SONOFF NSPanel Pro

NSPanel Pro Review

In a previous article, I shared a review of NSPanel by SONOFF. In this article, I will review NSPanel Pro, a new and improved NSPanel with more features. ITEAD has provided this panel to me for testing and review but everything I share below is honest and based on my personal experience of using and testing the NSPanel Pro for over a month.
So without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it.

Unboxing the Sonoff NSPanel Pro.

I received 2 products from Sonoff, one was NSPanel Pro and the other was a desk stand which is compatible with both NSPanel and NSPanel Pro.

In the first box, we get NSPanel Pro, 2 x mounting screws and a user manual.
The second box contained the Stand itself and 2 x mounting screws.

nspanel pro unboxing

The user manual covers all the dos and don’ts of NSPanel Pro. Everything is explained and well illustrated with proper diagrams. I highly recommend going through it while you set up your device.

Specifications:

NSPanel Pro is quite different from the NSPanel, it is more powerful in terms of processing and the features it offers.

nspanel pro specifications
ProcessorPX30 (4-cores Cortex-A35)
GPUMali-G31GPU
RAM2GB, DDR3
ROM8GB, eMMC 5.1
Screen3.95″ 480x480p (Capacitive Screen TFT Display)
NetworksIEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee 3.0)
IEEE 802.11 b 2.4GHz (Wi-Fi)
Input100-240V AC 50/60Hz
Max Power Consumption5W MAX; 150mA
Dimensions
86x86x39.5mm

NSPanel Pro packs a lot more than the previous NSPanel, along with a larger display panel it houses a powerful quad-core processor and 2GB of DDR3 ram which makes it much more capable than a usual wall switch.

NSPanel vs. NSPanel Pro

Let’s talk about what are the differences between the two. So NSPanel Pro is the latest product in the lineup. Similar to the previous NSPanel it is a smart scene controller but with more added features. For one, the form factor has changed. With the pro version, we get a bigger touch screen and added features like voice calling.

NSPanel Pro is not just a smart switch but a smart hub. So it does more than just control relays and read sensors. Built on top of Android, the Pro version provides a smooth UI with support for ADB. Though what we don’t get are the integrated Relays and physical switches like the previous NSPanel.

NSPanelNSPanel Pro
ESP32 PX30
3.5″ Display3.95″ Display
2 Relays
2 switches
Temperature Sensor
Proximity Sensor
Built-in Speaker
Built-in Microphone
WiFi and BluetoothWiFi, Bluetooth & ZigBee 3.0

Wiring the NSPanel Pro.

The wiring is pretty straightforward for the Pro version, as it just has 2 terminals for connecting AC input. Refer to the following diagram.

nspanel pro wiring diagram

Caution: This device works on AC voltage, Accidential shock can be fatal. If you are not sure of what you are doing, get professional help.

My Experience With NSPanel Pro.

It has been well over a month since I received the unit and have been testing it since. Until now I have received a couple of updates and many new features have been added than before. There are many things that I love about NSPanel Pro but some just don’t make sense to me. So here I have laid out a list of all the Pros and Cons.

Pros:

  1. The UI itself is very smooth, built on top of Android it gives a very familiar interface Thus being very easy to use.
  2. The bigger display looks great and I prefer it more over the previous NSPanel. The touch is smooth and I see no lag while navigating the interface.
  3. The features to control and monitor all the smartscenes in one place make it very handy. I tested it with my existing Sonoff products and it works as expected.
  4. Webpages is another feature that I personally loved as it gives the user the ability to check and use custom control panels for smart home automation and monitoring.
  5. We can also monitor security cameras on the display. And interact through the built-in microphone and speaker.
  6. It comes with a customizable theme where one can set the default dynamic theme which changes with the weather or can set a custom image as the home screen.
  7. You can set alarms and get notifications from security devices.
  8. Works with Bluetooth, WiFi and Zigbee.
  9. Similar to previous NSPanel, you can flash NSPanel Pro with custom firmware and use it for custom projects.

Cons:

  1. This time we don’t get the physical switch or the relays. So we are dependent on using external smart switches. Might not be a deal breaker but I would have liked to have the relays at least.
  2. I noticed the device as a proximity sensor in front but I see no feature that utilizes it, and no option present in the settings either.
  3. Though the form factor looks amazing, it is not compatible with the US sockets. So you will have to use the desk stand if you live in the USA.
  4. I have been having issues with getting the local weather right, it shows the city name right but the data is off by 5 or even 10 degrees sometimes.

Conclusion.

Based on my experience, I think NSPanel Pro is a good product with huge potential but there still is a lot of room for improvement. There are some minor bugs here and there like sometimes if there is some network issue the panel loses the connection and needs a manual reboot. The setting panel cannot be accessed from every page which would be very convenient in many situations. All the problems I noticed are fixable via software updates and I have reported them to the SONOFF team.

If you are interested in getting one for yourself, check out this link.

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