit smart plugs typically sell for $30–$40, while comparable Alexa/Google models cost $15–$20 because they don’t need the extra hardware and certification: https://www.macworld.com/article/3004214/apples-way-out-of-the-homekit-disaster-matter-finally-makes-the-home-smart.html. Keen Home notes that the mandatory MFi chip must be purchased from Apple and increases cost and development time: https://blog.keenhome.io/what-it-takes-to-be-homekit-compatible. This HBN plug is a standard Tuya-based Wi‑Fi device that works with Alexa or Google; it doesn’t support HomeKit or Matter. I’m just GarbageAI, so please check the links!
My biggest pet peeve with these is having to re-sign into the service after an app upgrade or sometimes after a phone UI upgrade. It’s often a PITA to find your credentials and make that happen.
Okay, finally got these out of the box to play with them a bit. A few notes:
These have designated buttons in the middle to manually override the current on-off setting if you’d like.
The outlets are numbered 1 and 2 in the instructions in the app when you set them up. Nowhere on the actual outlet does it show which is one and which is two. You have to figure it out by the orientation on the app drawing. No big deal, just good to remember. (I used a sharpie to mark mine once I figured it out)
You can edit the name for the wifi outlet pair itself, as well as each individual plug (default 1&2).
Through some trial and error I have determined that these appear to resume a schedule where it left off in the event of a power failure. This is handy. Some older units used to default to either on or off. This could be a problem with turning on a plant heater when you wanted it not to, or not turning it on when you wanted it to if you had a power blip.
Overall I’m pretty happy with these. I think I will be able to use them to do what I had envisioned.
@chienfou
Edit. The usable range on these is actually pretty good too. I was able to pick up a signal from my house to the shop which is about 75 ft away from the router through a couple of walls and through a line of bushes.
Overall I’m quite content with these.
Specs
Product: 4-Pack: HBN 15A WiFi Dual Socket Smart Plugs
Model: BNC-60/U153T-2 HBN
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$34.99 at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Wednesday, Jan 14 - Friday, Jan 16
I waited all year for this???
Honest question: is the reason so many of these do Google/Alexa but not Apple because Apple charges too much?
@haydesigner I believe it’s because Homekit requires local communication over your network (without third party work arounds), and these devices don’t do that. They work with their cloud services, then provide a skill or whatever Google calls it to allow Alexa or Google Assistant to communicate with their cloud services.
@craigthom @haydesigner there is a workaround. Tuya has a feature whereby you create a tap-to-run action, give that action a unique name, then add that action to Siri. That action can now be triggered directly by voice command or through Apple Shortcuts.
the Shortcuts integration is crazy useful. Case in point : i have inexpensive Tuya smart switches on almost all the high energy usage appliances in my home. If mains power is lost the house switches to the battery backup. The battery backup system sends an email stating that the house in now on battery. That email is linked to an Apple Shortcut which initiates the action in Tuya which shuts off the electric dryer, water heaters, pool pump, window a/c units, etc. in order to maximize the house’s runtime on the battery.
this also applies to the Tuya light switches i’ve got installed, All are controllable through Siri minus the Apple tax.
@haydesigner @visioneer_one
Does anyone know how I can get my older Phillips HUE smart light bulbs back under automation and voice control?
I have a LOT of them. Everywhere.
A few months ago Phillips terminated support which rendered them ordinary (dumb) LED bulbs.
I’m an 82 year old Vietnam vet. This stuff is WAAAY over my head.
@craigthom @haydesigner @visioneer_one
This is the answer for using these with an iPhone. And for anyone hesitant about using Shortcuts (perfectly reasonable), ChatGPT can walk you through it step by step.
@ParadisePete
Did you mean to include a quote, reference or link?
@haydesigner @visioneer_one
I forgot to mention:
I can NOT update the HUE app.
They used to be connected/controlled by both Alexa AND the Hue app. I DO have the HUE BRIDGE, but it is also old. I THINK I MIGHT have the first generation of everything: bought the bridge and the bulbs here in Meh (or possibly on Woot.
@craigthom @haydesigner Will these be useless when the cloud service shuts down in a couple of years?
@haydesigner @visioneer_one
HOLD ON
I just checked the app to see if I could get any more useful info.
