The best smart plugs of 2024

Smart plugs are a key component of any connected home setup. They add intelligence to lights, coffee makers, fans, and any other “dumb” device through simple switches. Once connected, you can set a schedule to turn on the lights before sunset or turn on the humidifier an hour before bed. You can also program routines, such as making all the lights go off when you say goodnight to Alexa. But as we learned in our testing, some are better than others at staying connected and working with various voice assistants, and some are complicated to set up. After months of testing, these are our picks for the best smart plugs for the money.

What to consider when buying a smart plug

Before buying a smart plug, it’s helpful to understand what a smart plug can and cannot do. They work best with objects that have switches on them, making them ideal for lamps and other lights. If you’re looking to use a plug-in fan to move some air before you get home, smart plugs can help. You can fill a basic coffee maker with ground coffee and water the night before and wake up to a fresh pot of coffee in the morning. Instead of running the air purifier all day long, you can set it to only run when you’re away. But any device that requires further programming or requires a standby mode is not ideal.

Setup and use

Adding smart plugs to your home is relatively simple. You’ll use the manufacturer’s app to make the initial connection, and then can add the plug to your compatible smart home ecosystem. Both the brand’s app and your smart home app let you name plugs, set schedules and program “routines” to control multiple smart devices simultaneously. But as you might guess, the manufacturer’s app only lets you control that brand’s products. If you want to operate TP-Link Kasa plugs, GE Cync light bulbs, and Wyze cameras, you need to use a smart home platform, which means you need to consider compatibility.

compatibility

Smart home devices connect through wireless protocols, often using multiple wireless protocols to communicate with your phone, smart speakers, routers, and in some cases each other. Most smart plugs use Wi-Fi, but some have recently adopted Matter, a relatively new wireless standard designed to address compatibility issues between different brands and manufacturers while improving security and reliability.

More of these smart plugs are coming soon, and most Matter devices currently work over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a low-power mesh network called Thread. Matter requires a controller that stays at home (like a hub or smart speaker) to manage things while you’re away.

As for Bluetooth, most plugs (including all Matter plugs) use the short-range protocol to set up the device for the first time. Some can continue to operate on Bluetooth without other options, but the connection is less reliable and you won’t have control over the plug when you’re away from home, or maybe even just on the other side of your apartment.

Since Matter is relatively new, it might be easier to consider which manufacturer’s system you use most. There are four major “branded” smart home platforms: Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s HomeKit, and Samsung’s SmartThings. The first two work with the widest range of brands and are compatible with iOS and Android devices. Not only does HomeKit limit app access to Apple devices, it’s also compatible with fewer plugs. If you want to turn off the lights when your Uber arrives, you can also use open source software like Home Assistant, or use the greater functionality of IFTTT. For testing purposes, we selected the top four players. Almost every plugin we see clearly states on the packaging and on the retail product page which platforms it is available for.

Of course, there’s no rule saying you have to stick with a home assistant. You might have an Echo Dot in the basement, a HomePod in the living room, and a Google Nest Mini in the kitchen, each controlling its compatible devices. You just pair the right smart home platform with the right device (and then just remember which speaker controls what).

Photo by Amy Skorheim/Engadget

Hubs and smart plugs

All of our top picks here require no hub and connect directly to your home Wi-Fi router. This means that if you already have Wi-Fi and a smartphone or tablet, it’s completely plug-and-play. Apple’s HomeKit is an exception. If you want to pair a compatible plug with the platform, you’ll need to place a HomePod speaker, Apple TV, or iPad in your home to control the plug while you’re away.

No matter which platform you use, some smart plugs require a hub. In our guide, we focus on the simplicity (and lower cost) of options that work individually, but relying on a hub for the device might make sense in some cases. Some companies, such as Aqara, make a wide variety of smart home products, adding automated curtains, window sensors, smart locks and air quality monitors to more traditional cameras and plugs. If you’re all-in on one brand and plan to buy a lot of connected devices, a hub can prevent your Wi-Fi network from becoming overcrowded and provide a more seamless setup and reliable connection.

