Control the Power of Your Home With These Handy Smart Plugs
A smart plug is a tiny investment you can make to turn ordinary lights and small appliances in your home into smart appliances. With smart plugs, you can control the devices plugged into them, such as a lamp or a flat iron, from your smartphone. And since many have built-in Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit integration, you can even control your regular appliances with your voice.
Controlling your lights and devices without having to walk over and touch them manually is only a small piece of the pie. Many of the smart apps associated with each plug can set schedules for your lights. You can schedule them to turn on at specific times in the night when you are away to make it look as though someone is home for added security, or have them turn on right when you get home from work, so you don’t have to wander into a dark house.
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Some even have advanced scheduling that turns lights on and off when the sun rises and sets locally. They also can help reduce power consumption, which means a lower monthly electric bill for you because some have the ability to track electricity usage over time. And if you’re really serious about them, you can enable routines that would make them work in conjunction with other smart home gadgets you have connected around the house.
Before you purchase a smart plug, you should first consider a few things:
Home connectivity options – Which voice assistant does it work with, if at all?
How advanced is the scheduling – Can you set timers and schedules?
Design – Does it block other plugs, and does it have an on/off switch?
Once you’re ready to give your lights and small appliances a little education, we have a handful of recommendations below for the best smart plugs available. It’s time for your home to get with the times and join the 21st century!
1. C by GE
BEST OVERALL
Protect your home when you are away with the C by GE smart plug. You can turn your lights on and off through the app — no hub or bridge required. And when you’re in the home, you have the luxury and convenience of Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls. You can even turn the power off to devices like a curling iron that you or your partner may have accidentally left on.
2. Ring Outdoor Smart Plug
BEST FOR OUTDOORS
Your smart home and smart controls should encompass not only lights and gadgets inside your home but the ones on the outside, too. That’s the power the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug provides. Plug this into an existing plug outside of your home, and you can then control your outdoor lights with your smartphone or voice if connected to Alexa-enabled devices. Keep in mind this plug does require the Ring Bridge, which sells separately. That being said, it’s a durable plug that can withstand large temperature swings and wet weather.
3. Wyze Outdoor Smart Plug
LOW COST OUTDOOR PLUG
This smart plug can split your outdoor outlet into two separate power sources, meaning you can keep your Christmas lights on but turn off the light above your door without having to unplug anything. Pretty nifty, huh? It’s also voice and app control compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa when connected to voice assistant compatible devices. Through the Wyze app, you can also see a record of your energy consumption so you can keep better track of your electric bill.
Buy: WYZE Outdoor Smart Plug $17.98
4. EZVIZ Smart Plug
TRACKS POWER USAGE
This handy smart plug allows you to set timers and lighting schedules to minimize power consumption. You can also use it as an intelligent way to protect your home while you’re away by having lights scheduled to turn on and off, making it seem as if someone is home. Through the EZVIZ app, you can see power consumption stats and control the smart plug from your phone. With all of the above plus being compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, it’s a steal considering it’s only $20.
Read more: Best Smart Bulbs
5. Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug
BEST DIMMER PLUG
Add extra controls to your nightstand or living room standing lamps with this plug-in lamp dimmer. Plug your lamp into the Lutron outlet, then use the wireless remote to control your lamps’ lighting settings, giving you anywhere control over your lights. It’s a great way to upgrade the lighting in your home without having to change out electric switches in your wall.
Buy: Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug $44.00
6. ConnectSense CS-SO-2 Smart Outlet
BEST FOR VOICE-COMMANDS
This smart plug allows you to set schedules and timers with the app on your phone. Compatible with Alexa, you can even go voice-command style to control your lighting. The coolest part is setting voice commands to turn the power on to the outlet. So, when you come home from work, you can say, “I’m home,” and your lights will turn on.
Buy: ConnectSense CS-SO-2 Smart Outlet $39.95 (orig. $59.95) 33% OFF
7. D-Link WiFi Smart Outdoor Plug
BEST FOR MOBILE USE
Like the Wyze outdoor plug, the outlets are independent so that you can send power to one outlet and not the other — unlike a standard indoor wall outlet. It even has a handy USB port to charge mobile devices. Using the app, you can set timers and schedules for lighting and connect it to an Alexa-enabled device for voice control over your plug. It’s weather-resistant and a solid choice for an outdoor smart plug.