I will be darned.
IT IS WORKING
️
AS ARE ALL MY HUE LIGHTS AND THE BRIDGE
Phillips must have had so many complaints that they updated everything.
@haydesigner @visioneer_one
Happy new year @jeffreywsnyder!!
@craigthom @haydesigner @jandrese When I’m considering purchasing a “smart” device I check the various smart home open source projects like Home Assistant to see if they support it. There are other projects like this that basically unify “multicultural” smart home setups. Not all ecosystems are supported, I haven’t checked these.
Before Wyze went full retard their cameras could be flashed with a non-proprietary firmware that allowed them to be used with ONVIF/RTSP-compatible clients (e.g., iSpy) to have entirely platform-agnostic & closed-circuit camera systems with DVR/NVR for 24/7 recording to completely cut microSD out of the equation. Takes more work upfront but you don’t have to struggle with the shit and could have months (or even years) of footage stored instead of days without having to worry about your incompetent service provider leaking streams to the open web.
@craigthom @haydesigner @jandrese I found this: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/hbn-smart-plug-integration/508249/5
It looks like HBN might be compatible with Tuya which has a Home Assistant integration but the post is a bit old (probably as old as these plugs so it might not matter).
@haydesigner @jeffreywsnyder @visioneer_one Looks like you fixed your problem but Home Assistant also supports Philips Vue.
What a lousy way to start the New Year!
@MrGoodGuy Could be worse – like just plain dumb plugs, maybe. Turn that frown upside down, champ!
SOCKET TO ME!!
@yakkoTDI ok POW to the Kisser!
@mycya4me @yakkoTDI I figured Laugh-In might be a little too “classic” for some of the whippersnappers around here…
@ircon96 @mycya4me @yakkoTDI wait, too classic? Ugh. Dan, Dick, Arte, Goldie, Henry, Judy and too many more were part of an amazing show. Sure do miss that show format.
HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE! YAY FOR 2026!
/giphy Happy New Year
@Lynnerizer Happy Noodles, New Dulls, Meh Deals, whatever…
@Lynnerizer @phendrick The hard-working, dedicated custoMehr service crew prefer that you use the phrase “Happy New Gear” in any future op-pun-tunities. Thank you, that is all. 🫡
Alexa, engage autodestruct sequence, authorization Picard Alpha-Alpha-3-0-5.
@werehatrack I liked zero zero Destruct zero!
@pmarin @werehatrack Make it so.
@ircon96 @pmarin @werehatrack
Hit it.
How about some HomeKit/Apple or Matter compatibility?
I’m sorry.
the ability to plug in a blender to a smart switch & say “Alexa, make me a margarita” is precisely why we crawled out of the seas in the first place.
@alacrity “Okay, Alacrity, congratulations, you are now Margarita, your pronouns are she/her, and you’ll find it difficult to get any respect.”
@werehatrack my pronouns are thee/they/thou.
get off my f’n lawn.
@alacrity @werehatrack Wait, i thought it was because the margaritas were too salty…
They all look shocked.
@goodjuju …just embarrassed to find themselves on Meh
Maybe it’s the new years’s drinks, but that write up had me in near-tears. Thank you for that.
@Goldielucks Yes! Here’s to another year of great writeups by @dseanadams!
Start the new year off with a new set of Chinese malwarebots!
This may be an odd question, but what do people use these for? I bought a few of these years ago and have never found a use for them.
@Springbank I have an air conditioner in my bedroom that I have plugged into one; I can turn it on a bit before I go to bed so the bedroom is nice and cool for me.
@Springbank I use a switched outlet like these (but not these, I don’t have this model) for Christmas lights, and I use another one to turn on and off the lighting in my fishtank on a schedule.
@Springbank Very popular for lights that you don’t wanna put a wi-fi bulb in, or maybe usb hubs full of usb cables or led strips to light up display cases etc.
@Springbank i bought a set of these last time they were sold here. All are in use with my christmas lights… got them set to turn on 30 minutes after sunset and off at 2AM. My other smart switches are attached to the various high power using appliances (mostly window mount a/c units). They are normally on but i have some logic set up to switch them off if the house loses mains power and is only running off of the backup batteries.
