Lately, you have approached the world of home automation and, to control a remote switch and make your home more “intelligent”, you have decided to buy a Sonoff Mini . Being at your first experience with this type of device, however, you do not have the slightest idea how to proceed to install and configure it: for this reason, you are wondering if I can give you a hand in this regard. Of course yes, God forbid!
If you dedicate a few minutes of your free time to me, I can explain how to connect Sonoff Mini by providing you with all the information you need to succeed in your intent. In addition to the instructions to install it in the home electrical system, you will find the detailed procedure for connecting it to your Wi-Fi network and carrying out the first configuration.
How do you say? Is that exactly what you wanted to know? So let’s not waste any more precious time and see how to proceed. Make yourself comfortable, take all the time you see fit and dedicate yourself to reading the next paragraphs. I assure you that, by carefully following my instructions and trying to put them into practice, you will be able to install and configure your Sonoff Mini. Happy reading and, above all, good work!
Index
- How to connect Sonoff Mini to a switch
- How to connect Sonoff Mini to WiFi
- How to connect Sonoff Mini to Alexa
- How to connect Sonoff Mini to Google Home
- In case of doubts or problems
How to connect Sonoff Mini to a switch
If your intention is to connect Sonoff Mini to your home electrical system (eg in a wall socket), you should know that the procedure is quite simple. Despite this, my advice is to rely on an experienced person, especially if you haven’t handled electrical cables before.
That said, if you have chosen to install the device independently, first remove the power from the main generator in the house and then proceed to loosen the clamps on the Sonoff Mini using a flat screwdriver .
Once this is done, if you want to connect Sonoff Mini to a socket , disconnect the cable relating to the incoming phase (usually the brown or red cable), without touching the earth cable (usually the yellow cable) and neutral (usually the yellow cable). usually the blue cable).
Now, insert the phase input cable into the L In input of the Sonoff Mini and, taking a new cable, insert it into the L Out input to also have the phase output , which you will then need to connect to the input of the socket from where you have just disconnected the cable relating to the input phase.
Finally, take a new neutral wire and plug one end into one of the two N In inputs on the Sonoff Mini and the other end into the Neutral input of the socket (next to the other neutral wire).
If, on the other hand, your intention is to connect Sonoff Mini to a switch , open any wall box relating to the switch you are interested in and, first of all, disconnect the cables relating to the input and output phase of the switch that , then, you will have to insert the L In and L Out inputs of the Sonoff Mini.
Once this is done, cut the cable relative to the neutral and insert the two ends obtained in the two N In inputs on the Sonoff Mini. In case the cable is not of sufficient length, you can create a splice and insert the end created into one of the N In inputs of the Sonoff Mini.
Once this is done, all you have to do is connect the device to the switch. Then take two new cables (they will be used to close the contact) and insert one end into the two inputs of the switch (the same from which you previously disconnected the phase cables) and the other two ends into inputs S1 and S2 of the Sonoff Mini.
Keep in mind that the directions I just gave you may vary depending on how the cables are connected in your electrical system. For this reason, I invite you to carefully follow the connection diagrams available in the instruction manual supplied with the Sonoff Mini (which you can also download by connecting to the official Sonoff website ) or, as I have already told you in the opening lines of this guide, to rely on a person expert in the field.
How to connect Sonoff Mini to WiFi
To connect the Sonoff Mini to WiFi , take your smartphone and make sure it is connected to your home WiFi network. Keep in mind that the Sonoff Mini only supports 2.4 GHz networks : therefore, I recommend that you see the GHz of the Wi-Fi you are connected to and, if necessary, activate the 2.4GHz network from the router’s management panel .
Once this is done, access the store of your smartphone and download the eWeLink – Smart Home app , available for Android devices (also on alternative stores , for devices without Google services) and iPhone .
At the first launch of the app in question, press the Agree button and select the Create new account option , to create your account. In the new screen displayed, select your country of residence using the appropriate drop-down menu, tap the Next button , enter your email address in the Please enter your email field and press the Verification Code button , to receive a verification code via e-mail.
After retrieving the code in question, enter it in the Enter Verification Code field and create a password that you will need to use to access eWeLink, by entering it in the Please set your password and Please confirm the password fields . Finally, tap the Done button to create your account and log in to eWeLink.
Now, if you want to set the Italian language, access the Profile section , tap on the gear wheel icon , at the top right, select the Language option from the menu that opens, press on the Italian item and, in the new screen displayed, tap the Confirm button to save the changes and change the language.
At this point, make sure that the LED on the Sonoff Mini (it must already be powered) is flashing quickly , indicating that the device is in pairing mode . If not, press the button on the top of the Sonoff Mini until the LED is solid.
