What is Reddit's opinion of Qunqi 3.3V 5.5V FT232RL FTDI USB to TTL Serial Adapter Module for Arduino Mini Port?

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To get the most bang for your buck, I’d go with getting a raspberry pi (unless you have an old PC laying a around that you can re-purpose), some kind of voice assistant (Amazon or Google, depending on your preference), some sonoff basic wifi smart switches and/or some cheap WiFi rgb/rgbw bulbs and/or smart plugs that use the Tuya app (or alternatively LED strips and NodeMCU chips if you’re comfortable with small electronics and have the ability to do some soldering).

Also, grab an FTFI adapter like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014Y1IMNM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YfTZDbW9BA0R5) and some DuPont jumper wires. You may not need it right away, but will eventually.

Get hassio set up on your pi or pc (recommend using Proxmox to set up a virtual machine if you go the PC route), set up duckdns for remote access to the homeassistant controller if you would like remote access, and use the Tuya Integration to discover any of the Tuya-based bulbs/switches you have.

This will in all likelihood take up most of your 19 hours, hassio has a pretty steep learning curve. Once things are integrated, start working on your lovelace setup (essentially your “control center). If you have any time remaining, look into creating some basic scripts and/or automations. You can pull in a lot of “free” entities based on “information”, i.e. presence based on whether or not your phone if connected to your WiFi network, weather, traffic information, etc.

Next step would be to set up an MQTT server and convert your Tuya devices to use a custom firmware called Tasmota, and get them connected to MQTT. This will enable you to cut out the “cloud” and run your devices on your local network instead, which is more secure and reliable. There are plenty of resources out there to get you started.

Any idea if this one will work?

Qunqi 3.3V 5.5V FT232RL FTDI Usb to TTL Serial Adapter Module for Arduino Mini Port https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014Y1IMNM/

Reviews indicate people have used it successfully with minim osd so I'm leaning towards yes.

Yeah - and it's completely worth learning and buying the necessary stuff because many wifi smart devices are ESP8266 based, and locked down. If you can flash the firmware to allow MQTT or other control, you've unlocked a whole world.

Case in point - outside of sonoff's super cheap switches, I bought an H-801 RGB light strip controller - for $8. I flashed this, bought regular old strips, and put under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen for about $40.

Anyway - You will need something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B014Y1IMNM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_-faLybCT352ZP?sa-no-redirect=1 (DO NOT BUY FROM THIS LINK PLEASE)

There are two versions of this. One stamped with YP-05 and one stamped with FTD1232. The amazon link I posted is for the YP-05. You need to do some searching for the FTD1232 version.

The YP-05 will work (I have it working) but it's a pain in the ass, and it requires extra power - which may fry your smart device (supposedly).

So - once you get this, look up "ESPEasy". There's a repo on github with a full rundown and pretty much every sonoff device in existence, along with other devices (if you're hungry for more smart devices, peruse this list and just buy this stuff once you're comfy with flashing - good devices and all very cheap).

You will also need Jumper wires: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00JUKL4XI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_CkaLyb30SZ23B?sa-no-redirect=1 (Go ahead and get them from here, you'll have a bunch and they're nice to have around).

From there, it'll take you an hour for your first flash as you learn where everything is, and about 5 minutes for any other device you need as you'll be an expert at that point in time.

Outside of that, just look for a tutorial. Lots of them on youtube, and smartthings' community has a few of them in their threads.