Ok - I was given a file for 1.3.3 and that worked. I am now on 1.7.4. Note to any future reader, be sure to connect directly to the unit in AP mode, and go FAST, as the update for 1.3.3 takes about the entire 3 minutes that the unit is hardcoded to stay awake for (really questionable choice there folks - I get the self-heating, but there's also, oh I dunno, customer satisfaction, the absolute need to take more then 3 minutes to do an update, or configure a unit, or you know, use your product -- yes, I am seriously questioning any future purchases of Shelly product personally or for my org - beyond just the literal days lost to this annoyance, see next...)
Now, in fw 1.7.4, I cannot change any settings (except for setting the Wifi)
After discovering this, I reset to factory defaults, and my settings wiped, as expected, but I still cannot save any settings (except for setting the wifi -- I can't set MQTT, can't disable bluetooth)
Hitting the "save" button usually results in a display of "Device is not responding in time. When the connection recovers the requests will be sent again." or the whole page just changes to "connecting to shelly"
Between selling units with such severely messed up firmware (1.1.0-beta3) and NOT providing a mechanism to update them that doesn't require dedicated customer support and private file sharing -- combined with questionnable choices about limited device configuration time (3minutes is apparently hard-coded into the solution .. even when on USB powered... even when the user could care LESS about the accuracy of the temperature reading, in favor of, oh, you know, basic functionality of the reporting mechanisms to GET the temperature.... sigh... yeah... off to by a real temperature monitor... thanks for the very prompt response and support, that IS A PLUS, total credit for that).