Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch Review: A 16A Relay That Hides Behind the Switch You Already Have
The Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch is a retrofit module that sits inside the wall box behind an existing switch and turns that circuit into a Zigbee device without changing the switch plate. Its advantage over the ZBMINIR2 it succeeds is the relay itself, rated 16A and 3840W on resistive loads, which brings electric heating and ventilation circuits into range instead of lighting alone. It needs a neutral wire and a Zigbee coordinator, and it does not meter consumption, so it suits a home that already runs a Zigbee network rather than a first smart device. For more load headroom in a module that still fits a standard box, it is a straightforward upgrade.
- Retrofitting existing wall switches
- Homes already running a Zigbee network
- High-load lighting, heating and ventilation circuits
- Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT setups
- Tight EU, 86-type and 120-type wall boxes
Pros
- 16A and 3840W resistive rating, roughly 60 percent more current than the ZBMINIR2
- Compact 39.5 x 33 x 16.8 mm body fits EU flush-mounted, 86-type and 120-type wall boxes
- Acts as a Zigbee router, quoted at 180 m to the gateway and 250 m in Turbo mode
- Detach relay mode keeps smart bulbs powered while the wall switch still triggers them
- Configurable power-on state (On, Off or Keep) plus a delayed power-on timer
- Built-in temperature sensing cuts the output before the relay overheats
- Works with Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant, and reaches Apple Home through a SONOFF Matter bridge
- Bluetooth Proximity Mode allows direct phone control and setup with no gateway present
- Physical button on the module, plus over-the-air firmware updates
- 2-year manufacturer warranty
Cons
- Requires a Zigbee coordinator or gateway, there is no Wi-Fi radio on board
- A neutral wire is mandatory in the wall box
- One relay channel only, so a second circuit needs a second module
- Energy monitoring is reserved for the separate MINI ONE PM model
- Apple Home and Matter arrive through a SONOFF Matter bridge rather than directly
- No DIN rail mount and no dry contact mode for low-voltage control
- Native ZHA support is still pending, so Zigbee2MQTT is the smoother path today
Who is the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch for?
This is a concealed relay module rather than a switch you look at: it goes into the wall box behind the plate that is already there, keeps the existing manual control, and adds Zigbee on top. The job comes with two prerequisites. The box has to carry a neutral wire alongside the live one, and the home has to have a Zigbee coordinator, because the module has no Wi-Fi radio of its own and joins someone else network. Its 39.5 x 33 x 16.8 mm body and 27.3 g weight are sized for EU flush-mounted boxes as well as 86-type and 120-type boxes, with a 60 mm box depth recommended. One relay channel means one circuit per module.
What the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch offers
The relay is the headline: 16A and 3840W at 100-240V on resistive loads, roughly 60 percent more current than the ZBMINIR2, which is what opens up electric heating and ventilation circuits rather than lighting alone. Built-in temperature sensing watches the relay and cuts the output before it reaches its safety threshold, the kind of protection that matters on a component sealed inside a wall. Detach relay mode splits the wired switch from the output, so smart bulbs downstream stay powered and controllable while the wall switch becomes a trigger instead of a power cut. The power-on state is configurable as On, Off or Keep, with a delayed power-on timer that staggers loads after an outage instead of restoring them all at once. On the network side the module is a Zigbee router rather than an end device, so it relays traffic for its neighbours, and SONOFF quotes 180 m to the gateway with 250 m available in Turbo mode. Bluetooth handles Proximity Mode, which lets a phone talk to the switch directly for basic control and settings when no gateway is in place, and firmware arrives over the air.
What to know before you buy
The Zigbee coordinator and the neutral wire are both mandatory, and neither is negotiable: this model has no no-neutral variant and no Wi-Fi fallback. There is one relay channel, so a two-gang wall plate needs two modules or the two-gang MINI Duo 2 instead. Energy monitoring is absent here; per-circuit power metering is what the separate MINI ONE PM model exists for. The module is built for a wall box, so there is no DIN rail mount, and it switches mains through its two parallel L Out terminals rather than offering a dry contact for low-voltage control. On the software side, Zigbee2MQTT is the smoother route today, with native support from version 2.12.1; the equivalent ZHA support is still working its way through review, and until it lands SONOFF publishes a setup script that fills the gap. Apple Home and Matter both arrive through a SONOFF Matter bridge such as the ZBBridge-U, iHost or eWeLink CUBE with a SONOFF Zigbee dongle, so budget for that hardware if the Apple ecosystem is the target.
Is the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch worth it?
Judged as a component rather than a gadget, the case is simple: one small module and an hour with the wall plate off make an existing circuit smart, and the 16A relay means the same module now covers loads its predecessor could not. The trade-offs are structural rather than surprising, being the hub, the neutral wire and the single channel, and every one of them is visible before the box is opened. If the home already runs Zigbee and the goal is more headroom per module while keeping the switch plate, this is the strongest of the SONOFF MINI relays; if per-circuit consumption data matters, the metering sibling is the version to buy, and if two circuits share one box, the two-gang model does that in the same footprint.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch need a hub?
Yes. It speaks Zigbee 3.0 and carries no Wi-Fi radio, so it has to join an existing Zigbee network through a coordinator or gateway: a SONOFF dongle, a SONOFF Zigbee bridge, an Echo with a built-in Zigbee hub or a SmartThings hub all qualify. Proximity Mode over Bluetooth covers basic control and settings when no gateway is available.
Does the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch need a neutral wire?
Yes. SONOFF specifies a neutral alongside the live wire. The wiring uses N and L for the supply, two parallel L Out terminals for the load and S1 for the existing wall switch, with recommended conductor sizes from 18 AWG to 14 AWG.
How much load can the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch handle?
It is rated 16A at 100-240V, 50/60Hz, which works out to 3840W on a resistive load. SONOFF publishes only the resistive rating, so inductive and capacitive circuits such as motors, transformers and LED drivers should be sized conservatively.
Does the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch measure energy use?
It reports switching state only. Per-circuit power metering is the job of the separate MINI ONE PM, the measuring version of the same family.
Does the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch work with Apple Home?
Yes, through a SONOFF Matter bridge. The module is a Zigbee device, so a bridge such as the ZBBridge-U, iHost or eWeLink CUBE with a SONOFF Zigbee dongle republishes it into Matter, and it then appears in the Home app alongside the rest of the Apple setup.
Can the Sonoff MINI ONE Zigbee Smart Switch keep smart bulbs powered?
Yes. Detach relay mode separates the wall switch from the relay output, so the bulbs stay energised and reachable while the physical switch becomes a trigger for scenes and automations instead of cutting their power.
