SONOFF Basic DIN Rail Zigbee: What It Adds to Home Assistant

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Albert BarnosellEditor and publisher of Tecnoyfoto

The SONOFF Basic DIN Rail Zigbee, model BASIC-ZB1GSP, combines circuit switching and electrical measurements in a DIN rail device. In my test, I paired it with Zigbee2MQTT and checked its controls. This guide builds on that experience: how the Home Assistant connection works, what the readings mean, which settings are useful, and where platform and firmware differences matter.

Disclosure: Sonoff provided the device for this content. The store link is an affiliate link and may earn Tecnoyfoto a commission.

What I Actually Tested

Before installing a device in the electrical panel, I like to check it with a test cord. That’s what I do in the video: prepare a test connection, allow devices to join Zigbee2MQTT, wait for detection, and check on/off control. The recording does not show a completed permanent panel installation or a test under a high-power load.

The relay sounds a little noisy to me. I switch it again and comment that it works well. That’s my listening impression, not a sound-level measurement. I’m also surprised by the number of controls and counters available. Neither observation establishes metering accuracy, full-load temperature, or savings on an electric bill.

Check the Model: BASIC-ZB1GSP vs. BASIC-1GSP

This guide covers the Zigbee BASIC-ZB1GSP. The similar BASIC-1GSP uses Matter over Wi-Fi, which I leave for another video. Check the model identifier before following setup instructions or comparing features. Sonoff lists them separately in its manual catalog.

The Zigbee version needs a compatible coordinator or gateway. It doesn’t join your Wi-Fi network directly, and sharing a product family with the Matter version doesn’t make it a native Matter device. A Matter bridge introduces another integration path, whose features depend on both the bridge and the destination platform.

A DIN Rail Switch Still Needs Circuit Protection

Sonoff specifies single-phase 100–240 V AC operation at 50/60 Hz and a maximum of 32 A. Its manual requires professional installation and maintenance, with an upstream 32 A MCB or RCBO that complies with applicable standards. The manufacturer’s requirement is not a complete design for the wiring, load, or protection in your installation.

In the video, I emphasize that this isn’t a circuit breaker. There is an important distinction: Sonoff does advertise electronic shutoff when configured current, voltage, or power limits are exceeded. Those controls don’t remove the need for the circuit’s protective devices. Remote switching and threshold settings are not permission to replace a breaker or omit required protection.

The conceptual order is supply, appropriate circuit protection, then the smart switch and load. A professional needs to determine the actual arrangement. The 32 A maximum is not a blanket recommendation for every appliance or combination of loads.

For US readers, this is a DIN rail installation context, not an assumption that the device clips into any residential electrical panel. The video shows my test arrangement; suitability, mounting, and local requirements still need to be checked for the intended installation.

My Zigbee2MQTT Pairing Experience

I enable Allow joining in Zigbee2MQTT and power the device in my test. The network light starts blinking, and the device appears. I begin explaining what I might do if it isn’t detected, but don’t need to finish that alternative procedure because it has already been found.

Once the electrical work has been prepared correctly, the digital setup path is:

1. Check that your coordinator is available and Zigbee2MQTT is running.
2. Allow devices to join and put the BASIC-ZB1GSP into pairing mode.
3. Wait for the interview to finish and confirm the model identification.
4. Give it a name that describes the circuit, then inspect its entities and readings.
5. Close joining when you’re finished.

Sonoff’s manual says the first power-up starts pairing mode for three minutes. Holding the button for about five seconds starts pairing again; holding it for more than ten seconds and releasing it performs a factory reset. Don’t confuse those actions and erase a valid pairing unnecessarily. The Zigbee2MQTT pairing guide explains how to confirm the result.

Getting the Device into Home Assistant

A device page in Zigbee2MQTT is not the same as a device page in Home Assistant. You need an MQTT broker, Home Assistant’s MQTT integration, and Zigbee2MQTT discovery enabled. The official integration guide uses:

homeassistant:
  enabled: true

Check that both services connect to the correct broker. If you haven’t set that up yet, our Mosquitto setup guide covers that part of the system. The Tecnoyfoto Zigbee2MQTT guide provides broader setup context.

Don’t try to let ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT control the same coordinator simultaneously. A Zigbee device belongs to one network at a time; pairing it with a separate gateway isn’t an additional simultaneous connection to that same device.

Understand Power, Current, Voltage, and Energy

A 1,000 W load running for one hour uses 1 kWh. That’s a calculation example, not a measurement from my test. The device measures its circuit as a whole: if several appliances share that circuit, the total doesn’t identify each appliance’s individual consumption.

The BASIC-ZB1GSP reference documents the measurements and energy counters. Consumed energy and exported energy describe different directions. Select the sensor that matches your purpose, rather than the first entity with “energy” in its name.

Add Circuit Data to the Energy Dashboard

If the switch measures one circuit within your home, treat it as an individual circuit’s consumption. Don’t add it as a second whole-home grid input if a main meter already includes that same circuit. Otherwise, you can count the same electricity twice.

1. Find an appropriate accumulated consumption sensor in kWh among the device’s entities.
2. Check that it has a valid numeric state and the required energy attributes.
3. Add it to the appropriate individual consumption section of the Energy dashboard.
4. If you also meter appliances on that circuit, configure the upstream/downstream relationships.
5. Review the readings and statistics before interpreting the chart.

Home Assistant’s energy FAQ requires an energy sensor with device_class: energy, a supported unit, and state_class: total or total_increasing. Power sensors use power and measurement. Current documentation supports power in the appropriate dashboard fields; that doesn’t mean you can put W into a field expecting accumulated energy.