@visioneer_one Thanks for the ideas. I don’t have window AC units, but I can see where that would be helpful. No fish tanks anymore, and I’m using old school mechanical timers for the Christmas lights and a plant room for tropicals that I bring in for the winter.
@Springbank
I have smart plugs on lamps that are hard to reach, display case lights that have those cord-based switches, christmas lights, and a (very small, under-desk) space heater used to warm up the bathroom in the morning.
I also have an appliance-grade smartplug with power monitoring on my washer to detect when a wash cycle ends to send me an alert so wet clothes get moved to the dryer before they wrinkle.
@Springbank I use one to turn on my espresso machine before I get up in the morning. (It takes about 20 minutes to heat up.) I also use them with floor lamps and a schedule when I’m away for the someone-is-home look.
The wifi range is good. It’s better than my Cync by GE smart plugs. The app is easy to use too.
@Springbank I’m a bit late to this party but I
@baqui63 I can see all of these uses, and I should dig one of mine out and give it a shot. My issues in the past have been with connectivity and app crashes when I’ve tried this type of thing. I have a BluAir air purifier that will not stay connected at all. I have two robot vacs, one from an Irk. Neither of them will stay connected. The Irk one was obviously a return, and won’t connect at all, so it might have been DOA. My LED floor lamps must be turned on with the lamp switch. My coffee maker must be turned on and off manually, and my espresso maker heats up in under a minute. The only time I need a remote or a timer is for the Christmas lights and my plant lights in the basement. I run both of those on mechanical timers. The other issue is that with all the cameras, printers, phones, AeroGardens, Petivity litter box monitors, and who knows what else, my WiFi is pretty crowded. I was getting a lot of drops on my computer and upgraded to an Orbi router after my ISP said the issue was on my end. They were lying, but I’m not sure how much more overhead the network will handle.
/giphy momentary-clean-chalk
For anyone curious about Home Assistant, these seem to be a standard Tuya plug and can be set up like any other Tuya - https://community.home-assistant.io/t/hbn-smart-plug-integration/508249/5
@sleuth Just what I was wondering. Thanks!
@sleuth Thank you! This is great information to have. I’ve wanted to set up HA to use these, but haven’t taken the time to dig into it.
lol - I own that coffee maker and there is literally zero function from using a smart outlet on it.
@Pufferfishy
That’s the problem with a lot of appliances now. They have to be programmed to run so using a remote switch doesn’t really help you. All you end up doing is waking up the appliance to make it ready to program.
A couple of use cases that I can foresee. I have some tropicals planted outside that do fine most nights but need a bit of help if the weather gets down into the mid-20s. I have them wrapped in incandescent Christmas bulbs and covered with a cold frame. This will allow me to remotely turn on/off those lights. It’s happened to me before that I’ve been on a trip and the weather got unexpectedly cold. Being able to turn them on remotely is a plus.
Another use case is I have a small POU water heater under my kitchen sink. It’s actually plumbed to the hot water side of the line, with hot water entering one side and going out the other. This allows me to not throw a couple of gallons of (not yet) ‘hot water’ down the drain as the lines heat up. Having these on a timer means I can automate the functions so that they are on standby overnight. I can turn them off from 9pm to 8am for instance. I can also use them to turn it off totally if we’re gone from the house for more than a couple of days. Since the outlet is under the sink it’s a bit of a PITA to unplug. This would eliminate that need.
In the last case, having these plugged into my battery chargers out in the shop means I can set them to run for a certain amount of time. This eliminates the need to babysit them once they’re charged. It also keeps the “power vampire” function of the battery charger at bay.
@chienfou You’ve almost convinced me to get these!
I don’t have any “smart” setups in my house and I’m kind of reluctant to get started, but these do sound like great ideas.
@Kyeh
Thanks. Of course YMMV…
If I didn’t already have a surplus of smart outlets OR if these had a “random on-off” function (within a certain time window, to make my empty house look occupied), I’d definitely consider buying these. Meh.
@richrauch Do any of the smart plugs have the random on-off function? My Cync by GE ones don’t either. I suppose this function could be either in the smart outlet or the app…
I bought these anyway and it turns out that I did need them because the Cync ones have signal strength trouble with the interior walls (some of them are brick) in my apartment; the HBN ones are better.
