Baksteen

I started by purchasing Chromecast devices all  3 tv's in my home. This was followed by adding  4 google home devices to the house. 1 in the living room, 2  in the bedrooms and 1 in the kitchen. This allowed me to listen any music I liked in the rooms and various other functions.   Just before December 2019 I purchased 2wifi RGB smart bulbs for Xmas effects in my living room. I liked the effects and was also chuffed that all of this was voice controlled as the devices were Google Home compatible. I also have a Paradox wireless security alarm, a DVR with 8x outside and 4x inside security cameras all which can be controlled or seen from an app's on my phone. 3 x inside camera's can remotely be adjusted horizontally and vertically with voice control to and from the camera's.
My next step was look into other home automation devices. I also did  not want to use a lot of different apps on my phone to control the devices.I chose to go with Sonoff and Eachen devices wich use the same phone app and are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.These devices are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
I installed 4 x single gang and 2 x double gang WI-Fi touch wall light  switches from Eachen as these light switches do not need a neutral, however a capacitor which is supplied needs to be connected at the light. I also installed single Sonoff Wi-Fi switches to my garage door, gate motor, electric fence, irrigation, lounge light, side light and xbox one.
I still need to connect 2 x 4 gang light switches my lounge and dinning room lights however I cannot find 4 gang switches that do not use a neutral so I will have to wait for them to become available.
These switches are all compatible with Google Home so they all can be voice activated and from the Google Home and  eWeLink app. These devices can also be controlled from anywhere in the world where there is a Wi-Fi connection available.
I no longer have get up or get out of bed to switch the lights on or off.
There are however some drawbacks.  If there is no Wi-Fi (load shedding) for the switches you will have to switch them on manually if they are connected in series.This can be overcome buy purchasing remote control devices that work from a hub, that  still work even when Wi-fi is not available.
I am sure it also affects the Wi-Fi as the devices are permanently connected to Wi-Fi. I also see a difference when downloading Xbox which is also connected to Wi-Fi (downloading is erratic). I will change this to a lan cable.
If you are purchasing smart Wi-Fi lights be sure to check if they are bright enough and the colour (warm or cool white) . Some can do both. 
Switches need to be in Wi-Fi range and I had to install some externally (electric fence and garage door) as the housings blocked the Wi-Fi signal. 
At least I now  have something that listens to me and does what I want when I want.
It is just unfortunate I can't automate my wife to do what I want when I want without any backchat.  HAHA
 

Those of us who have invested in solar plant installations at home feel that we've got it sorted if there is a total grid failure - at least to some extent! WE are happy that we will have power during a sunny day at the very least. 
I have a question for everyone who has a solar installation at home: 
What will you do with your installation if SA suffers a total grid failure, and the power is off for say 2-3 weeks?
For my own purposes, I will be doing the following:
Turn off the mains breaker to avoid power surges or low voltages or low frequency power affecting my home when power is eventually restored Carefully manage my electricity consumption to keep a minimum power available in batteries overnight, and cater for cloudy days. I would probably keep on that regime until the main grid has been completely restored nationwide for at least a few days before turning on my mains switch again.  Anyone else have some suggestions on how they plan to manage if there is a complete grid failure? 
as Baden Powell said " Be Prepared!"
 
 

Thanx that explains it. I'm looking for ease of use integration, so no fancy programming. I see enough IT issues daily. 🤣

New Release v1.2.1
NOTE: The card configuration has changed from release v1.2.0. Please see the README

Updates:
 
Daily totals can now be toggled independently. Option to hide "AUX" from the full card Realign PV data to avoid overlap Daily load is displayed on the full card if "AUX" is hidden and the load show_daily attribute is set to yes Add more verbose inverter status message i.e Normal, Fault etc  

Sharing this here in its own thread.
This is my effort to replicate the Sunsynk power flow screen as a custom Home Assistant card as well as some Dashboard ideas I've been using. Improvements and suggestions welcome.
Features
Option to switch between two card styles: lite or full. Animated power flow based on positive/negative/zero sensor values with configurable dynamic speed. (Supports inverted battery, AUX and grid power). Dynamic battery image based on SOC (empty->low->medium->high). Grid connected status. Inverter status (standby, normal, self-test, alarm, fault). Configurable battery size and shutdown SOC to calculate and display remaining battery runtime based on current battery usage and system time slot setting i.e. SOC, Grid Charge. Can be toggled off. Daily Totals that can be toggled on or off. Hide all solar data if not installed or specify number of mppts in use. Set custom MPPT labels. “Use Timer” setting and “Energy Pattern” setting (Priority Load or Priority Battery) shown as dynamic icons with ability to hide if not required. If setup as switches can be toggled by clicking on the card Panel mode for bigger card AUX and Non-essential can be hidden from the full card or assigned configurable labels Customisable - Change colours and images Most entities can be clicked to show more-info dialog Optional data points include self sufficiency and ratio percentages, battery temperature, AC and DC temperature Display up to two non-essential, essential and AUX loads Display energy cost per kWh and solar sell status  You can find the latest version and details here
Documentation
Refer to https://slipx06.github.io/sunsynk-power-flow-card/index.html
Screenshots 
*Compact Version*


*Lite Version*


*Full Version*


 
I've also shared my Home Assistant Dashboard that works well for me. You can find the latest version and details here https://github.com/slipx06/Sunsynk-Home-Assistant-Dash

 

Your suggestion is not unreasonable. 
But in our day and age where everyone including my mom has done a software update on their phone, we could manage these ourselves if the system was designed / programmed with that in mind. 
My ideal scenario in a perfect world would be that you register your inverter with Sunsynk upon installation. Then Sunsynk emails you with an update stating that there is new firmware available for your version of inverter, or even a pop up comes up in your app? 
Then you could walk over to the inverter and select the Update Software in the menu option on the inverter display. The inverter then checks in with home base, downloads the latest firmware and asks if you would like to proceed with the update now or later? 
Reminding you that when you do the update it (the inverter) will disconnect all loads for the duration of the upgrade. Do you wish to proceed? 
All of the above could also be handled within your app, following the exact same process.
I don't think that this is an unreasonable expectation in our day and age and level of technology that we are exposed to on a daily basis.
Why should firmware updates still be done manually in the factory in China? 

