[PLUG-TALK] Vue energy monitor (digiblur.com How To)

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Mon, Jan 05, 2026 at 12:40:00AM -0500, Tomas Kuchta wrote:
> Re: to Keith looking for doing some encrypted network traffic magic with
> vue energy monitor
> 
> I have one of those - and feed the data to HomeAssistant to plot my own
> local graphs from local database.
> 
> The way to stop data flowing to Vue mothership is to use google-fu and
> reflash the vue power monitor with espHome firmware.
> 
> See:
> https://digiblur.com/2025/03/14/how-to-esphome-emporia-vue-gen3-esp32-home-assistant/

Thank you Tomas!

Excellent writeup by digiblur, with a possible simplification.

The VUE3 does have a standard RJ45 ethernet jack.  Digiblur is
concerned that mixing low voltage (ethernet) with 120/120 VAC
inside the load center is NOT allowed by the electrical code.  

I'll look at the most recent Oregon Electrical Specialty Code
on my next library visit ...

... but AFAIK, RJ45 ethernet is usually signal-transformer
isolated at both ends of a CAT5/6/etc cable. 

The transformers protect transceiver chips from ground loop
signal degradation, but they probably also protect users from
frisky failure voltages inside computers and ethernet switches.

Perhaps I should sacrifice an old/slow ethernet hub to my
rack of variable-DC-voltage lab power supplies:
an HP 0-70V, a Sorenson 0-800V, and a Spellman 0-20KV ...
...  and learn the "failure voltage" of the switch's insulation.

When I deploy, I will attach another ethernet hub on top of
the load center and use that as an extra layer of isolation.
The Vue 3 sample rate is 4.2 Hz, data rate 1600 bytes per
second; perhaps I can redeploy an ancient 10 Mbps hub for that.

All that said, don't copy my potentially bad/lethal deployment
brainfart before I consult the most recent electrical code.

keithl

P.S. Before lethal voltages, I will review my favorite safety
song from the 1980s, Uncle Bonsai "Don't Put it in Your Mouth"

youtube.com/watch?v=tJ9r3nVHAb0

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com