SONOFF S61s Outdoor Type F

Good value once the outdoor socket is ready

SONOFF S61s Outdoor is an inexpensive way to add remote control and a meter to a suitable European Type F outlet. The exact S61STPF-PM-O was listed at €20.30 in SONOFF's EU store on September 9, 2026, including tax and excluding shipping. For patio lighting or another appropriate plug-in load, that is a modest hardware cost.

It is particularly attractive for Home Assistant and SmartThings households, which can receive its power and energy readings through Matter. Those measurements give you a reason to choose it beyond turning a socket on and off. A compatible Matter controller and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi are required, but there is no SONOFF bridge or Thread border router to buy.

The value becomes less obvious if you need to build a suitable outdoor installation around it.

Budget for the enclosure

The gray body and orange cover look ready for the garden. However, SONOFF explicitly requires a waterproof box for outdoor use, plus equivalent protection for the connected load's plug. The S61s's own IP44 rating does not remove that requirement.

That is the most important condition of this purchase. If a suitable enclosure already exists, a removable smart plug is a convenient addition. If the plan is to leave it exposed on an extension lead, the low price is not a reason to ignore the installation requirements.

The 58 × 58 × 100 mm body also needs to fit inside that enclosure with the connected plug and cable. SONOFF specifies operation from −20°C to 50°C and a maximum 16 A load. Those limits do not establish suitability for every pump, heater or motor. The connected appliance and the protected outlet need to be appropriate for the job.

The meter is more useful in some homes

SONOFF's current feature table requires firmware 1.0.6 or later for Matter energy data in Home Assistant and SmartThings. Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa provide switching without those energy readings. If one of those apps is your only dashboard, much of the meter's value stays outside it.

eWeLink supplies the detailed history, cost calculations, export and protection settings. That can be useful when you want to understand a load over time, but it means keeping another app for the fuller feature set. Bidirectional metering for exported power is not a released feature to buy this model for.

Shelly is the alternative for a different control preference

The Shelly Outdoor Plug S Gen3 was listed at €31.90 including VAT. Its local browser interface and cloud-optional schedules can justify the premium if you prefer managing the plug directly. Its maximum rating is lower, at 12 A, and onboard scripting requires Matter to be disabled.

For a straightforward Matter plug with Home Assistant or SmartThings metering, we would favor the less expensive SONOFF when the required enclosure and Wi-Fi coverage are already in place. Pay more for Shelly when its local controls are something you will use, rather than assuming the higher price makes it suitable for any weather or load.