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Tuya ZigBee 16A Smart Plug Review

AliExpress Reviews: Tuya 16A ZigBee Smart Plug Model TS011F with Power Metering.

UPDATE: There were a lot of responses and feedback regarding these Tuya Plugs – TS011F. Apparently the plugs would turn off randomly after a day or two. In our initial testing, the plugs would work fine, but considering many users reported this issue we decided to test them a bit more in-depth ourselves. We ordered from 3 different vendors and setup the following testing environment:

  1. Only plugged in wall with no end device attached; left ON for 2 weeks
  2. Plugged in wall and low-consumption device (router) attached; left ON for 2 weeks
  3. Plugged in wall and high-consumption device (washing machine) attached; left ON for 2 weeks

In the first scenario, the plug would sometimes turn off randomly. This would happen approximately every 2 days. Please note the device was still able to function as a router in a ZigBee mesh network. 
In the second scenario, the plug NEVER turned OFF. This was, we assume, because of constant current flowing through it.
In the third scenario, the plug NEVER turned OFF. Because a washing machine is used intermittently, and idle power draw is almost non existent (too small, if any) we assumed it would automatically turn off when the machine is not used for 2 days. But, it never did even after 3 days. Power consumption in Z2M when idle remained 0 (not detected).

To validate the results, after 1 week we swapped the plugs around. Results were indentical.

TLDR:

  • If the TS011F plug was plugged in and turned on, with no device attached to it (no current flowing) it will sometimes turn off randomly
  • If the TS011F plug was plugged in and turned off, with device attached to it (current flowing) it will never turn off randomly

Tuya Smart Plug 16A – TS011F is one of the cheapest smart plugs on the market that includes power monitoring. In this short article, we are going to examine how good it actually is, Its accuracy and Home Assistant ZigBee Integration.  

Technical Specification

  • Input Voltage: AC 110/230V, 50/60Hz
  • Rated Current: 16A
  • Max. Power: 3680W
  • Shell/Material: PC+ABS
  • Fireproof Level: V0
  • Working Temperature: -20~45C
  • Product Size: 50x50x84mm
  • Connection Type: ZigBee 3.0
  • Certification: CE/ROHS
  • App: Tuya/Smart Life
  • ZigBee Device Type: Router

Note: Please remember that this plugs maximum rated current is 16A and maximum power is 3680W. It is perfectly fine for installing on most home appliances. But to be safe, be sure to check that your appliances technical specification is within these limits.

Integration Compatibility

As of this writing of this article, the Tuya Smart Plug model TS011F is officially supported in all ZigBee Integrations in Home Assistant: ZHA, ZigBee2MQTT, Deconz. In this review, we will examine their compatibility with the Zigbee2MQTT integration.

Pairing with ZigBee2MQTT

To add this plug to your ZigBee mesh network, open Zigbee2MQTT and click Permit to join (All). It is best to pair it directly to your coordinator, and not under any other device you already have paired. The add-on will build the best possible path to the coordinator automatically. Note that this plug acts as a router, so if placed strategically it can improve the stability and performance of your ZigBee network. 

To pair this plug to your coordinator, press and hold the button for 5 seconds until it starts flashing. The LED will flash blue to indicate it is in pairing mode. If successfully paired, it will turn solid red. If the plug immediately turns solid blue, it means the pairing was not successful.

ZigBee2MQTT exposes 5 entities of this smart plug to Home Assistant:

  • Switch: Toggle On/Off
  • Power: Instantaneous measured power, published in Watt (W)
  • Current: Instantaneous measured electrical current, published in Amps (A)
  • Voltage: Instantaneous measured voltage, published in Volts (V)
  • Energy: Sum of consumed energy, published in Kilowatt Hour (kWh)
  • Power Outage Memory: Recover last state after power outage
  • Link Quality: Signal strength, published in LQI

Because TuYa is known to push firmware updates which sometimes cripple compatibility, keeping an eye of new model forks coming into the market is a good idea before purchasing. For example, this plug was first known in ZigBee2MQTT as TS011F_plug_1, but TuYa started producing it with firmware 1.0.5 which crippled its core functionality. This firmware disabled automatic reporting of power, current and voltage values which meant they had to be polled directly. The polling interval can be configured through the measurement_poll_interval option in ZigBee2MQTT.

