ESPecial VS Tasmota

I also did something similar in ESPecial. But in addition, commands are customizable. You can add automations (like turning lights at a certain hours, or turning a servo motor, sending an http request) and find them directly as a button in your telegram bot, without coding anything.

I’m currently developing ESPecial where you can set automations via the web interface. This means you can trigger events via your gpios (so any sensor you want) then send a message to telegram with a picture (just have to turn the switch for picture in the automation). I’ve recently added the support of esp-cam, I have some issues with video streaming but sending picture to telegram seems to work fine so fare. Have a look at it ;)

I wanted to make something similar for people who wanted to learn iot, or just start a project without having to code. I ended up with ESPecial. With it you can program automations, events, http calls, mqtt, telegram, camera, and of course gpios (Dac, adc, pwn, i2c, touchcontrol). But I wanted to make it cloud less. You can easily control your esp32 via a telegram bot. What is the additional value of going through the cloud? (True question here :) )

implement ESP-CAM handlers

I’ve developed a firmware for ESP32 that is made for people who don’t want to code. This is (ESPecial)[https://github.com/RomeHein/ESPecial], it gives you all you need to program complex behaviors without a line of code. Unlike ESPhome, you don’t need to load a new program every time you want to program something new in your esp32. Everything is done via your web browser. For instance I use it for all my smart things, like smart lock, smart lights, watering plants, controlling my kitchen hood etc etc. Have a look at it, I’ve developed it exactly for your case :)

All of my office devices are connected to Sonoff S31 smart plugs, flashed with Tasmota on their own locked-down VLAN, and can be controlled via voice, Alexa, Tasker automation on my Android, NFC tags at my office door and various scripts triggered via my StreamDeck (on Linux). This all works fantastic, and I can turn on or off my devices, including my printer, when I start or end my day at work.

The best alternative firmware example for true IOT devices is Tasmota [1]. Erase manufacturer firmware for every ESP devices the day after purchase to avoid those careless manufacturer firmwares.

[1] https://tasmota.github.io/docs/

The ESP8266 based Sonoff S31 and ESP32 based Switchbot plugs, both flashed with either Tasmota or ESPHome, are my go-to options for US WiFi smart plugs with power monitoring.

And if you want to turn your ESP8266 into a standalone appliance, with a web interface and directly editable config that doesn't need a build step, Tasmota is another great option.

https://tasmota.github.io/docs/