Sonoff NSPanel WiFi two-button smart light switch with touch LED display, thermostat, smart control - a detailed description

SONOFF NSPanel could be a great home control centre…but what can it really be used for, what are the limits that make it limited to a certain user group, or is that no longer the case? Since it arrived in the mail there have been several updates that I think are critical to the use of the device. One of them is a good move towards “open” usability. No, I don’t want to flash it (although it could be), but I want the factory options to be expanded….but let’s see what we get today and why I dare to recommend it to anyone instead of expensive solutions.

🔥Where to buy:
ITEAD / Sonoff online shop (12% OFF coupon code: WPBARKACS)
https://randomsmartthings.com/smarthome/nspanel

What’s in the box, what do you need to know?

Sonoff NSPanel is a WiFi, two physical buttons smart light switch with touch LED display where you can control your smart devices, built-in thermometer with thermostat function. Let’s break it down then, exactly what it does and who it’s really worth it for.

In the box

You will not find any exaggeration. The box contains the NSPanel controller, a manual and two screws for installation. What was a pleasant surprise, however, is that a soft protective material has been put on the front of the display to prevent it from getting damaged during transport or when you take it out of the box.

Two-channel switch

While the NSPanel can control multiple devices, it is also equipped with two independent physical buttons that allow you to control two of the most commonly used devices independently, as before…or chandelier switches. This makes it a great option to replace the ordinary wall switch, because you don’t lose anything.

After the update, you can control one of the switch/relay to act as a switch for your heating system.

3.5″ LED touch screen

Above two physical switches, a 3.5″ touchscreen perfectly fills the space, allowing you to control your eWeLink devices, actions, groups, but also a full thermostat function, or just leave it to display the current weather, temperature and date.

Main screen

Everyone should show the good side if possible. On the main screen of the NSPanel, after entering your location, you will find the current weather, daily min-max temperature, WIFI connection indicator, time and date, and thermostat temperature (or temperature and humidity with an external sensor). In addition, two bars above the switches indicate if any channel is active.

Built-in thermometer and thermostat function

Although a software update was important for this feature, we now have a smart thermostat that is quite usable. It’s still not ideal for everyone, but it can be used for possibly smaller solutions. We can set the internal thermometer’s detection correction (if it is off by one or more degrees for some reason), optional sensor option if we had an external sensor like the SNZB-02 which gives a more accurate reading + humidity reading.

Although I don’t fully understand the logic, thanks to updates it is now possible to select one of the two channels as a thermostat action, but the push button can still be pressed to stop it if, for example, it starts a heating. Why is this not good? Because we can give these relays a maximum load of 2A which is ideal for a circulating pump, but not suitable for dry-contact (simple on/off) or heating solutions requiring more power.

Widgets or control centre for your home… in small

Swipe to the right on the screen and you will be taken to the NSPanel “control centre” where you will find 8 possible widget spots. In the eWeLink application you can add your devices, groups, scenes to these empty spots.

Let’s say you have a Sonoff RGB LED lightbar and you want to control it from here… no problem, add it and a full control panel will be available once you click on that one widget:

What else do you know?

You can actually find the use of timing, groups and scenes, but this is first and foremost due to the added tools and automations. However, a great and quickly accessible room or apartment control centre can be created using NSPanel in place of a former light switch.

It’s also important to note that it’s compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home assistants, so the settings you make here are also available on voice command.

Home Assistant and Tasmota

Thanks to updates, we can now add other vendors’ devices as widgets (e.g. Shelly relays). This essentially syncs the possible devices to our eWeLink app with the official add-on on our HA server and they are now available as both widgets and devices that we can use the automations of our other devices for!

Of course, for the DIY enthusiasts, Tasmota and ESPHome are available, as this is another system using ESP32 chip 🙂

Installation

Switch off the circuit breaker of the apartment/house that was the power supply for the switch in question
Remove the old switch and connect the NSanel (IMPORTANT: you will need the zero and phase to work for this device)
Once you have installed the new switch / panel and safely turned on the circuit breaker the Sonoff logo will appear on the display as an animation and will wait for a connection. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, get an electrician to do it, because you can get electrocuted here if you’re not careful!!!
Launch the eWelink app on your mobile
Find the add button and click on it in the app
Click on bluetooth paring and you will see the NSPanel with the usual random name in the list
Next you will be prompted for a WIFI connection, select your own wifi network and enter the password, then click Save in the top right corner
5-15sec to sort the data and you’re done

Update

Depending on the age of your device, it may need to be updated to make all features available. In this case, go to the NSPanel in the eWeLink app, click on the three dots in the top corner and go to Update. Be patient, once done again the home logo will come up on the main screen. Restart the eWeLink app in 5 minutes and the new options will be there 🙂