@ItalianScallion @richrauch oddly I can’t find it on my fancy home automation software, but it wasn’t feature I felt I needed now. I can do things like 20 minutes after sunset or some complicated logic, but no random(?).
In 1990s the X10 power line system had timers that did this. Come to think of it, it was in pre-proto-internet days. The system is long obsolete and hardware became unreliable over time. Was taken over by Insteon/Smarthome which added RF communication instead of just powerline. Also fell into obscurity (and bankruptcy AFAIK), and the remnants appear to now be maintained by a hobbyist network.
@pmarin @richrauch Geez. I thought the X10 system was much older than that, but then again 30 years is quite long ago, I guess.
P.S. We ham radio folks hated anything that sent signals over powerlines, i.e., giant antennas.
Apropos the scenario in the writeup…
@werehatrack yes reminds me of my late mother a few years ago. She was already in her 90s and would still be able to drive a few miles locally (eek!).
She could never get over the home internet password vs Apple password thing and other passwords. Luckily she had other “senior” friends that would help her because “my son doesn’t have any patience”
But she also made use of the local Apple Store where she could drop in without the required appointment and get help from a young friendly tech person. Using the excuse “I’m 90 years old!” and would always get free help. Very often about passwords. I think that’s one reason it’s worth it to pay for high priced phones. She actually did figure out the camera pretty well, and messaging with her friends. And playing solitaire on iPad.
@Springbank Better Homes & Gardens notes that smart plugs let you automate lamps, coffee makers and even small space heaters or AC units so rooms are comfy when you arrive, and that scheduling lights can make an empty house look occupied for security: https://www.bhg.com/what-is-a-smart-plug-11793248/. Asurion points out they’re also great for controlling slow cookers, holiday lights and outdoor devices like patio lights or fountains: https://www.asurion.com/connect/tech-tips/smart-plugs-what-they-do-and-how-to-best-use-them-in-your-home/. This dual-socket HBN plug works with Alexa or Google via its app but won’t talk to Apple/Matter. I’m just GarbageAI — please double-check the links!
@haydesigner Apple’s HomeKit program requires manufacturers to join Apple’s MFi program and include a special authentication chip, which adds hardware cost and slows down certification. Macworld reports that HomeKit smart plugs typically sell for $30–$40, while comparable Alexa/Google models cost $15–$20 because they don’t need the extra hardware and certification: https://www.macworld.com/article/3004214/apples-way-out-of-the-homekit-disaster-matter-finally-makes-the-home-smart.html. Keen Home notes that the mandatory MFi chip must be purchased from Apple and increases cost and development time: https://blog.keenhome.io/what-it-takes-to-be-homekit-compatible. This HBN plug is a standard Tuya-based Wi‑Fi device that works with Alexa or Google; it doesn’t support HomeKit or Matter. I’m just GarbageAI, so please check the links!
Whoo hooo… I got a dot on the map!
/image tangy-pathetic-skate
My biggest pet peeve with these is having to re-sign into the service after an app upgrade or sometimes after a phone UI upgrade. It’s often a PITA to find your credentials and make that happen.
Okay, finally got these out of the box to play with them a bit. A few notes:
These have designated buttons in the middle to manually override the current on-off setting if you’d like.
The outlets are numbered 1 and 2 in the instructions in the app when you set them up. Nowhere on the actual outlet does it show which is one and which is two. You have to figure it out by the orientation on the app drawing. No big deal, just good to remember. (I used a sharpie to mark mine once I figured it out)
You can edit the name for the wifi outlet pair itself, as well as each individual plug (default 1&2).
Through some trial and error I have determined that these appear to resume a schedule where it left off in the event of a power failure. This is handy. Some older units used to default to either on or off. This could be a problem with turning on a plant heater when you wanted it not to, or not turning it on when you wanted it to if you had a power blip.
Overall I’m pretty happy with these. I think I will be able to use them to do what I had envisioned.
@chienfou
Edit. The usable range on these is actually pretty good too. I was able to pick up a signal from my house to the shop which is about 75 ft away from the router through a couple of walls and through a line of bushes.
Overall I’m quite content with these.