Using the Shelly Plug to monitor Starlink's power consumption

submited by

Style Pass

2021-07-23 00:00:06

I recently wrote about using a Raspberry Pi to remotely monitor an Internet connection, and in my case, to monitor Starlink (SpaceX's satellite Internet service).

One other important thing I wanted to monitor was how much power Starlink used over time, and I was considering just manually taking a reading off my Kill-A-Watt every morning, but that's boring. And not very accurate since it's one point in time per day.

Digging around, I found out about the Shelly Plug US, which had its own little built-in HTTP API and a supposedly-accurate power monitor. It's based on the ESP8266, and you can even flash alternative firmware like Tasmota for more control over the device.

At the time of writing, the Shelly Plug US seemed to be stuck in pre-order status, but there were some available on eBay, so I bought one from someone who seemed reputable there.

When it arrived, it was in a very tidy little box hardly larger than the plug itself, and I am happy to report it's not a fake or knockoff (I'm always a little nervous buying IoT devices from eBay. Though Amazon has also been vying for the 'who should I trust the least' slot lately).