Quick jump to: Final verdict, Scorecard, Availability
Final verdict
In just 2 days I was already convinced of the advantages of the Sonoff NSPanel. Ofcourse it can not compete with the Google Nest Hub 2 I have, but it is a nice device for rooms where you need less extensive control over other devices. The ability to let the Energy-saving mode turn off the display is ideal for placement at bedrooms. It is nice to see the weather and time on the homescreen of the Sonoff NSPanel. The thermostat has a nice clear interface and is very flexible in operation. I also like the widgets feature to quickly access at most 8 devices / tap-to-perform scenes.
I believe the touchscreen has much more potential than actually currently in use: items on the homescreen should be able to be tapped on to perform actions and a swipe from bottom to top could have called a settings and information screen which is missing on the device.
Localization would have been a great improvement to the Sonoff NSPanel: allow users to set their own native language and let them be able to adjust the clock .
During testing the missing support for third party services was also a pitty. Although it showed up at Google Home I was missing the ability to switch on or off each individual channel, the ability to operate the device as thermostat from Google Home and to request the current measured temperature with Google Assistant (voice respons). At IFTTT the Sonoff NSPanel doesn’t show up at any trigger or action. Right before publication of this review luckily there has been some improvement. It now shows up the 2 individual channels at Google Home.
In the end I believe the Sonoff NSPanel is a nice device if you want to have a little home automation device at the wall but don’t need an extensive featureset. I would pay €50,= (EUR) at most for this device. That will be approximately $58,= (USD). This was in line with the final Kickstarter price of $59,= (about €51,=), but not with the final retail price of $75,= (about €65,=). See below at “Availability” for more information.
Scorecard
Scorecard
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Design - 9/109/10
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Durability - 8/108/10
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Usability - 7.5/107.5/10
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Compatibility - 7.5/107.5/10
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Usefulness - 8/108/10
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Stability - 9/109/10
Summary
Touchscreen could have had more touchable features. A few interface features can be improved. Third party support is limited. Nice little central control panel for rooms where you don’t need an extensive featureset.
Availability
The Sonoff NSPanel isn’t available on the market yet (last updated status November 10th, 2021). Manufacturer ITEAD chosed to launch a Kickstarter campaign for it to be sure about the interest for this product. The Sonoff NSPanel has been successfully funded at Kickstarter: 6783%.
The final retail price will be $75,= (about €65,=). We expect the Sonoff NSPanel to become available to (pre-)order at ITEAD’s website https://itead.cc at the beginning of 2022.
Product information
