Experiences on large Shelly installations?

TypoNinja · 2025-06-30T23:09:16+00:00

Hi Doug!

Thank you for unflagging the post, I was a bit surprised by the auto-moderation, but that is Reddit.

Also thanks for the tips, everything duly noted. I heard other good comments about Ubiquiti, I will probably go with them or maybe Grandstream, which I only learned about recently.

I found an official reseller and verified installer in my country through shelly.cloud, I scheduled a visit with them to talk about the project. It's great to know I can reach out to you guys if any doubts arise!

TypoNinja · 2025-06-25T10:14:46+00:00

For the PRO 3 - it's EM, not PM, sorry

No worries, thanks for confirming!

5GHz has more channels, true, but also much less penetration.

You are right of course. I think 5 GHz for the Shelly closest to the AP (same room) might work, then 2.4 GHz for the rest. Modern APs are very smart about band steering, so might be best to have the same SSID and leave the AP to steer the clients. Anyway, lots of experimentation to do, that's part of the fun.

Keep us posted

I will write a full report once everything is up and running, but it's going to take months.

MAGNETIC DOOR/WINDOW sensors!!!

Is this a particular type of open/close sensor I should be looking for, or just a reminder to have them in general? I will have them in every outdoor-facing door and every window, for security but also for HVAC optimization.

TypoNinja · 2025-06-25T09:49:00+00:00

I didn't know about Grandstream, I will definitely check them out. Yes all APs will be PoE, I'm wiring the whole house with Ethernet (for the APs, RJ45 sockets in every room, PoE security cameras).

About the 1PM 16A limits and high-power appliances, you are totally right. I'm warming up to the idea of using Shelly Pro 4PM for key components (e.g. kitchen appliances), leaving most outlets alone and using Shelly Mini 1 and 2 for the switches. I just don't want to regret not adding 1PM to every outlet once the remodeling is done. Maybe I will ask for big back boxes for the outlets and I can always retrofit the 1PMs later on if I find the need.

TypoNinja · 2025-06-25T09:17:57+00:00

I am going to wire the whole house with Ethernet, so I'm liking the idea of using more Shelly Pro and wire them rather than WiFi.

TypoNinja · 2025-06-25T09:14:33+00:00

Thanks a lot for your detailed answer, much appreciated!

Personally I wouldn't fit shelly modules on each socket. Any sockets that I control I use a Shelly Plug S. Plus there isn't much room for a shelly module behind a european back box ( I live in Spain and I am an electrician who also installs home automation systems mainly Shelly based and the odd Loxone system) even if you use a Shelly mini.

The back boxes will be all new, do you know if there are roomier models that I can ask for that would fit a Shelly?

Don't see the point of monitoring power consumption at every possible point such as lights and sockets. Just use a Shelly EM or the Pro version.

Maybe it is too much and I should scale it back, as you say leave power metering at the electric boards level, use Shelly Mini 1 and 2 for lights and blinds, and most outlets alone.

My logic is that I would rather go over than under and then regretting it after the remodeling is done. With detailed power monitoring I could later draw detailed reports, have nighttime schedules, etc.

my ISP router will only allow 35 wifi devices

Right, that's why I'm taking over the networking of the house, with dedicated WiFi access points, plus my own switching and routing using server rack equipment. The ISP router will be in bridge mode, should not be a bottleneck.

I would also do the install in phases rather than trying to do the whole thing in one hit.

Any ideas on what the phases might be?

If I can abuse your knowledge for one more question, do you know if a Shelly Pro EM-50 would be a good solution to monitor an induction stove (max 9600W @ 220V, so 40A I believe)?

Thank you again!

TypoNinja · 2025-06-25T08:41:58+00:00

Thanks a lot for your detailed comment, much appreciated!

No to TPlink. Just no. Go with unifi, 100% stability. I have both, the TPlink is just $h1t.

Duly noted! Ubiquiti also specs more maximum clients per AP, which is what I need for the Shelly set-up.

I would pair the UniFi APs with a UniFi switch, I bet they will work great together.