The individual-device documentation explains meter hierarchies. If you only have power readings, the Integral helper can estimate energy from samples. Don’t create a second estimate automatically if you already have a suitable energy counter. For billing periods or time-based tariffs, Utility Meter can organize consumption into cycles.

Cost estimates need your actual electricity rate and a clear understanding of what’s included. Multiplying kWh by a rate doesn’t necessarily reproduce the entire utility bill, and monitoring alone doesn’t establish savings.

Choose What Happens After a Power Outage

I prefer restoring the previous state. Zigbee2MQTT documents four options: off, on, toggle, and previous. The right choice depends on the connected equipment; automatic restart isn’t desirable for every load.

In the video, I show my preference in the setting. I don’t perform a complete outage test for every option. Restoring the relay’s state also isn’t the same as resuming an appliance’s internal program after it loses power.

Inching: 10 Minutes Means 600 Seconds

I use ten minutes as an example of an automatic shutoff, then disable the function because I don’t need it for that test. Zigbee2MQTT groups the enable setting, duration, and mode under inching_control_set. For the shutoff example, enable it, enter 600 seconds, and select the off mode.

The documented Zigbee2MQTT range is 0.5–3599.5 seconds. Sonoff’s help center, however, lists up to 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59.5 seconds for eWeLink. I checked the converter revision used for this guide: this model uses the 3599.5-second limit. Don’t assume that the almost-24-hour eWeLink range appears in the interface shown in my video.

A delay inside a Home Assistant automation runs on the server and is a different mechanism. I haven’t verified the device timer’s persistence through every type of restart or power loss. If a timed sequence matters to your setup, test its complete behavior.

Network Light and Relay Sound

I toggle the connection light in the video and mention that it may be hard to see in the recording. The network_indicator setting controls the blue network indicator. Turning that light off doesn’t mean you’re turning the output off. The red light indicates the relay’s state.

The audible click is another part of my experience. Its importance depends on the panel’s location, but I haven’t measured its sound level or compared the noise of multiple units.

Does the BASIC-ZB1GSP Work with ZHA?

In the recording, I say that I think it also works with Home Assistant’s Zigbee. For this guide, I found zha-device-handlers proposal #5033, which adds model-specific support. As of this review on October 29, 2026, it remains open and unmerged. That doesn’t establish full feature support in an ordinary installed ZHA release.

It also doesn’t prove that basic pairing or basic controls are impossible. The precise answer is: I tested Zigbee2MQTT; full feature parity with ZHA is unconfirmed. Model-specific behavior can depend on quirks, device firmware, and the Home Assistant version. The ZHA documentation explains why some devices need this special handling.

History, Export, and Firmware Differences

Sonoff documents consumption history and export in eWeLink. Home Assistant doesn’t automatically inherit the same screens or an identical export button. Zigbee2MQTT has record-reading mechanisms, and its converter enables some features according to firmware, including exported-energy counters and changes to record reading starting with version 1.3.0.

I haven’t identified the exact firmware of my test unit or completed a data export in this video. If your interface differs, record the device firmware and Zigbee2MQTT version before concluding that something is broken. Data stored by the device, server-side history, and dashboard charts are separate layers.

Useful Automation Ideas

A useful starting point is an alert when a circuit maintains an unexpected load outside its usual hours. You could also compare daily circuit energy or identify the end of an activity after observing its real pattern. These are ideas to develop, not complete automations I demonstrated in the video.

For an appliance-finished alert, observe its phases and use a suitable time window: a brief power drop doesn’t always mean the cycle has ended. Don’t automatically cut power to a shared circuit containing equipment that must keep running. If you don’t yet understand the load’s behavior, start with notifications.

A Home Assistant numeric-state trigger reacts when a threshold is crossed, not continuously while the value stays beyond it. Delays, waits, and an active for period can also be lost when Home Assistant restarts. The automation troubleshooting documentation explains these cases. That server-side behavior shouldn’t be described as identical to the device’s internal timer.

Troubleshooting: What to Check First

The Zigbee2MQTT FAQ and network stability guide help separate these causes. Erasing your entire network isn’t a sensible first step. Check communication with the panel in its normal operating condition, not just during a test outside the enclosure.

Price, Discount Code, and My Assessment

In the video, I mention a price of about €20 and the Tecnoyfoto coupon for 10% off, bringing it to roughly €18. A check in the official store’s cart for this model on October 29, 2026, confirmed that the code applied: €20.47 before the discount and €18.43 after it, before shipping and the final order total. This is a one-time check, not a guarantee of future pricing or availability. Check the total and terms before paying; some promotional campaigns may exclude or limit the coupon. This offer does not extend to Amazon or other stores.

You can check the model through my affiliate link to Sonoff’s official storeAffiliate link. Final pricing can depend on your destination, shipping, and current promotions. The euro figures describe the recording; they aren’t converted into a promised US dollar price.

My first test shows straightforward pairing on the network I use, an audible relay, and a range of controls that surprised me. Its appeal is combining circuit control and monitoring in a DIN rail format. Whether it fits your setup depends on the circuit, protection, radio coverage, and available integration features, as well as price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it replace a breaker or residual-current protection?

No. Sonoff’s threshold shutoff features don’t remove the protective devices required by the installation and the manual.

Does it identify each appliance on the circuit?

No. It measures the circuit’s combined consumption. You need additional measurements to separate individual appliances.

Do I need eWeLink for the setup shown here?

The demonstrated route uses Zigbee2MQTT. Home Assistant receives the entities through MQTT discovery; this doesn’t require pairing the same device simultaneously with an eWeLink gateway.

Can I follow instructions for the Matter version?

Use the BASIC-ZB1GSP documentation. A similar enclosure doesn’t make communication setup or platform features interchangeable.

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