I usually get a good heads-up from ITEAD each time they release a product that they are excited to promote (and make that sweet moolah), but the Sonoff S60 smart socket launch, went under the radar somehow. Whether because it’s a product line update, or the launch of other devices was more important. Regardless, I thought it deserved a mention. So here we are!
Sonoff S60 is cheap as chips
Sonoff S60 was shipped to me some time ago when I received their Xmas care package. I think over the years, I just got less excited about smart sockets than I was in the past as smart homes evolve and new and wonderful items are released every week. Unaware of its features and pricing I simply bundled the unboxing with other Sonoff items in my #TechDrop video
Sonoff S60 is a WiFi-enabled smart socket with a power meter. It’s not ITEAD’s first smart socket, but the UK (and the EU variant too) is finally designed in a way that doesn’t get in the way of other outlets. Where things get exciting is the pricing, as you can get one for under $11!
It’s available in 2 variants TPG (UK) and TPF (EU and similar countries) – and both designs will eventually replace the older S26 variant. If you wonder where is the US version of this plug – ITEAD already has an equivalent Sonoff S31 which I covered in the past. Don’t confuse it with Sonoff S31 Lite which comes without the power metering.
For the price of a Starbucks and a bagel, you can not only automate your outlet but also measure the electricity consumption nicely and simply. It is rated for 13A at 250V and should cover most of your needs, as it comes with great smart features including timers, protection and power recovery.
Sonoff S60 and eWeLink
The pairing happens over Bluetooth which is an indication of ESP32 inside. It only takes a couple of moments to add it to the eWeLink account and I was ready to check all the options. In the device menu, I found the single relay button controls and basic power consumption (Today/Month/Current Power).
In settings, I found, typical for eWeLink, options like power-on state, inching, Local LAN and integrations with smart speakers: Alexa and Google Home. What’s also characteristic of power metering devices from ITEAD are threshold settings. Power/Voltage/Current limits can be used to turn off your relay for safety. Just remember when these kick in, you won’t be able to toggle the relay back again with a physical button until you check the app. A nice little safety feature.
Power measurement
It’s not my first power measuring relay, I knew exactly what the Sonoff S60 would be capable of. The Energy Overview menu captures power consumption in kWh (Yesterday/Today/Current Month) – the data is visualised by a chart (Daily/Monthly/Yearly). On this page, I can access real-time Current/Power/Voltage as well.
Historical data is available for the last 6 months. If you want to retain more, there is a manual option to download it as a file – It’s a shame that this is a manual process only. Where things get less exciting – is data aggregation. Sonoff S60 stores the average values in data points recorded every hour. It makes it less usable if I want to look at the breakdown of the electricity consumption in more frequent intervals.
Currently, there is no way of extracting real-time data in any other way without flashing a new firmware, which brings us to the next chapter.
Inside Sonoff 60
From the product page, I already know that the Sonoff S60 is ESP32-based. I decided to open it up, not to confirm this fact (I trust them) but to see what are the options to hack it and flash it with Tasmota in the future.
Unfortunately, the case is glued shut. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to pry the edges open, it was clear to me, that I’d have to damage the case and glue it together to perform hardware flashing. That’s a serious bummer, and it will put off many of you from going the DIY route, especially since the Sonoff S60 isn’t compatible with Sonoff DIY, and I cannot use the OTA method to flash tasmota without breaking into the smart socket.
So I damaged the case – for all of you!
After working my way around the perimeter of the Sonoff S60, I managed to open it up with minimal damage to the case. Marks are there, but I will be able to glue it back together without a problem. Unfortunately, things get more complex inside.
The ESP32 is located on a daughter board, which is usually fine as you can latch to the connecting joints when flashing it, but the board is permanently soldered to the mains pins encased in the plastic moulding. Without desoldering the heavy-duty joints to remove the main PCB, there is no access to all joints I’d need to quickly flash the board and experiment with Tasmota.
It’s not impossible, but the level of effort this requires makes it just easier to look for alternative products that are much easier to hack.
Shop with Sonoff
Take a look at the ZigBee and WiFi range of the devices compatible with eWeLink:
Final thoughts
I’d raise my hand and tell you to buy this if the Sonoff S60 was easier to flash. It’s inexpensive, featured, and could serve a great purpose in monitoring your power consumption. If you are happy in the eWeLink ecosystem it’s a perfect smart socket to have – if you are looking for something to fit into your DIY design – it’s not an ideal choice. If there is an interest, I may write the follow-up exploring options to flash this thing with Tasmota. Let me know your thoughts in this Reddit thread.
🆓📈 – See the transparency note for details.