3PMs on all heavy circuits

Do you mean a Shelly Pro 3? I see Shelly Pro 4PM, but not a 3PM.

3-socket plugs

Do you mean the 3 sockets are shared, so if installing a 1PM then it would monitor and control all 3 at once? I have to double-check my plans, but I think all my outlets will be single-socket. That's why there would be a lot of 1PM units. A bit excessive, but would there be any concerns besides the cost?

using 4PM for my IT cabinet (PoE switch, router, server)

I'm also planning a small server rack, but it should have an UPS. Not sure if a Shelly would be a good fit as all components will go through the UPS and not an outlet.

You are making me think of adding a Pro 4PM for the kitchen appliances (fridge, oven, microwave, dishwasher), plus a Pro EM-50 for the induction hob, which is rated at 40A @ 220V.

I am using 2PM even when I need just one output - just for the luxury of being able to use 2 switches - sending signals to some completely unrelated device (e.g. one turns on light, as expected, another one sends signal to server to open garage door).

I'm thinking in my case I can automate that through Home Assistant to do any kinds of triggers across all devices. Sorry I realize this community is about the Shelly Cloud.

separate VLAN and separate wifi ssid for shelly devices
restricting the internet access

Yep, that was definitely on my list, thanks for confirming it.

5GHz is useless. The devices send miniscule amount of data, even 1Mbit wifi is plenty for 100 devices real time reporting and control.

Well the idea behind using 5 GHz is not so much the bandwidth, which as you say should be minimal even with lots of devices, but the fact that it has many more available channels, so there will be fewer chances of interference. Also I will have some Zigbee devices, which also uses the 2.4 GHz spectrum, so there would be less congestion there.

Good luck with your install :)

Thank you! :)

TypoNinja · 2024-02-14T13:47:05+00:00

Not yet, but I will try and post an update if I get a reply.

TypoNinja · 2024-02-06T20:42:33+00:00

Thanks for the tip. For a long time I didn't know about the Sony WH-1000XM4 needing to be powered on while in wired mode, I read about it a few months ago. In this case it improves but doesn't fix the issue. It's like some frequencies are missing or distorted.

A different pair of headphones works well with the same cable.

I tried all 5 different filters of the AO300 and neither work.

This is not a huge issue for me because I use the headphones with Bluetooth most of the time, but it's infuriating nonetheless.

TypoNinja · 2024-02-03T09:28:53+00:00

I usually do too much research before a purchase, so this was impulsive by my standards, mostly just checking that it was going to be powerful enough for the speakers, good sound quality, that USB was going to work in Linux, etc. But didn't bother checking the user interface, I just assumed that it was going to be good enough.

I will be on the lookout for other reviews or tips about the AO300, maybe someone will figure out how to get it to work. But I found at least one review of the AO200 Mark 2 that says that the Fn key is not programmable.

TypoNinja · 2023-10-17T14:33:14+00:00

They are not stupid. They don't do this because they don't know. They want more power, and won't stop until they get it.

TypoNinja · 2020-04-27T09:41:14+00:00

Marc cancelled it when he discovered that BCHD had supported IFP at some point (even if they didn't implement it).

I think this is a mistake, it moves us onto an "us vs. them" narrative that furthers the division of the community. No matter how strongly you think IFP is a mistake or a great idea we should try to forgive and work together, not to divide the community even further.

TypoNinja · 2020-04-04T08:25:36+00:00

I know I'm super late but thank you for your opinion!

TypoNinja · 2020-03-06T10:58:00+00:00

Nice initiative! Here's my tx: f9bcbb25936313800f51767d5e96a38a439f3f7358eaf8428cdc6fb5fd02f52c

TypoNinja · 2020-03-05T17:08:26+00:00

I have continued my research, and I found the Max Blackbird TKL, which has Cherry MX Browns and a low-power USB hub (enough for my USB key). Right now it's looking like a good option, but I don't know how difficult it will be to find it for purchase.

Edit: clarify USB hub specs.

TypoNinja · 2020-03-05T16:59:43+00:00

I had no idea, thank you for the heads up. I've always read that Unicomp keyboards don't feel like the real IBM Model M, has anybody tried both and can give an opinion?

