Sonoff Basic Gen5 Review: A Budget Matter Relay That Hides Behind Any Switch Plate
The Sonoff Basic Gen5 is a concealed single-channel relay that turns a wired lighting or appliance circuit into a Matter accessory over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, with no hub in the middle. It keeps the smart-home basics in order: a large touch surface on the module, a configurable power-on state, detach-relay mode, timers and scenes in eWeLink, and over-the-air firmware updates. The trade-offs are those of a budget 10A unit, since it needs a neutral wire, it is rated for resistive loads only, and Sonoff publishes no inductive or capacitive ratings, no energy metering, no dry contact and no DIN-rail option. For one circuit that simply needs to be controllable from the major ecosystems, it is a cheap way into Matter.
- Budget buyers
- Retrofitting a wired light switch
- Matter homes (Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, Home Assistant)
- Simple single-circuit control
Pros
- Matter over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, so no vendor hub is needed
- Works with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings
- Home Assistant via Matter, commissioned without the eWeLink app
- Rated 10A at 100-240V for a lighting circuit or one appliance
- Compact body that fits inside a standard electrical box
- A large touch surface on the module for manual on/off control
- Detach-relay mode frees the wired switch from the load
- Configurable power-on state after an outage
- Timers, schedules, inching mode and scenes in eWeLink
- Over-the-air firmware updates
- Bluetooth for Matter commissioning and near-field local control
- Two-year warranty
Cons
- Requires a neutral wire, so it will not fit older two-wire boxes
- Rated for resistive loads only, with no published inductive or capacitive ratings
- Switches the live wire only, with no dry contact for low-voltage circuits
- No energy monitoring
- Single channel, so no interlock for a two-direction motor
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only, with no 5GHz band
- No Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave or RF radio, so it cannot extend a mesh
- Mounts inside an electrical box, not on a DIN rail
- No documented over-temperature, over-voltage, over-current or over-power cutoff
Who is the Sonoff Basic Gen5 for?
This is a concealed module, not a switch you look at: at 80.5 x 41.5 x 23.6 mm and 44.8g it is designed to sit inside the electrical box behind an existing wall switch or at the start of a lighting run, keeping the plate and the mechanical switch where they are. It is a single-channel device rated 10A at 100-240V, enough for a lighting circuit or one appliance, and it requires a neutral wire, so it fits boxes wired with neutral rather than older two-wire runs. The audience is anyone wanting a very cheap way to add Matter control to one circuit without changing the wiring that is already there.
What stands out on paper
The headline is Matter over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi with no vendor hub: the module commissions over Bluetooth and joins a Matter fabric directly, which is what carries it into Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant. Around that, the practical extras are the ones that matter in a retrofit. Power-on state decides whether the circuit comes back on, stays off or restores its previous state after an outage. Detach-relay mode frees the wired switch from the load so only the app or an automation controls it. Timers, schedules, inching mode and scenes live in eWeLink, and OTA updates keep the firmware current. A whole top surface that works as one large touch button gives manual control on the device itself, and Sonoff backs it with a two-year warranty.
What to know before you buy
The neutral wire is the hard requirement, and it is the thing to check before ordering. Beyond that, the rating is 10A for resistive loads only, and Sonoff publishes no separate inductive or capacitive figures, so motors, transformers and LED drivers should be sized conservatively rather than assumed to reach the maximum. The output switches the live wire through the L-Out terminal and is not a dry contact, so a boiler, gate controller or other low-voltage circuit needs a different device. There is a single channel, so no interlock behaviour for a two-direction motor, and the module mounts inside an electrical box rather than on a DIN rail (that is the separate BASIC-1GSP). It is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only, with no 5GHz, Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave or RF, so it joins a network as a leaf and never extends one. Energy monitoring is absent, and no over-temperature, over-voltage, over-current or over-power cutoff is documented, so protection upstream of the module is the installer's job.
Is the Sonoff Basic Gen5 worth it?
Judged as a budget entry into Matter, the specification is coherent: 10A switching, no hub, the major ecosystems through Matter, a big manual button, detach-relay and power-on-state modes, and OTA updates, in a body small enough for a standard back box. The comparison it invites is against a plain Wi-Fi smart switch or a more expensive Matter relay, and the answer is that the price is the feature: it gives up the extras of the pricier relays, metering, dry contact, multiple channels, a DIN-rail mount, rated inductive and capacitive loads, to do one job very cheaply. It is not the right pick when the circuit has no neutral, when the load is a demanding motor, or when you need to measure what the circuit uses, but within its single-circuit job it is a well-equipped and inexpensive module.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Sonoff Basic Gen5 need a neutral wire?
Yes. The module has N-In and N-Out terminals and the listings state it needs a neutral wire, so a switch box wired with only a live loop will not work.
Does the Sonoff Basic Gen5 need a hub?
No. It is a Matter accessory over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, so it joins a Matter fabric directly and works with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant without a Sonoff bridge. A Matter controller such as a HomePod, Apple TV, Google or Echo speaker, a SmartThings hub or a Home Assistant install acts as the hub you already have.
Which smart home ecosystems does it work with?
Matter is what brings it into Apple Home, Google Home and Amazon Alexa, and the same Matter path covers Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant. It does not need the eWeLink app to be commissioned into those platforms, though eWeLink is where the extra settings such as power-on state and inching mode are configured.
Does the Sonoff Basic Gen5 support energy monitoring?
No. It can switch a circuit on and off, but it does not measure power or energy consumption, so a relay with metering is needed to track what a connected load uses.
What load can the Sonoff Basic Gen5 switch?
It is rated 10A at 100-240V, 50/60Hz, and that figure is stated as a maximum resistive load. Sonoff does not publish separate inductive or capacitive ratings, so motors, transformers and LED drivers should be sized conservatively rather than assumed to reach 10A.
Does the Sonoff Basic Gen5 have a dry contact output?
No. The L-Out terminal carries a switched live wire, so the contact is not potential-free. A boiler, gate controller or other low-voltage circuit needs a dry-contact module instead.