Once this is done, tap the + button on the main screen of the eWeLink app, select the Quick pairing option and press the Add a device item . Now, select your Wi-Fi network , enter the password in the Enter the password field and tap the Next button , to detect the devices compatible with the app in question.
As soon as your Sonoff Mini is recognized, enter the name you wish to associate with the device in the My devices field and press the Add successful buttons ! and Done , to connect the device to your home Wi-Fi network.
If everything went well, by accessing the main eWeLink screen again and selecting the Home option , located in the bottom menu, you should see all the devices associated with the app in question, including the Sonoff Mini you just connected.
If you want to manage its settings, tap on the name you have associated with the device and, in the new screen displayed, press the three dots icon , at the top right. Now, click on the option of your interest and apply the changes you prefer: for example, by tapping on the Name item , you can change the name of the Sonoff Mini, while by selecting the Assign location option , you can add the device in one of the rooms that created previously,
At this point, you are ready to control the Sonoff Mini remotely via eWeLink. To do this, access the Home section and tap the on / off button for the device in question, to turn it on and off.
Alternatively, press on the name associated with the Sonoff Mini and tap the button displayed on the screen, to control the device remotely. By pressing, instead, on one of the options located in the menu at the bottom, you can program the automatic switching on / off ( Programming ), set a switch-off timer when the device is switched on ( Countdown ) and create customized actions on certain days and time bands ( Cyclic timer ).
How to connect Sonoff Mini to Alexa
If you are wondering if it is possible to connect Sonoff Mini to Alexa and control the device in question also via voice commands, you will be happy to know that the answer is yes.
To do this, take your smartphone, start the Amazon Alexa app for Android (also available on alternative stores , for devices without Google services) or iPhone / iPad and, if you haven’t already done so, log in with your Amazon account .
At this point, press on the Devices item located in the bottom menu, tap the + button , at the top right, and select the Add device option from the menu that is proposed to you. In the new screen that appears, locate the All devices section , tap the Switch item and choose the eWeLink option .
Then press the Next and Enable use buttons and tap the Link item to connect your eWeLink account to Alexa. In some cases, you may need to enter your eWeLink account details in the Phone number / Email and Password fields .
If everything went well, you should see the message Your eWelink Smart Home account has been connected : then press the Close button and select the Discover devices option , to automatically detect your Sonoff Mini (and all others any devices connected to eWelink).
As soon as the device in question is detected, tap the Configure device button and, in the new screen displayed, choose the Select group option , to add the Sonoff Mini in one of the rooms of the house you created on Alexa.
Once this is done, on the Device [device name] screen is configured and ready to use , tap the Done button to complete the configuration of your Sonoff Mini and start controlling it both from the Alexa app and via voice commands. To find out more, I leave you to my guide on how Amazon’s Alexa works .
How to connect Sonoff Mini to Google Home
The procedure to connect Sonoff Mini to Google Home (including Google Home Mini ), is almost identical to what I have previously indicated to connect the device in question to Alexa. In fact, even in this case it is sufficient to select the option to add a new device and connect your eWeLink account.
To proceed, take your smartphone or tablet, start the Google Home app for Android or iPhone / iPad devices and, if you haven’t done so yet, log in with your Google account . Now, tap the + button , at the top left, select the Configure device option from the menu that opens and press the item Compatible with Google .
On the Add devices screen , tap on the eWeLink Smart Home option (to speed up the search, tap on the magnifying glass icon , at the top right, and write “eWeLink Smart Home” in the Search field ) and press the button Connect , to link your eWeLink account to Google Home.
By doing so, you should see the Choose Devices screen listing all the devices associated with your eWeLink account. Then put the check mark next to your Sonoff Mini (and any other devices you intend to add to Google Home) and tap the Next button twice in a row.
Then choose in which room to add the device in question by selecting one of the options available on the Where is the device? Screen . , and press the Next button again , to add your Sonoff Mini to Google Home and control it both via the app in question and with voice commands. To learn more about how Google Home works , I leave you to my guide dedicated to the topic.
In case of doubts or problems
If you followed the instructions I gave you in the previous paragraphs, you should be able to connect your Sonoff Mini to a switch or socket at home and configure it via the eWeLink app.
In case, however, you still have some doubts regarding the connection of the device in question or the latter does not work correctly, my advice is still to contact an experienced electrician, who will surely know where to put his hands.
However, if you think you can solve the problems yourself, you should know that on the web there are numerous guides and video tutorials dedicated to the Sonoff Mini. For example, if your intention is to connect Sonoff Mini to a relay or would like to know how to connect Sonoff Mini without neutral , you just have to search Google or YouTube for the topic of your interest and follow the instructions provided step by step.