In the highlighted text, I assume you referring to the OP's issue where SunSynk broke the inverter by installing 5k firmware on a 8k inverter.
I fail to see how this can be anything but 100% SunSynk's fault.
I would expect SunSynk to go the extra mile (as it's 100% their fault) to resolve the issue promptly without inconvenience or cost to the customer.
In terms of your other comments wrt to isolating the inverter for a firmware update (no load and no PV)

Most of the forum members would agree that If an inverter malfunctions during firmware upgraded when it's not in bypass - that's 100% SynSynk/Deye fault

Because:
a) the official SynSynk link for upgrades does not state that the inverter needs to be in bypass.
https://www.sunsynk.org/up-grade

b) the official SynSynk user / installer manual does not state that the inverter needs to be in bypass.
https://www.sunsynk.org/documents/
Sunsynk_Hybrid_Inverter_8kW_UserManual_v24_English.pdf
c) the official SynSynk training manuals does not state that the inverter needs to be in bypass.
https://www.sunsynk.org/post/training-manuals
Part 1 Training Manual Sunsynk - HQ.pdf
Part 2 Training Manual Sunsynk - HQ.pdf
e) the official SynSynk training videos (and there are many and I've watched most of them) does not state that the inverter needs to be in bypass.
https://www.youtube.com/@sunsynk5885

f) The official SynSynk technician actually doing the firmware update should check if the inverter is in bypass.
(They should definitely check that the firmware is correct for the model inverter)

g) It is not practical to put the inverter in bypass and just wait... and wait... and wait... 12h, 24h, 48h and hope that the update gets done remotely when SunSynk decides they have time.

h) The Sengen Application Note you link to states "Sunsynk will perform an update, this will reset the inverter. Ensure you are not supplying loads with the
inverter."
The way I interpret the statement is "the inverter will reset during the firmware update process and if you are supplying loads these will go off so bypass to prevent your loads being impacted"
I work in IT and have done plenty of firmware updates in my career - computers, routers, printers, cameras, storage arrays, disk drives, network switches, CPU microcode, HBAs, NICs, RAID Controllers, motherboards, fabric switches, firewalls, phones, DRACs, iLOMS, etc.
The first thing you check is that the firmware is for that model hardware or else you end up "bricking" the device.
Most newer update systems and firmware will auto-check compatibility first and not allow invalid updates.
SunSynk was released in "newer" age but still uses "older" design of not auto-checking.
Q. When is SunSynk going to provide firmware change logs to installers & public?

Me too! No more FW updates. I'm going back to flashing my laptop BIOS for kicks.

I am cured of FW upgrades after my experience.

Been having some amazing sunshine the last couple days but I wanted to share the capabilities that the Sunsynk 8kW inverter has in that it can exceed the 8kW rated capacity. Well, let's just say it can only invert up to its rated capacity & the rest is pass through from the Grid. This feature only works when the Grid is available. Solar assistant best displays the data. 
You can clearly see the inverter load is at 9.57kW & the Grid was used as pass through. 
 

@MongooseMan is correct, I had applied at the beginning of May and it literally took under 10 days for the approval to install, and the same for the commissioning letter, just read thru to the application process and I or @MongooseMan will be able to help you, if you are going thru an installer, then he can fill out most of the form, if DIY ( like myself ), then I can help you thru the application process

Yesterday was a hectic day getting everything done so never got the chance to respond.  I really did enjoy building this battery, but it was really a LOT of work.  If I had to some this up I would state it as follows:
Pro
All the components are really high quality.  The BMS, the disconnector, the fuse, the wire used, the busbars.  No battery is going to come with the kind of quality components you can choose for your own setup. BMS with ability to customize everything about the battery and live view of cells High amp busbars and cables, completely overkill but virtually no voltage drop during operation 18s configuration, so higher Wh capacity and lower amps for both the inverter and the cells.  In fact you can decide what you want here.  If in the future you want to go from 16 -> 18s or 17s down to 16s again or whatever, no problem.  The BMS can support anything up to 20s.  You have a lot of options. Recurring costs will only be the cost of cells Learned a lot about Lithium Iron batteries Cons
Lots of time spent making busbars.  In the end I probably spent 20 hours of actual time on them with another 8 hours making the threaded rod connections that go into the cells (cutting the rod is easy but you need to clean up the ends for it to be perfect).  Would definitely rather buy the threaded rod part, that was a total waste of time (but cost me R25 so I traded time for cost). Cells in South Africa are overpriced, so pre-built solutions are really competitive in terms of capacity per rand spent.  In Europe and the US cells are much cheaper and it probably makes a lot of sense in those countries. Top charge is a pain (the charge to bring all cells up to same voltage and charge) Need to learn enough to configure your BMS, this for me was something I would list as Pro also.  I learned a lot and I'm able to fully configure my setup for maximum cell life if I want.  I get a lot of monitoring, etc. Need to build your own enclosure for the battery. Above is trying to look at it from outsider view, I may have missed something.  I'm a DIYer at heart so I would definitely go this route again.