Thanks!! ! I think this is the one to recommend for failsafe operation. Uses the genuine FTDI chip.
Here is a link for it on Amazon w/ Prime 2-day shipping
It’s the same FTDI that @LYU370 got from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014Y1IMNM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I find that ordering from Amazon, then quickly sending the seller a note saying you hope it is not a fake like everyone else’s, gets you a legit one more often. Obviously assuming they don’t specify that it is a fake to begin with. Mine says ftd1232. Sold by hiletgo.
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@erocm1231
What do I do if a H801 falls off my network?
Still powers the lights but I cannot connect to the IP address.
check your WiFi network and see if the H801 is broadcasting as an access point (espRGBW.[mac address]) again. If it is then reconnect to the AP and reenter in your SSID credentials again. If you don’t see the (espRGBW.[mac address]) being broadcast you could always do a reset and re-enter in the wifi credentials again.
Here is how to do the reset below. FYI: I don’t have a plug strip on my H801 so an easy way to cycle the power is by unplugging the green terminal block itself, The screw-in terminals are actually plugged into the printed circuit board so it is easy to cycle the power.
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Yep, do as @dalec said and you should be back up and running. I’ll soon be releasing an update that helps prevent this from happening.
I got it going again - thank you
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I’ve uploaded new firmwares and a new device handler. The firmware has the wifi credential loss fix. It also has the ability to set the transition speed to slow, medium, or fast. Lots of under the hood stuff as well. Make sure you upgrade the device handler at the same time as the old handler does not play nice with the new firmware.
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So for clarity…
I need to go back to the original links to download the bin files again for the H801 and Sonoff devices and do an upgrade. The upgrade doesn’t need the FTDI but we can do it via IP address.
Then go to the IDE and Update from Repo all my device handlers or manually copy paste over old IDE code.
Just Curious: what happens if I update Device Handler and not the firmware? I am thinking of what to expect for those that have trouble updating firmware what to look for.
If you go to any of my github repos for the SmartLife Devices or Sonoff Devices and grab the appropriate bin file.
You can then update the firmware by going to http://ip_address_of_controller/update and uploading the bin file.
If you don’t update the handler at the same time, some of the device configuration won’t get updated correctly. General functionality will still work, you just can’t change some of the device options.
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@michaelahess
Is there an easy way to determine what the IP addresses are for all these H801, Sonoff, etc on the network? Most of mine have changed IP from the original setup which was saved in the name.
On my WiFi cameras from Foscam they had a similar issue, so Foscam has a slick but simple utility app that scans your WiFi for any foscam cameras that are connected to that network and lists out all their current IP addresses. I was wondering if something like that existed for ESP devices?
If you go into your devices page in the IDE and input a filter in the upper right corner for “smartlife rgbw controller” you can quickly click each one and see the IP address. Hold down the CTRL key and click each device to open it in a new tab.
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Also good to have an IP scanner if you don’t want to or can’t find the info in your router DHCP table.
Sonoff and H801’s MAC’s start 5C:CF:7F or similar, obviously this can change but all of mine are in that range.
This is why I keep a little spreadsheet of all my IP’s and use DHCP reservations. I’ve got around 120 devices on my network…Insanity!
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If this doesnt find them, because the IP changed and it doesnt pick it up for some reason (entirely possible with bad routers), then you will need to look it up:
- In the router panel it will list all connected devices
- Using an IP scanner like angry IP scanner - set the range to be .1 to .255 on the same range as your computer and it will pick up everything there. You can even right click on the devices and select open in HTTP and it will show the H801 webpage.
Edit: Haha @michaelahess beat me to it! Good to know youre using a good tool though! 
Edit 2: Also recommend setting up statis/reserved IP addresses in the router to make it easier to track
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I’ll have to check out that IP scanner. It always seems like I can’t find a free one that is decent and I just end up writing a shell script. This might be a good alternative.
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Now these tips were worth the price of admission. Thanks guys!
*There is even a keyboard shortcut Ctrl-2 to open the selected device in the browser immediately
@michaelahess @cjcharles
Update: Just found a super easy way to locate the devices using Angry IP Scanner!
Click the Fetchers icon or by using the menu select Tools/Fetchers/ and under Available fetchers select MAC Vendor; then click the left arrow to move it over to the selected fetchers; then click OK. Click Start. After the scan is done click the MAC Vendor header to sort alphabetically and all my devices are Espressif 
I updated comments for my own info so I would know what device it was
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You can also just ping your subnet broadcast address and do an arp -a to see anything that’s responded. Not a solid solution but can work in a pinch for some types of devices.
Edit: Ping 224.0.0.1 to get all your multicast capable devices. Though I find this one isn’t real reliable. NMap is also very good if you have it on your machine.
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I like this new layout of the firmware
compared to the Sonoff which doesn’t have the header on the firmware update page.
@michaelahess @cjcharles Is there any reason to not want all my devices as static IP? And if I do make it Static under the Advanced settings, I don’t know what to enter for HA Controller IP and Port?
Nope, everything can be static if you want it to be, but I suggest only making the things that need to be static, static. i.e. things which either need a link between multiple devices to be automatic or a port forward. If they just need an internet connection then Dynamic is fine. Otherwise it just gets messy to manage.
Hence in my case chromecast/mobiles/tablets/some laptops are all dynamic. Meanwhile Desktop (due to port forward), Cameras, AV Receiver, RGBWs/Sonoffs, SmartThings, Alarm, TV are all static (plus a load of other things which are pretty niche such as my DNS server).
It is better to make the IP static by adding it to the router, rather than choosing a static IP on the device itself. That way you dont get conflicts - for example if your router dynamically assigns 192.168.1.50 to a device while your H801 is off and then you turn the H801 on with a static IP of 192.168.1.50 then you will have problems. If the router assigns the 192.168.1.50 statically to the H801 then it will never be re-assigned while the H801 is off. I hope that makes some sense…
Dont worry about the HA controller and port, it gets set by the ST Device Handler when you press configure from what I can tell in the DH (cant see the code for the firmware) but Ive never set mine.
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Correct, it gets set automatically by the device handler when you initially install the device with the connect app, update a setting on one of the devices in SmartThings, or hit the configure button.