We tested the Aqara plug and hub, and while we found the connectivity to be good and the proprietary app to help with configuration, it’s hard to recommend the nearly $100 combo to anyone who isn’t planning on getting a full Aqara smart home setup.

share

Once the plug is set up using the platform and voice assistant of your choice, anyone can control the plug just by speaking. Things get more complicated if someone else wants to control things with their phone. Google makes it easiest, you can just tap the + button in the Home app to invite others. Whoever you invite has full access to your connected devices (including your camera), so this only works with the people you trust most.

HomeKit also makes it easy to grant app access to others, but like most Apple features, it’s only available to other iOS users. Amazon only lets you share access to your Echo, not your connected home devices.

Many smart plug manufacturers allow you to invite others via email and share control through their apps. But this only grants access to that brand of device. Hopefully, as Matter expands, multi-admin capabilities will become more common.

How we test the best smart plugs

Before we decided which smart plugs to test, we considered the brands that Engadget staff had the best experience with, both in terms of review capabilities and personal experience. We also looked at other online reviews. We then considered factors like price, compatibility, and relative popularity. I found ten indoor smart plugs and four outdoor versions from eight manufacturers.

I set up each one using its proprietary app and then added it to all compatible smart home platforms. I plugged in a range of lights and string lights, testing the plugs with an iPhone 11, Galaxy S10e, Echo Dot, HomePod mini, and Nest Mini. I access my plugs through apps and voice commands, and control them at home and away from home. I wrote a schedule and routine and moved the plugs to different outlets, including one in the basement to gauge the range. For outdoor devices, I plug them into an outlet in the garage (about 85 feet from the Wi-Fi router) and into an outlet in the back of the house.

Before settling on our top pick, here’s how every smart plug was tested:

• Amazon Smart Plug

• Emporia Smart Outlet*

• GE Cync Indoor

• wizz plug

• Roku Indoor Smart Plug SE

• Belkin WeMo Smart Plug with Thread

• TP-Link Kasa EP25

• TP-Link Kasa Super Mini EP10

• Meross Wi-Fi Dual-Way

• TP-Link Kasa KP125M (material)

• Eve energy (matter)

• Aqara smart plug (requires hub)

• AmazonBasics Outdoor Smart Plug (Outdoor)

• Wyze Plug Outdoor

• TP-Link Kasa Outdoor EP40A (outdoor)

• TP-LINK outdoor dimmer KP405 (outdoor)

*Emporia is recalling smart plugs purchased before August 1, 2023 due to potential fire risk, but no incidents have been reported. The plug has now been updated to address the issue and is back on the market. We will be testing an upcoming revision of this guide.

Honorable Mention

GE Cync Indoor

My main concern with the Cync plug-in is how scheduling works in proprietary applications.Instead of programming when the socket should turn existyou tell it when to turn leave. Despite my best efforts, I can’t figure out how to program the lights connected to the Cync to come on at sunset, like I can with every other plug. Otherwise, the app is very elegant, easy to set up, and very reliable. It only works with Alexa and Google Home, not HomeKit or SmartThings, but at $15, it’s a few bucks cheaper than the Wyze plug with the same compatibility.

The best outdoor smart plugs

There are two things most people probably use outdoor plugs for: patio lighting and holiday string lights. These devices are designed for the outdoors and have an ingress protection rating of IP64 or higher, which means they are impervious to dust and can handle rain and splash from sprinklers. They have longer Wi-Fi range than indoor plugs, for obvious reasons, and many have dual outlets, each of which can be controlled individually.

The setup is the same as for indoor plugs: you’ll use your phone to help the plug find your Wi-Fi through its proprietary app. The only tricky part is getting your phone within Bluetooth range of the plug (it’s used for initial setup) and While within Wi-Fi range. I have to awkwardly stand on a triangular point in the middle of the lane to get things to communicate properly. Once set up, the plug will use your router to communicate for voice and app control, and your phone doesn’t need to be near the plug.

This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/best-smart-plug-131542429.html?src=rss

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