Buy: D-Link WiFi Smart Outdoor Plug $26.87
8. Philips Hue Smart Plug
BLUETOOTH CONTROL
This plug will fit right in for those who have invested in Phillips Hue throughout the house. Through the Hue app, you gain complete control over the outlet. You can even set timers and schedules when you want lights connected to the device to turn on and off. It is compatible with Alexa, so through an Alexa-enabled device, you can control the plug with your voice.
Buy: Philips Hue Smart Plug $34.99
Buy: Philips Hue Smart Plug $29.99
9. Wemo WiFi Smart Outdoor Plug
BEST OUTDOOR FOR FREQUENT TRAVELERS
This affordable and reliable outdoor smart plug has two weather-resistant outlets with splash-proof protectors to fill your outdoor power needs even when weather conditions aren’t ideal. Through the app, you can set schedules and timers or with a compatible Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa device, you can go the voice control route. There’s even an “away mode” that will randomly turn lights on and off to make it appear that someone is home when you are away from the house.
Buy: Wemo WiFi Smart Outdoor Plug $39.99
10. Amazon Smart Plug
BEST FOR ALEXA
An Amazon Smart Plug is an excellent choice for your home automation needs when you’re in the Amazon ecosystem. It has Alexa built-in, so there’s no need to connect it to an Alexa smart speaker. The app allows you to schedule lighting as well as other home automation. Keep in mind it’s only compatible with Alexa, so if you’re team Google over Amazon, you’ll want to look elsewhere for a smart plug.
11. Wyze Smart Plug
BEST INDOOR LOW COST PLUG
This plug is rather smart, even though it looks pretty basic. With the app, not only can you make a schedule for your lights and power, but it also tracks the usage of whatever is plugged into it. You can’t schedule lights based on sunrise and sunsets like other more expensive options, but it does work with all Amazon, Google and Apple voice assistants.
12. Kasa Smart KP400
EXCELLENT RANGE
The Kasa Smart KP400 turns a single “dumb” plug into two smart ones that you can control individually. With IP64 weatherproofing and 300 ft WiFi range, it’s great for outdoor and indoor use. You can control the plug with your smartphone and connect it to either Google or Alexa Voice controls.
Buy: Kasa Smart KP400 $19.99 (orig. $24.99) 20% OFF
13. Wemo Mini Smart Plug
COMPATIBLE WITH ALL ECOSYSTEMS
This plug covers the three major players — Google, Amazon and Apple HomeKit — in the smart home ecosystem game. With the app, you can schedule home lighting, create an away mode for when you aren’t home and control other devices connected to the plug. It’s a compact design that won’t block other plugs and is one of the more affordable options.
14. Kasa Smart Plug
MOST COMPACT
This Kasa Smart Plug turns one of your plugs into a smart one without blocking the other. You get your choice with Alexa, Google Assistant and Microsoft Cortana voice assistants for hands-free operation. You can also use the app to schedule when lights turn off and on, which is useful when you aren’t home or go out of town.
15. Meross Smart Outdoor Plug
This is an excellent plug for outdoor use, thanks to its IP44 weatherproof housing. You can turn your electric grill or landscape lighting on and off with your voice. Plus, it works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and Samsung SmartThings. Both plugs can also be controlled independently, turning one plug into two smart plugs.
Buy: Meross Smart Outdoor Plug $28.99 (orig. $32.99) 12% OFF
16. Eve Energy Strip
BEST FOR HOMEKIT
Out of all the popular smart home ecosystems, Apple’s HomeKit still lags behind the supported devices competition. Fear not if you’re a user, since the Eve Energy Strip not only offers all of Siri’s voice controls to activate it, but it also doubles as a surge protector and power strip. With three available outlets, you’ll be able to control each one through the Home app for iOS individually — or by simply asking Siri on your iOS device or HomePod. Another unique feature about the Eve Energy Strip is that it can track the power consumption of the connected devices, which is helpful to know what’s hogging up the most power in your home.
17. GHome Smart Plug Outlet Extender
BEST MULTI-OUTLET
Most smart plugs offer two outlets at most, with three being rare. However, if you simply need more than that, the GHome Smart Plug Outlet Extender has you covered with six outlets — with three additional USB ports to charge your devices. Not only is there a timer function to automatically control each outlet, but it’s compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for even more convenience while you’re home with voice control. Since it goes over an existing outlet on a wall, there are no pesky wires to worry about cluttering up your floor.
Buy: GHome Smart Plug Outlet Extender $22.99
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