  • If your specific use case needs live data, you will need to set the polling interval very low, to be able to see real time power consumption.
  • If you are using it to simply check how much energy your dishwasher used during its cycle, you can leave the polling interval to 30-60 seconds.

Power Metering Accuracy Check

To check the accuracy of the TuYa smart plug, I used a couple of methods.

  • First method, I measured the voltage coming out of the wall with a multimeter, it read 230V. Then I connected a 40W Incandescent Bulb in series with the multimeter and measured its Amperage, the reading was 0.173. This gives us a total of 230×0.173=39.79W or ~ 40W. The reported wattage in ZigBee2MQTT was 40.2W. Which means the reading is correct, with an ignorable ~1.02% difference.
  • Second method, I installed the plug on my dishwasher and I collected data of three different types of dishwasher cycles. In my dishwasher manual, the exact power consumption of each of the cycles is stated by the manufacturer. For example:

Cycle Type

Manufacturer

ZigBee2MQTT

Difference 

Eco 50°C

0.95kWh

1kWh

5.1%

Daily 50°C

1.15kWh

1.25kWh

8.3%

Intensive 65°C

1.60kWh

1.71kWh

6.6%

The plug reported data with an average offset of 6.6%. This difference is noticeable, but could be due to the dishwasher running all night with its display on, which would draw just a little more power. It is also likely that the manufacturer reported numbers are an average measurement and not a static constant. Nevertheless, this brings me to a conclusion that the plug is fairly accurate for consumer grade usage. If you insist on 100% accurate measurement, you can always offset the values in ZigBee2MQTT itself.

Verdict

In my case, I’ve installed three of these TuYa smart plugs and paired them to my Conbee II coordinator in ZigBee2MQTT. There have been working without issues whatsoever for around 4 months. They act as a router, and if placed strategically can significantly improve your ZigBee mesh. Their power readings were fairly calibrated and accurate out of the box, and in my case no recalibration was needed. Considering the price, quality of build, integration compatibility and powering metering accuracy I would definitely recommend this plug as consumer grade smart home product. 

You can support this blog by ordering one from our affiliate links at no additional cost to you.
Note: TuYa products can be sold by a variety of Chinese brands, the hardware is completely the same.

Tuya Smart Plug 16A ZigBee
AliExpress Affiliate 1: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AfkBUd
AliExpress Affiliate 2: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ABdlmZ

Tuya Smart Plug 16A Wi-Fi
AliExpress Affiliate 1: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ADzlOD
AliExpress Affiliate 2: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_99sYnr

25 thoughts on “Tuya ZigBee 16A Smart Plug Review”

  1. Thanks for the review. How would you go about recalibrating these in case they measure power usage incorrectly?

    Do you know if it’s at all possible to ‘factory reset’ them in such a way that the ‘total power used’ is no longer stored? I’m using a few of these with deConz on my Raspbee II.

    • Hello Angelusz, first you need to measure the correct reading with a reliable multimeter or some kind of other tool. Than, for your particular use case you would use the deconz.configure service from Developer tools > Services. Select it and click Fill Example Data.
      First, find the entity id of the sensor you want to modify.
      From here, you need to change the parameters to match your plug. Here, use the value ‘/config’. This is an object that has the ‘offset’ field which you need to modify. Set the offset to math your meter.
      The last value is the bridge ID, which you can find in the integration name from Home Assistant.
      Hit call service. Done!
      As for clearing data stored, use the Purge Entities service in Developer tools. Select you entity and hit Call Service

  2. It’s possible that the innacurate values in the dishwasher were cause of the different input water temperature? Also did you have any trouble with offset values in the ZHA integration? Current reads as if multiplied by 1000 (450 instead of 0.45) and voltage divided by 1000.

    • Yes, It is possible that different values were measured because of input water temperature.
      Winter = colder water = more heat needed = more energy used.
      Regarding calibration, I did not offset the values in ZHA. My multimeter is very reliable and I trust its measurements.

      I currently have 3 of these plugs installed: dishwasher, washing machine, clothes dryer. They all deliver accurate readings in my tests. What is also important to note, is my bathroom gets very hot when the drier is on, and even though they are installed behind it, it appears heat is no issue for them at all!
      They’ve been running for around 5 months now.

  3. I just purchased 3 UK plug version of this. Same Tuya TS011F. I used ZHA with a conbee 2 coordinator. All 3 plugs would randomly turn off by themselves.

    • You mean they drop out of your zigbee mesh or they toggle themselves off? Mine have been stable with no issues for ~5months.

      • same issue here. I also bought 3 of these plugs as your review suggested that were good.
        Instead all 3 of them turn themself off randomly at least one time at the day.
        And for “turn themself off” I mean they completelly cut the power. Really dangerous if you are using the plug with somenthing that don’t like an hard turn off (as a PC or raspberryPi).
        There is also an issue open on zigbee2mqtt site and it seems to be an hardware defect (here is the link https ://github. com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/issues/11648).
        Basically these plugs are rubbish and you really have to update your review to avoid other to make the same mistake.
        At least the seller claim that the plug are good and don’t refund the money.

        • Hello,

          Thank you for your reply. I am sorry you are experiencing issues with this plug. In my experiments, none of them turned off randomly. I’ve been using 3 of them constantly for around 4-5 months now, no issues whatsoever.

          However, I dug deeper and found out its true, some users experience random turn offs. I have order 3 more, from 3 different listings and I plan on testing those again.
          If the issue is confirmed, I will update the review and let the readers know the situation!

          Thank you again for leaving a comment describing your experience.

  4. Nice review and the unit seems to be a good one in all respects. It seems it also has a white label in German Amazon as “QIUQIAN Tuya Smart Zigbee 3.0 Power Plug 16A EU Outlet 3680W Meter Remote Control with Alexa and Tuya Hub Based on a reviewer’s screenshot of HA Device Info section 🙂

  5. There are multiple people having problems with this plug, automatically turning off. See e.g. here: https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/issues/11648
    So far there seems to be no fix for it, it seems to bei neither a home assistant problem nor just very few unlucky ones that have this issue. So far I just bought one, and that also automatically turns off randomly without any explanation. This way this is unfortunately garbage…

  6. Hi,
    Thanks for your review.
    I have 2 of those plugs and theye are working OK and instant power , voltage and current masuring are working fine . But the total power consummention I can’t have it working. It’s only updating by a new pairring.
    I try to use it in HA with ZHA.

  7. Do you received your 3 more plugs from 3 different sellers to make your new tests?
    I ask because you said that you don’t want to change your article untill you had personally tested the issue.
    Today is 06.16.2022, more than 2 months passed and the article is still up withouth any disclaimer that a lot of people are having trouble with these plugs.
    I’m sorry but this really hurt my personal trust in this website reviews and I don’t think I’ll never follow any advice on any product that comes from these pages.

    • Hello,

      Thank you for your response. The long delay is because shipping from AliExpress to our location is very long (often >1 month). After that, we needed some time to test them correctly. But we got the plugs, and updated the guide. Please see at the top of the article. Thanks for reading!

    • Can confirm, I bought 6 of these after reading the potential issues, upgraded firmware in Z2M and tested them; never saw them drop out, even with no load. Now using them on my servers, computers, and other critical hardware. Just had another 18 arrive and will be going through upgrading the firmware on them before installing them around the house. Can finally get rid of the WiFi power monitors I have!

      Would be nice if there was a way to determine their current firmware though.

  8. I cannot recommend these adapters. I’ve ordered ten; three disconnected from the Zigbee network after a few days, and I cannot reconnect them; two randomly turn off after a few days. I upgraded them to the latest firmware, afaik (Application Version 192). I bought these to replace my WiFi Neo Coolcam adapters that ran Tasmota, which I never had issues with. Adding more nodes to the Zigbee mesh seemed a good idea at the time. Hopefully, the seller will take them back.

  9. Hello,
    Maybe it’s already been talked about…
    There is a TUYA smart socket 20A Zigbee. Although it logs in as a router, I can control it, but devices can no longer log in through it. (SONOFF ZIGBEE SNZB-02)
    Why?
    Thanks in advance for answers!

    • Depends how you’ve paired it. Did you add directly to your coordinator or did you add it using Permit Join (All).
      Zigbee needs time to self-heal and proper connections to form.
      The Tuya modules are good routers, so it’s an issue with your network or any child devices you have.
      Cheers

  10. Would you update the affiliate links?
    There seem to be a lot of these sockets on AlieExpress, but I am not sure if they are all created equal. I wouldn’t want any magic smoke when my dishwasher will start heating up the water.
    Thanks!

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