Set up a Shelly device
Shelly is a small, affordable (~15 €) smart device that is installed next to your water heater, floor heating, or other electrical appliance. It connects the appliance to your WiFi network and Optimaatti controls it automatically based on electricity price.
What is Shelly?
Shelly is a WiFi-enabled switch device that is wired into the power line of the appliance you want to control (e.g. water heater). After that, Optimaatti can turn the appliance on and off automatically. You do not need to understand the technical details — it is enough that the device is installed and connected to WiFi.
What you need
- A Shelly device (e.g. Shelly Plus 1 or Shelly Plus 1PM). Price around 15–25 €. You can buy it from online stores.
- A WiFi network (the same network your phone is connected to).
- An Optimaatti account (register for free at app.optimaatti.fi).
- The Shelly app on your phone (available in App Store / Google Play). You only need the app for the initial setup.
Step 1: Install the Shelly device
Physical installation
The Shelly device is wired into the power line of the appliance you want to control. For example, if you are controlling a water heater, the Shelly is installed between the water heater's supply wire and the circuit breaker.
After this you should see
The Shelly device's LED light blinks or stays on, which means the device has power and is ready to be connected to WiFi.
Step 2: Connect Shelly to WiFi
Use the Shelly app
- Open the Shelly app on your phone.
- The app detects the new Shelly device automatically. Press "Add Device".
- Select your WiFi network and enter the password.
- Wait for the device to connect. This takes about 30 seconds.
After this you should see
The device appears in the Shelly app as connected and you get its IP address. You can test that the device works by turning it on and off from the Shelly app.
Step 3: Add device to Optimaatti
Add Shelly in the Optimaatti app
- Open the Optimaatti app (in browser or on your phone).
- Go to Settings → Devices.
- Press "Add device".
- Optimaatti finds Shelly devices on the same network automatically. Select the device from the list.
- Give the device a clear name, for example "Water heater" or "Living room floor heating".
After this you should see
The device appears in the Optimaatti device list and you can turn it on/off from Optimaatti. The device is now ready for automation.
Step 4: Create your first automation
Creating an automation
- Open the device details in Optimaatti.
- Select what type of load the device controls (e.g. water heater, heating).
- Set the desired operating profile — for example "use cheapest electricity 6 hours per day".
- Save. Optimaatti starts controlling the device automatically.
After this you should see
The device status shows when Optimaatti turned it on and off. Electricity usage automatically shifts to the cheapest hours.
How do you know it all works?
- The Shelly device shows as green (connected) in the Optimaatti device list.
- You can turn the device on and off from Optimaatti.
- Automation is active and the device switches on during the cheapest hours.
- You can see from the device history when it was turned on.
What if something goes wrong?
What if Optimaatti cannot find the Shelly device?
Check that the Shelly device and your phone/computer are on the same WiFi network. You can test this by opening the Shelly app — if the device appears there, it is online. If the device does not appear anywhere, try restarting it by turning the power off and on.
What if the device appears but does not respond to control?
Make sure the device firmware is up to date (update in the Shelly app). Also check that the physical switch is not stuck in "always on" mode.
Do I need to know what MQTT means?
No. Optimaatti handles the connection to the Shelly device automatically. MQTT is just the way Optimaatti and Shelly communicate with each other — you do not need to touch these settings.