SONOFF TX Ultimate smart touch wall switch, also known as the SONOFF T5, is another wireless switch from the company with up to 3 gangs, RGB color edge lights around the 86x86mm switch, as well as support for gestures and custom covers.
Gestures like swipe left or right are possible because the full area of the SONOFF T5 switch acts as a touch sensor, and the RGB LEDs around the device enable ambient lights in the room at night. The switch can also provide haptic feedback to the user during use with a built-in speaker and vibration motor.
SONOFF TX Ultimate specifications:
- Model numbers – T5-1C-86, T5-2C-86, T5-3C-86 depending on the number of buttons
- Wireless – 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
- Input and Output power
- 1-gang: 100-240V~50/60 Hz up to 5A
- 2-gang: 100-240V~50/60Hz up to 10A (5A per gang max)
- 3-gang: 100-240V-50/60 Hz up to 15A (5A per gang max)
- Dimensions – 86 x 86 x 39 mm (EU size, but a US design is coming soon)
- Materials – PC+CRS
The TX Ultimate works with eWelink mobile app with all the usual features including Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration, and the switch also supports the “eWeLink-Remote” gateway function when used in conjunction with the S-MATE or R5 scene remote controller. The switch can also be controlled directly by the user with standard button presses to turn each channel on or off, swipes to trigger smart scenes defined in eWelink, and multitouch support to turn the atmosphere lights on or off.
SONOFF does not say which chip is used in the T5, but considering it’s using Bluetooth pairing, I’d expect an ESP32 chip like in the SONOFF Mini Extreme (aka MINIR4). We’ll find out soon as Paisit is expecting a sample very soon. Note there’s no mention of support for the DIY mode for easy firmware upgrade, so if you plan to upgrade the firmware later on (e.g. to ESPHome or Tasmota) you may have some soldering to do.
One fun new feature is the ability to purchase customer covers, also you can only select cartoon or star right now. It would be nice if SONOFF could make the 3D files available s so that people could design their own, although I suppose it should not be too hard for experienced designers to reproduce.
SONOFF is taking pre-orders for the TX Ultimate / T5 smart touch wall switch for $24.90 to $29.90 depending on whether you select 1, 2, or 3 gangs, and the optional covers add $3.99 each. Stock are expected in early April.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Durability and reliability seem to be afterthoughts with most common home automation hardware.
Will this last longer than a year or two? If not then the real cost takes on a different perspective.
If you install these, I hope you never have parents/grandparents over… Or you’ll be explaining to them a million times how to turn the lights on and off.
(yes that was a generalization. yes some older people are fine with new tech.)
They can still press, or in this case touch, the switch like before.
Standby power consumption?
They don’t tell you, so assume it’s high.
Unless you live somewhere where energy costs next to nothing, I’d stay with mechanical switches.
Assuming the ESP32 is always on with a WiFi connection it should be 80~90mA @ 5V (~0.45 Wh) or about 10Wh per day. Where I live it’s about 50 cents per year.
If the cpu is the same as in other sonoff switches then the power draw will be minimal. As to robustness, I have been running 12 sonoff switches, a bridge and the thermostat version for more than 5 years abs the only one that is not working is the one I broke flashing custom firmware!
I’ve bought a smart switch of sonoff model TH320D.
I cannot send HTTP request in the local LAN in order to turn the switch on or off.
Not worth the money, buy Shelly or something the is more user firendly.