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Getting Started with Shelly Plus 1PM: Smarten Up Your Home Projects

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By Manuel Laggner
4 min read
Getting Started with Shelly Plus 1PM: Smarten Up Your Home Projects

Shelly Plus 1PM The world of smart home automation is rapidly growing, and one of the most flexible and affordable devices I’ve worked with is the Shelly Plus 1PM (1). Whether you’re automating a garden irrigation system or just want more control over appliances in your home, this little device packs a lot of power.

In this post, I’ll give you an overview of what the Shelly Plus 1PM is, how it works, and some practical ways you can use it in your own projects.

🔌 What is the Shelly Plus 1PM?

The Shelly Plus 1PM is a compact smart relay switch with power metering capabilities. It connects directly to your electrical wiring and lets you control appliances and lights remotely via Wi-Fi, through the Shelly app, HTTP, MQTT, or custom automations using tools like Home Assistant.

🛠️ Key Features:

  • Wi-Fi connected (no hub required)
  • Supports HTTP, MQTT, Webhooks, and scripting
  • Power metering (measures consumption in real time)
  • Over-temperature and overload protection
  • Compact form factor, fits behind wall switches or inside electrical boxes
  • Can switch up to 16A (depending on wiring and conditions)

⚡ Note: You should be comfortable working with electrical wiring or consult an electrician for installation. Always prioritize safety.

❓ Why Use the Shelly Plus 1PM?

There are plenty of smart switches out there. But Shelly devices, especially the Plus 1PM, stand out because of their local control capabilities, excellent API support, and ability to run scripts directly on the device. You’re not locked into a single app or ecosystem.

It’s perfect for developers, tinkerers, or anyone who wants more customization and control in their smart home.

🧰 Practical Use Cases

Here are a few ways you can use a Shelly Plus 1PM in real-world scenarios:

⏰ Schedule and Monitor a Water Pump

Let’s say you have a water pump for a garden irrigation system. You can:

  • Turn it on/off automatically based on a schedule.
  • Monitor power usage to make sure it’s operating efficiently.
  • Create safety rules, e.g. turn off if power draw is too high or pump runs for too long.
  • Integrate with a weather API to skip watering on rainy days.

🔌 Control High-Power Appliances

The Shelly Plus 1PM can handle loads up to 16A, making it suitable for:

  • Electric heaters
  • Washing machines
  • Coffee makers (hello morning automations!)

And with power metering, you can detect when a device starts or stops, which opens the door for more automations.

⚙️ Energy Monitoring

Track how much power a specific device is using. Want to know if that old fridge in the garage is a power hog? Hook up a 1PM and get instant feedback.

📱 Remote Control for Lights or Fans

You can integrate it with Alexa, Google Home, or Home Assistant and control lights, ceiling fans, or other fixed appliances from your phone or voice assistant.

🌱 Example: Automating a Garden Water Pump

Here’s a real use case I implemented recently.

🎯 The Goal:

Automatically water a garden every morning at 7:00 AM for 10 minutes, but only if it hasn’t rained recently.

🧪 Tools Used:

  • Shelly Plus 1PM
  • Home Assistant
  • Weather integration (via OpenWeatherMap)
  • Shelly’s built-in scheduler as fallback

📝 Steps:

  1. Wiring: Installed the Shelly Plus 1PM inline with the pump’s power cable inside a waterproof junction box.
  2. Wi-Fi Setup: Connected the device to the home Wi-Fi using the Shelly app.
  3. Home Assistant Integration: Used the Shelly integration to expose the switch and power readings.
  4. Automation Logic:
    • If time is 7:00 AM AND forecast shows no rain in the last 12 hours → turn pump ON.
    • Turn OFF after 10 minutes using an automation or a timer.

💡 Bonus:

I added a rule on the Shelly device itself to shut off the pump if power draw exceeds expected range, in case the pump malfunctions.

🧠 Final Thoughts

The Shelly Plus 1PM is a fantastic little device that brings serious functionality to DIY smart home projects. Its local control options, scripting support, and power monitoring make it especially useful for developers and home automation enthusiasts.

Whether you’re building a smarter irrigation system or simply want better insights into your appliance usage, the Shelly Plus 1PM gives you the tools to make it happen.



  1. Affiliate link - if you make a purchase through this link, I may earn a small commission. There are no additional costs for you. Of course, when, where, and how you buy a product is entirely up to you. ↩︎

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home automation
This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.