I have already presented the two smart devices Shelly Plus 1 and Shelly Plus 1 Mini to you in detail in separate articles. Now it’s time to make a comprehensive comparison between these two switches. In this article, you’ll find out everything you need to know to choose the right switch for your individual project. Let’s find out together which of the two devices best suits your needs.
Table of Contents
- Comparison of technical data
- Features of the Shelly Plus 1 & Shelly Plus 1 Mini
- Comparison of Shelly Plus 1 Mini & Plus 1 prices
- Space-saving thanks to the small design of the Shelly Plus 1 Mini
- Conclusion & conclusion
Comparison of technical data
Let’s start with the technical data of the two devices:
| Shelly Plus 1 Mini | Shelly Plus 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions(L x B x T) | 35 mm x 29 mm x 16 mm | 42 mm x 38 mm x 17 mm |
| Processor | ESP32 | |
| Interfaces | WLAN & Bluetooth | |
| max. Voltage AC | 240 V | |
| max. Current AC | 8 A | 16 A |
| max. Voltage DC | 30 V | |
| max. Current DC | 5 A | 10 A |
| Potential-free contacts | Ja | |
Features of the Shelly Plus 1 & Shelly Plus 1 Mini
The Shelly Plus 1 can be seen as the big brother of the Shelly Plus 1 Mini, as it has the same features apart from the socket strip for the add-on. But this add-on is, in my opinion, a really useful feature when it comes to integration into a smart home.
Bluetooth Gateway
If you want to use a Shelly Door/Window, for example, then you need a Bluetooth gateway, here you can also use one of the two Shelly’s and thus integrate your window/door sensor into your Smarthome.
Creating customised actions (scenes)
You can create customised actions with both devices, but the Shelly must be connected to the cloud.
You can control this either via the computer by logging into your Shelly Cloud at https://home.shelly.cloud/.
Or you can use the Shelly Smart Control app, which allows you to control/configure it very conveniently via your tablet or mobile phone.
Switching consumers
Probably the most essential feature of a Shelly is switching a load with a relay. The large Shelly Plus 1 has a clear advantage here, as it can switch loads up to 16 A at 230 V alternating current and 10 A at 30 V direct current (see ‘Technical data’ table). The small Shelly Plus 1 Mini can only switch half the power in each case.
Comparison of Shelly Plus 1 Mini & Plus 1 prices
If we now take a look at the prices of the two devices, it is noticeable that they are not much apart.
| Shelly | ShellyParts | BerryBase | Pollin Electronic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelly Plus 1 | 14,90 € | 14,90 € | 14,90 € | 17,95 € |
| Shelly Plus 1 Mini | 14,16 € | 13,88 € | 13,90 € | 14,16 € |
The shops listed are of course not exhaustive, but I have had very good experiences with them and can therefore highly recommend them to you.
This comparison of the prices of the Shelly Plus 1 appliances clearly shows that the little dwarf is also a competitor to the big one in terms of price.
Space-saving thanks to the small design of the Shelly Plus 1 Mini
The smaller Shelly Plus 1 Mini has a huge advantage over the Shelly Plus 1 due to its compact design.
This becomes clearest when you look at how much space these two devices take up in a cavity box or flush-mounted box.
Both have a similar amount of space in the cavity box, although the small Shelly offers even more space to the right and left for Wago terminals.
The situation is different with the most commonly installed flush-mounted boxes, where the Shelly Plus 1 incl. switch does not fit in at all and therefore the small Shelly Plus 1 Mini is the better choice for making a switch smart.
Conclusion & conclusion
Whether the new Shelly Plus 1 Mini is right for you also depends on the area of application. A normal socket outlet can switch a maximum of 16 A and with the Shelly Plus 1 Mini you halve this. This is certainly sufficient for a normal lamp or a television/radio, but it would not survive a washing machine or even a tumble dryer.
I was particularly impressed by the small design, so I can install one of these small Shellys in my normal flush-mounted boxes behind the switches and thus make the lights in my house smart and control them via Amazon Alexa.
The comparison of the two Shelly Plus 1s is not yet complete, as the long-term test will now follow. So stay tuned to see what else will appear on my blog about the Shelly Plus 1 Mini.