Hacking Smart Plugs

 Smart plugs are fairly inexpensive home automation devices that connect to you WiFi network. They come with firmware that allows them to be controlled through cloud services that connect to various kinds of home assistant devices or smart phone apps.Loading open-source firmware on your smart plug allows you to control it directly without going through a cloud based service. This has advantages in reliability and flexibility.

See the attached Word document for how I took control of my smart plug and turned it into a temperature controller. 

Also attached is a document on setting up timers in Tasmota.