Shelly 1 Gen3 vs Shelly 1L Gen4

It depends on the wiring and the job. The Shelly 1L Gen4 is the better fit for a light circuit with no neutral and for a Zigbee household, since it needs no neutral and adds Zigbee plus Matter. The Shelly 1 Gen3 is the more versatile relay for appliance switching, dry contacts and DC projects, and it costs less.

The neutral wire and the load it can switch. The Shelly 1L Gen4 runs with no neutral using its included Bypass but is limited to 200 W lighting on a wet contact, while the Shelly 1 Gen3 needs a neutral on mains power and switches 16A across AC or DC with dry and wet contacts.

Neither needs a hub for Wi-Fi or Matter, since both connect directly and support local control. The Shelly 1L Gen4 can also join a Zigbee network, which does need a compatible Zigbee coordinator. Both work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant.

No. Neither the Shelly 1 Gen3 nor the Shelly 1L Gen4 has energy monitoring, so neither reports power consumption. A Shelly PM model is the one to choose when metering matters.

No. Its 200 W maximum switching power and wet-contact-only output keep it to lighting circuits. For a garage door, a pump or a low-voltage job, the Shelly 1 Gen3 is the one with the 16A rating, the dry contacts and the DC power option.

Someone adding smart control to a single light circuit in a box with no neutral, especially in a home that runs Zigbee or Matter, who wants the Bypass included and a Zigbee repeater in the wall.

A DIYer retrofitting a circuit that has a neutral and needs real flexibility: 16A to a pump, a garage door or a low-voltage load, dry or wet contacts, and AC or DC power, at a low price.