Sonoff is one of those companies that has decided to stick to Zigbee, at least for the near future. Sure, they have some Matter-over-Wi-Fi releases, but most of their new devices like the SNZB-02LD Probe Temperature Sensor use Zigbee. In my book, this deserves appreciation.
In this review, I’m testing and reviewing the new Sonoff S60ZB Zigbee Smart Plug with Energy Metering. This plus is rated for 4000W and is available only with type E/F (EU) and type G (UK) prongs. It’s also very affordable, going for $13.50 on the official ITEAD webstore.
Technical Specification S60ZB
- Name: Sonoff Zigbee Smart Plug S60
- Model: S60ZBTPF (Plug E/F, EU), S60ZBTPG (Type G, UK)
- Connectivity: Zigbee 3.0
- Input: 250V~50/60 Hz
- Max Load: 4000W (TPF), 3250W (TPG)
- Case Material: PC V0
- Operating Temperature: -10°C~40°C
- Operating Humidity: 5%-95% RH
- Dimensions: 50x50x61.5mm (TPF), 58x58x42mm (TPG)
- Price: $13.50 Itead.cc
Overview S60ZB
The Sonoff S60ZB Smart Plug ships in a recognizable orange box, containing the device itself and a user manual. You can also download the manual from their official website. The plug is compact and well-made, measuring at 50mm in diameter with a total length of 61.5mm (including prongs).
The main case is constructed from a single piece, with components assembled inside and sealed by a glued top cover. While not IP rated, this design helps prevent dust and moisture from entering the enclosure. The case material is V-0 flame retardant for safety in the event of a short circuit. The TPF version fits type E and F sockets and includes overload, lightning, and surge protection to prevent damage to connected devices.
The pairing button is placed on one side, which does not double as a status indicator. Instead, Sonoff installed two small LEDs underneath in blue and red color. The blue color indicates the connection status, while the red shows the relay switch status. On the other side of the plug, some basic information is printed along with the max load (4000W) and model number.
After removing one screw holding the top cover in place, I managed to pry it open by slowly cutting the glue. This was not easy, as the cover was completely glued shut. I found this S60ZB plug uses the Telink TLSR8656 [Datasheet]Â module for communication, which is also used in the new Sonoff Zigbee Probe Temperature Sensor SNZB-02LD. I was not willing to pry further and examine the relay, because that would have meant most likely braking of the prongs or damaging something else. As I donate these devices away, I was not willing to ruin it and create e-waste.
Home Assistant Integration S60ZBTPF
The Sonoff S60ZB Smart Plug is supported in both ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT in Home Assistant. Zigbee2MQTT requires the latest herdsman converter 23.41.0 version in order to expose the energy data. To pair it to your coordinator, press and hold the button for about 7 seconds until it’s detected and interviewed.
Zigbee2MQTT
Once paired in Zigbee2MQTT, the plug is correctly identified as model S60ZBTPF by manufacturer SONOFF. It’s also a router, which can relay traffic and extend your Zigbee mesh network. The device pairs without issues, starting to report changes as soon as current is flowing through the meter.
It exposes a switch entity for toggling the relay ON or OFF, a power-on behavior entity that controls the power loss state and the basic sensors for measuring energy consumption, including power, voltage, current and total energy.
The reporting interval can also be changed, which is set to report only when there is change in the measurements. The device does not send any payloads when no energy is used, keeping your mesh network clean and uncluttered. This is proper Zigbee implementation by Sonoff.
For example, let’s say you want power reported every second for some reason. Perhaps you are monitoring for power fluctuations of your server, computer or something else. The reported energy would make no difference, as the total will always be a cumulative sum, so the reporting interval plays no role here. But, power can fluctuate up and down a couple of times in a second, which is where temporarily changing the interval would be beneficial for diagnostics.
Head over to reporting tab and change the value of the haElectricalMeasurement cluster > activePower attribute and set the Min rep interval and Max rep interval to 1 second. The configuration will save successfully and the plug will send a payload every single second:
ZHA
The plus is also supported in the native ZHA integration in Home Assistant, being labelled correctly as S60ZBTPF by SONOFF. For once, everything available in Zigbee2MQTT is also exposes in ZHA, including the energy meter entities and power-on behavior configuration cluster.
Testing and Benchmark S60ZBTPF
To test the accuracy of the energy meter of the Sonoff S60ZB smart plug, I installed it on my kitchen dishwasher and ran a specific Plates & Cutlery washing cycle. This particular cycle has always given me a used energy of 1.55-1.65kWh which I’ve tested and verified many times over with different devices. For example, the BSEED Socket with USB ports gave me 1.62kWh, which is very close to the 1.60kWh reported value in the user manual of the dishwasher.
The Sonoff S60ZB faired quite well:
It reported a value of 1.67kWh, which is just 0.02 more than the 1.65kWh of this particular dishwasher cycle. I also plugged in a stripped cable in the plug and verified the reported voltage. While Zigbee2MQTT gave me a reading of 227.74V, my Kaiweets multimeter said 228.10V. There is some discrepancy there, but not enough to skew the reading significantly. Assuming a factor of 1.0, my conclusion is that the energy meter of the Sonoff S60ZBTPF is quite accurate.
Summary
The Sonoff S60ZBTPF Zigbee Smart Plug did not surprise or disappoint me in anyway. Considering I have extensive experience with Sonoff Zigbee devices, the plug is exactly what I expected it to be. It does what it says and does it well.
The energy meter is accurate, the relay is quick to respond and the firmware follows the Zigbee spec. You can adjust the reporting interval and control the power loss behavior of this plug. It pairs quickly and easily in Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA, with both CC2652P and EFR32MG21 coordinators.
The S60ZB is rated for 4000W, which is a bit more than the standard 16A, 3680W on most EU smart plugs. It’s also equipped with overload and surge protection, all encased in a flame-retardant enclosure for some added piece of mind.
One thing I found missing and reached out to Sonoff about is their well-known inching mode. Considering Sonoff includes this mode to all their plugs/switches at the firmware level, it should be included in this smart plug too. For reference, inching mode is a feature that turns off the plug automatically after a short, predetermined period of time, regardless of how it was initially turned on. Nothing that can’t be done with automations, but still.
If you are looking for an affordable, capable, and well-made Zigbee smart plug with an accurate energy meter, the Sonoff S60ZBTPF is a top choice. Here’s where you can get it:
