SONOFFS31 Lite 15A WiFi Smart Plug ETL Certified, Smart Socket Outlet Timer Switch, Compatible with Alexa & Google Home, IFTTT Supporting, No Hub Required,2.4 Ghz WiFi Only 4-Pack

These are great. I don't need the energy monitoring so saving money to skip that is perfect. Flashing tasmota was super easy, I used like hook leads so I didn't have to solder or anything. A UL or ETL mark is what I have been waiting for with sonoff.

First off - the manufacturer does NOT recommend these devices for use outside. And they are not rated for exterior use. So do what I did at your own risk. BUT - they worked fine outside for switching Christmas lights for almost five weeks with just a few precautions. Here are some things I learned about these devices.First - they were extremely easy to set up using the free eWeLink APP. I linked them to my home WiFi (2.4 G ONLY) and added to the APP. This whole process went well and in accordance with the Sonoff instructions. I think it took less than 3 minutes per device to set up. I did all the linking and set up schedules from inside my home with the Sonoff devices just a few feet away from my WiFi router.How far away from WiFi?Once the three modules were connected to the APP on my SmartPhone I unplugged and carried them outside to three locations where I needed to control lighting. I covered the devices with a plastic bag (not tightly sealed - for air circulation) and/or inverted flower pot - see pictures. This was to provide at least some protection from my sprinklers, which run every week, and the occasional rain. One device was on a covered porch, still exposed to outside temperatures, wind, etc. but protected from direct rain or sprinkling. I didn't cover that one - as shown.The farthest device was 30+ ft. from the WiFi router. The other two were only about 12-14 Ft. from the router but outside of concrete and stucco walls. If you set up schedules for the outlets to turn off/on when the modules are near the router, you can then carry them outside the range of your WiFi and they will still operate just fine, since the schedules are actually downloaded to the module once set. Put another way, the modules do not have to communicate constantly via WiFi to do their job. However, if you try to change the schedule WHILE the Sonoff is out of range of WiFi, you will not be able to do that. I did not have that problem with either of the modules, even the one that was about 32' away. It stayed connected to WiFi for the 4+ weeks it was in use.I have been a fan of Sonoff for a long time. My experience has been that they are very reliable and cost-effective Internet of Things solutions. The S31 did not disappoint. I have used other Sonoff devices with IFTT but did not do that with these. Also - the modules did not loose their schedules when power was occasionally interrupted. And they reconnected immediately and automatically to the WiFi as soon as power was returned.If you need to control an AC operated device from far away and have WiFi somewhere near the devices, these will do a great job for you, particularly if you want something that doesn't require a whole lot of "Geekiness" to get working! Just remember - they are not really meant for use outside ;-)

These work great for flashing Tasmota, but you need to be familiar with the flashing process. Here are some tips:- Highly recommend those rubberized "Mini probe test leads" to clip between the board and FTDI flasher to avoid the annoyance of doing a hard solder just to flash the device.- Any basic FTDI-type USB flasher will work, just make sure it can provide 3.3v (make sure to set it to 3.3v before connecting!). There's a cheap FT232RL $5 one on here--make sure you have any requisite USB connector for it (mine needed the uncommon USB mini adapter).- Opening the Sonoff isn't terrible difficult, use a spudger or mini flathead screwdriver to pop off the grey cap on the side facing the plug. Remove the white sliding things, and be gentle doing the 3 screws since they strip easily.- Grab the latest tasmota.bin from Github. There are multiple tools that can flash it, I used ESPHome Flasher.- Flashing: 1. Connect GND, RX, and TX probes between the Sonoff and your FT device, but don't connect VCC just yet. GND goes to GND, but RX goes to TX and vice versa! 2. Plug in FT device to computer. 3. HOLD DOWN button on the Sonoff device and connect VCC--if your FT device has LEDs they should flash but Sonoff should not. 4. Refresh ESPHome Flasher and it should detect your device on the USB port. Load the firmware .bin and flash it. 5. If successful, put the Sonoff back in its housing and plug it into an outlet to test. Use your phone to connect to the temporary AP so you can give it your wifi details. That's it! Future updates can be done OTA.

Enclosure design is excellent for getting access to innards to flash custom firmware (Tasmota in my case). Not glued together but held together with snaps and screws. Build quality is good. Did not use stock software to control with Alexa but flashed firmware for local control (device does not “phone home” to China. WiFi reception is strong with the ESP chip (stronger than many comparable devices). So far, very pleased with design and results. All together, I’ve purchased 8 of the S31 (both Lite and EM versions) and they all work (some other brands were somewhat hit or miss). Good QC.

Sonoff has a reputation for being very friendly to developers and home-automation enthusiasts. It is a very common practice to flash alternate hardware on these. Of course, doing so voids any sort of warranty and eliminates the possibility of sending them back, so it's always done at the purchaser's own risk. That being said, I've had no problem with other Sonoff products. However, these are a disaster. I destroyed one just trying to get the screws out. They are in far tighter than could ever be necessary. Another one I destroyed by trying to solder little wires onto the pads for programming. One of the pads came off.All of these might still work with the original firmware, but they are completely useless to me that way. They require Internet connectivity to work, so what happens when my crappy satellite internet fails? I have to crawl around under tables and behind furniture to find the little buttons that I have to press just to turn things on or off.This has been a major disappointment for me. I thought Sonoff treated their customers better than this.

Even with the new UL listing they kept the WiFi portion the same so it is easy to flash with open source firmware. Super easy to open as it is not glued, all held together with screws. Rare to see that with smart plugs!

I have a number of these and they are quite handy. However, note that this is the “Lite” version and cannot measure power like the full version can: it can only turn on and off. Also pairing can be a bit of a pain. Also, I wish, wish, wish they had a documented, local network API so I could integrate them with my own home control system. The app is ok but I want to bypass the cloud.

Not using it as it was intended, But works really well with my own personal firmware on it!

I ordered a Sonoff S31 lite a couple of months ago and just got down to opening it in order to flash it with Tasmota software. Unfortunately it is clear that someone else had tried to flash the device and managed in the process to pull off two of the soldering pads (Rx and Tx) and then, I'm assuming, returned it. It's my bad luck that the return deadline has passed but it is clear that what I was sold was NOT a new device. Bad form Amazon!

After trying to connect it via their app and Alexa for an hour I gave up. Isn't home automation supposed to make life easier? It seems unless its an Amazon product (which pairs seemlessly) Chinese knockoffs are a huge hassle

Unable to integrate with home wifi