Lighting & Electrical / smart plug alternative
SONOFF BASICR2
D3 Liberatable — Cloud-bound as sold; a local path exists.
The unplug test
As sold, the useful half stops. The physical button on the module still toggles the relay, but the reason you bought a Wi-Fi switch — controlling it from somewhere else, or from an automation — needs the eWeLink app, and commissioning it needs an eWeLink account. Flash Tasmota over the serial header and that inverts completely: the switch answers local HTTP or MQTT on your own network and never contacts anyone. That is a soldering-iron afternoon, not a settings toggle.
Why this tier: Cloud-dependent as sold: the BASICR2 is not among the models supporting Sonoff DIY mode, so the eWeLink app and account are required to commission the device's actual purpose — network-controlled switching. A maintained local path exists via serial-flashed Tasmota, which is the definition of D3.
Specifications
| Account required | for core |
|---|---|
| Works offline | partially |
| Lost when offline | network and app control of the relay, automations and schedules, initial commissioning, which requires the eWeLink app |
| Forced firmware updates | unknown |
| Radios | wifi |
| FCC ID | not checked |
| Local control | none |
| Phones home | unknown |
| Self-hostable | full — fully replaceable on your own hardware Tasmota, flashed over the serial header, replaces eWeLink completely — the relay then answers local HTTP or MQTT with no vendor involvement. Note the BASICR2 cannot use Sonoff's over-the-air DIY flashing path, which covers only the BASICR3, RF R3 and Mini; this one needs a 3.3V USB serial adapter and physical access to the pins. |
| Parts available | unknown |
| Availability | discontinued |
| Price band | unknown |
| Vendor risk | 0 / 3 |
Making it local
Flash Tasmota over the four labelled serial pins (3V3, RX, TX, GND) with a 3.3V USB FTDI adapter, holding the button while powering on to enter flash mode. Afterwards the device is controllable entirely locally over its web UI, HTTP, or MQTT with no vendor involvement. — soldering, reversible, actively maintained. Guide
Open questions
- Verify the BASICR4 successor and publish it as its own record — it is the model a reader can actually buy, and its DIY-mode support may place it at D2 rather than D3.
- Confirm whether the BASICR2's physical button continues to switch the relay when the device has never been commissioned, which would sharpen the offline description.
Sources
Class A is primary (manual, FCC filing, teardown). Class B is corroborated community reporting. Class C is never sufficient alone.
- B https://templates.blakadder.com/sonoff_BASICR2.html
Community device template documenting the BASICR2's serial pinout and Tasmota configuration — establishes that the liberation path is real and specified. — accessed 2026-09-02 - A https://sonoff.tech/en-us/products/sonoff-basicr4-wi-fi-smart-switch
SONOFF's current lineup lists the BASICR4 as the shipping basic switch; the BASICR2 is superseded and no longer sold new. — accessed 2026-09-02 - B https://tasmota.github.io/docs/Sonoff-DIY/
Tasmota project documentation. Sonoff DIY mode is officially supported only on the Basic R3, RF R3 and Mini — not the BASICR2 — and the DIY procedure itself begins by pairing the device with the eWeLink app. Together these settle the decisive question: the BASICR2 requires eWeLink as sold, and its only local path is serial flashing. The same page documents that flashing path. — accessed 2026-09-02
History
- 2026-09-02 — Held at insufficient_evidence pending the eWeLink account question.
- 2026-09-02 — Question resolved. The BASICR2 is not DIY-mode supported, so eWeLink is required as sold and the local path is serial-flashed Tasmota. Published at D3.
- 2026-09-02 — Discontinued — superseded by the BASICR4. No longer available new.
Last verified 2026-09-02 — 4 days ago.