Best Zigbee Smart Plugs with Energy Monitoring for Home Assistant

Zigbee Plugs vs Wi-Fi Plugs: Why Zigbee Wins

Wi-Fi smart plugs are everywhere, but they come with real costs: they congest your 2.4 GHz network, most require cloud accounts to function, and they add latency between command and action. A Zigbee plug responds in under 100ms locally; a cloud-dependent Wi-Fi plug can take 1–3 seconds on a good day, and fails entirely when the cloud does.

Zigbee plugs also contribute to your mesh. Every mains-powered Zigbee device acts as a signal router — so each plug you add strengthens the network for battery-powered sensors throughout your home. A house with 10 Zigbee plugs has a much healthier mesh than one relying solely on the coordinator's radio range.

The only real downside: you need a Zigbee coordinator (the Sonoff Dongle Plus is the go-to) and Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA running in HA. That's a one-time setup cost that pays dividends across every device you add.

Best Overall: SONOFF S26R2ZB

The SONOFF S26R2ZB is a Type-B (US) or Type-E/F (EU) Zigbee smart plug with a rated load of 16A / 3680W. It pairs instantly with Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA, acts as a Zigbee router (extending your mesh), and responds in under 100ms to HA commands. The physical button lets you toggle it manually without the app.

What it doesn't have: energy monitoring. It switches on/off and reports its state — nothing more. For most use cases (lamps, fans, holiday lights, coffee machine schedules), that's all you need. If you want watt-by-watt tracking, step up to a power-monitoring variant.

• Max load: 16A / 3680W
• Router capable: Yes
• Zigbee2MQTT: Full support
• ZHA: Full support
• Price: ~£10–14

Best with Energy Monitoring

Tuya TS011F (Power Monitoring Variant)

Several manufacturers sell Zigbee plugs based on the Tuya TS011F chipset with power monitoring — brands like BlitzWolf, NOUS, and Aubess. In Zigbee2MQTT, the TS011F exposes voltage, current, power (watts), and energy (kWh) alongside the switch state. These are the best-value energy-monitoring Zigbee plugs on the market.

Accuracy is within 2–3% of a calibrated meter — good enough for tracking standby power, detecting when appliances finish cycles, and contributing data to HA's Energy Dashboard. Max load is typically 16A.

• Entities exposed: switch, power, current, voltage, energy
• Zigbee2MQTT: Full support (TS011F)
• Router capable: Yes
• Price: ~£12–18

SONOFF ZBMINIL2 (In-Wall, No Neutral)

If you want energy monitoring inside a wall (controlling a light circuit or appliance), the SONOFF ZBMINIL2 is a Zigbee in-wall relay that works without a neutral wire. It supports power monitoring in the updated firmware. Note: this isn't a plug — it's a relay module wired directly into your circuit. Useful for permanent installations.

Best Compact: IKEA TRÅDFRI Outlet

The IKEA TRÅDFRI smart outlet (E1603/E1706) is the smallest Zigbee plug available in most markets, and it doesn't block adjacent sockets. It pairs with Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA, acts as a router, and costs around £10. The limitations: no energy monitoring, max 2300W (10A), and no exposed power state beyond on/off. For lamps and small appliances, it's ideal — for monitoring or heavy loads, look elsewhere.

Compatibility Table

HA Energy Monitoring Automation: Alert When Appliance Finishes

This automation sends a notification when a washing machine finishes its cycle — detected by the power dropping below 5W after being above 10W (running). Replace sensor.washer_power with your actual entity.

alias: "Washing machine finished"
description: "Notify when power drops after a wash cycle"
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.washer_power
    below: 5
    for:
      minutes: 2
condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.washer_energy
    above: 0.1
action:
  - service: notify.mobile_app_your_phone
    data:
      title: "🧺 Washing Done"
      message: "The washing machine has finished. Go hang it out!"
mode: single

What to Look For

• EU vs US plug type: SONOFF sells both. IKEA sells regional variants. Buy the correct type for your market — Zigbee plugs are not universal adapters.
• Energy monitoring: Check before buying. Many Zigbee plugs look identical with and without power monitoring hardware. Verify on the Zigbee2MQTT supported devices list.
• Router function: All mains-powered Zigbee plugs act as routers. Spread them around your home for a strong mesh, especially if you have sensors in distant rooms.
• Max rated load: A 10A plug (2300W) is fine for lamps and small appliances. Use 16A-rated plugs for heaters, washing machines, or any high-draw device.
• Child lock: Some plugs support a physical button lock via Zigbee2MQTT — useful in homes with children.

FAQ

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