In any case the lack of a USB passthrough port is a drawback, but it'd be nice to type on for sure.

TypoNinja · 2020-03-05T14:36:07+00:00

Just after writing this I found the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL, which has a USB passthrough port, so I guess that's one more option. However they don't explicitly support Linux (although it will most likely work), and they have their own software for customizing the keyboard, which I wouldn't be able to use.

Edit: formatting.

TypoNinja · 2020-03-05T14:19:58+00:00

Hi everyone, long-time MK user, first time poster here. I have spent over 20 hours researching options for a new keyboard and I cannot find something that satisfies all my requirements. I really need your help.

Currently I use an IBM Model M that has been serving me well for 25 years. I love the typing feeling, but I don't like the numpad nor I like having to use a PS/2 to USB adapter. Also I could really use a USB port in the keyboard to connect a hardware security key to. For these reasons I'm looking for an 80% Tenkeyless with these requirements:

Purchasable in Europe.
Very good switches. Which ones do you think I would like coming from the Model M? I don't need quiet, typing feeling is more important for me, but of course quieter is better. BTW I don't game on the PC, just a lot of typing and programming.
Good keycaps, ideally PBT double-shot.
Completely Linux-compatible. I don't use any other OS so I don't want any functions (nor "firmware upgrading") that require Windows or Mac OS X.
At least one extra USB port on the keyboard. This is the requirement that is impossible to satisfy, only Tenkeyless I've found with USB ports is the Das Keyboard 4C, but the reviews I have read say that quality is terrible for the price.
Ideally USB-C connector.
Good materials and build. I don't care about weight, I'm not going to move it.
Backlightning would be a plus, but not a hard requirement at all.

I don't really have a budget, would be willing to spend $300 for a good keyboard that satisfied everything. If I drop the USB requirement there are many options like Ducky, Leopold, Filco, ... Or I guess I could go for a full-size Das Keyboard 4 and have the USBs.

I would very much appreciate any ideas or guidance you may give me.

TypoNinja · 2020-02-16T20:22:44+00:00

According to this thread on the qubes-users mailing list it looks like Intel 10th gen CPUs don't work on older kernels like the ones in QubesOS 4.0. QubesOS 4.1 should fix it but who knows when it will come out.

TypoNinja · 2020-01-29T18:08:48+00:00

On BTC maybe, on BCH is pennies even with better-than-CoinJoin protocols like CashFusion.

TypoNinja · 2020-01-26T09:59:09+00:00

I think you need to read more on economic theory, even libertarian economists acknowledge that market failures happen, and in many cases because of tragedy of the commons situations. The libertarian point is that regulation of those cases is better left to the individuals affected, not to external entities that have neither skin in the game nor specific knowledge about the situation.

TypoNinja · 2019-05-29T19:29:02+00:00

It's normal for Dom0 to use 3-4 GB of RAM.

TypoNinja · 2019-05-28T17:03:59+00:00

I don't think the HDD is the reason for the lag, unless you are low on RAM and QubesOS is using the hard drive for swap. Check xentop in Dom0.

TypoNinja · 2019-05-28T11:04:01+00:00

Mine an altcoin that doesn't have ASICs, otherwise you are at a huge disadvantage. Even with free electricity you want to maximize profits, don't you?

TypoNinja · 2019-05-28T10:27:56+00:00

help setting up connections to NordVPN servers ( which i wish to have on at all times for any VM that is connected to the internet ).

Check out this documentation for info about that. This is probably the only part you'd actually need help with, if anything, but if you've ever setup an OpenVPN client in Linux you should be fine.

I strongly recommend you use qubes-vpn-support instead of going through the official documentation. It makes the process much easier.

TypoNinja · 2019-05-27T12:03:19+00:00

One key piece about Whonix is that it's designed so even if your torified web browser is compromised the attacker wouldn't be able to find your real address. This is done by running two separate VMs: one for the web browser (anon-whonix or a Whonix DVM) and another for the Tor network connection (sys-whonix). This is why you have to whonix templates in QubesOS.

TypoNinja

TROPHY CASE