I’m doing some simple comparisons between two ‘no neutral’ zigbee solutions:
SONOFF ZBMINI-L
–and–
MOES ZigBee Smart Touch Wall Light Switch ZTS-US
They are different in their approach in two main ways:
1 - Style and look
SONOFF uses the existing switch, no change to look if you do not change switch
MOES uses a modern glass touch UX replacing the existing switch.
2 - Switching device
SONOFF uses a mechanical relay, that brings along a fairly noticeable ‘click’
MOES uses some type of MOSFET or similar for switching, no noise.
So far, still needs some more time, however I am NOT seeing the remote switching delay on the MOES that is noticeable on the SONOFF.
The MOES switch is not too deep, so install in older boxes should be okay. I would cover the screw taps on the unit with electrical tape. A plus for the SONOFF device, they do a nice job with a cover for the screw taps.
If you are okay with the ‘high tech’ look of the MOES, so far, I am giving it the lead. However, I did pay 50% more for the MOES. USD 30 vs. USD 20 via Amazon for MOES. Perhaps a AliExpress purchase would reduce the difference.
I purchased the ‘3 gang’ MOES unit, just for kicks. I am pretty sure, the 1, 2, 3, and 4 gang all work the same. 4 gang most different button layout.
I was hoping that one of these devices offered a ‘disconnect’ between the switch and the relay. However, no luck on this with either SONOFF or MOES.
If the significant other could deal with it, the 2, 3 and 4 gang Moes devices do offer somewhat of an added control, in that I only have to hook up the 1st gang in the middle of the load wire to power the switch. But the remaining buttons ‘work’ in that they send state changes that you can use to create ‘virtual’ switches and control other things in Home Assistant. Note, the MOES, similar some other devices tends to ‘repeat’ messages a couple of times, sometimes. SO that will have to filtered.
I am doing my testing on zigbee2mqtt 1.23-dev with a SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 dongle with the Dec 2021 firmware.
I have been testing with two different loads, a 60 watt incandescent bulb and a 10.5 watt 800 lumen dimmable LED bulb. Swapping them to see if there is an effect on the switching, so far no changes on either switching devices behavior due to bulb.
