There are a ton of smart plugs on the market. You know you should buy a smart plug, but which one? Dale Dumbs It Down is going to share some of our favorite smart plugs we’ve seen on the market. We’ve already discussed what you look for in a smart plug and now we want to get into the specifics of which smart plugs we like.
We believe EVERY home should have at least one of these awesome little smart tech wonders. Why? Because they are relatively inexpensive and the value they deliver is just awesome. “Hey Alexa, turn on my bedroom lights.” “Hey Google, turn on my Christmas lights in 10 minutes.” Yes…these are actual prompts you can command with a smart plug. Smart plugs are easy to use, simple to set up, yet…not every smart plug is created equally.
Four Smart Plugs We Love
So we gave you a little insight on what to look for in a smart plug, but we want to dive into the specific brands we kinda like. We’ll dive a little bit into what we like and don’t like about smart plugs through the perspective of looking at four of our favorites we’ve had our eye on for quite some time.
Wemo WiFi Smart Plug
Let’s chat a bit about the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. Has a cool name. Sold us there. But this thing comes in at around $20 on Amazon and has a four out of five-star rating. Sometimes you have to take Amazon reviews with a grain of salt, even the verified ones. A couple of the things we like about this plug right here is that it is nice and slim, so you can stack two of them per outlet. A simple design feature that does matter. The Wemo smart plug also has features like setting up schedules and an auto-off timer. This is going to allow you to turn your device on and then have it automatically turn off after a certain amount of time. Kinda cool. This little bonus is nice.
The Wemo smart plug also has some cool features like Away Mode which is going to simulate you being at home even when you’re not by turning lights or devices on and off. This is kind of like a home security feature. This device also integrates with Apple’s HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant so you’ve got most of the popular integrations with this smart hardware. What about what we don’t like? One thing we didn’t like about this device is that it is a bit pricier than its competition with similar features. Also, it doesn’t have any in-depth features as far as monitoring your power usage or the actual run time of your devices. This can be utilized through Google Wifi on your Google app, but being able to measure it directly from the plug is a nicety they could have added.
Wyze Smart Plug
The next one we want to dive into is the Wyze Smart Plug. This one comes in at around $12 and has a four and a half out of five-star rating on Amazon. Not bad of a rating. The Wyze smart plug has a lot of great features for its price. It packs value on top of value with smart tech which we love! You can set up things like schedules, on and off timers, and…it’s got Vacation Mode. The Wyze Smart Plug also integrates with Amazon, Google, and IFTTT for some extra home automation. Home automation is something you need to invest in if you want to really leverage the value of smart devices! This smart plug device also provides a runtime report so you can see how long a device has been on. Do you have kids who like to game a lot? Hook this up to their gaming platform for accurate monitoring. Another thing we love about the Wyze smart plug is that it is extremely affordable. We told you about the great things about the Wyze and there are many. In fact, the good far outweighs the bad! But what about what we didn’t like? One thing we wish this smart device had is that it monitored your power usage. It has a run time report, why not a power usage report? Seems like a simple addition that would have really pushed its value prop to the next level. For a device this inexpensive that little feature would be just icing on the cake because it is so affordable.
TP Link’s Kasa Smart Wifi Plug
Next in the lineup is the TP Link’s Kasa Smart WiFi Plug. This cool smart wifi plug retails at around $17 on Amazon for a two-pack! It also has a four and a half out of five-star ratings. This wifi smart plug is very comparable to the Wyze Plug. One of the things we love about this smart device is that you can set schedules, timers, and scenes in the mobile app. It also has group control which is nice. The Kasa integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant for some additional smart home automation. The Kasa does have Home and Away Mode, so it can turn your lights and devices on and off if you’re not home. We love this feature.
This cool little smart plug also has a runtime report so you can see how long devices have been running. What about what we don’t like? With the Wyze Plug, you’re not gonna be able to monitor power usage with this device. Again…we think that is a simple feature TP-Link could have added at a relatively low cost. How much more would be willing to pay for this smart device if it had that added benefit? Probably around $3-$5 more dollars. The mini model is much nicer than the stand-alone device because it can feel a bit bulky and takes up the entire outlet. So you can’t plug anything in next to it.
D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Outdoor Plug
The D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Outdoor Plug is a great option if you’re looking to control some devices outside. This thing is IP54 dust and water-resistant. That is such a cool feature! You can set up schedules and on and off-timers. It works with Amazon, Google, and IFTTT for that smart home integration you should be striving for. And the great thing about this device is it has two outlets that work independently of each other. Again…another simple feature we love. In addition to that, it also has a USB outlet. What about some of the things we’re not too hot about with the D-Link smart outdoor plug? With the smart plug for the outdoors, you can’t turn it on and off. Not that big of a downer. But it’s always on but it’s nice to have it.
Not a deal-breaker, but perhaps on the next version we’ll get a toggle on/off feature. The D-Link smart outdoor plug retails on Amazon for around $35 and has a four out of five-star rating. Another thing we’re not too keen on is it’s not Apple HomeKit compatible and has no power monitoring. There’s also no runtime monitoring or actual power usage monitoring in this device. Again…not a deal-breaker, but some features they could possibly add to the next version of this cool outdoor smart plug.
Every Home Needs A Smart Plug (Or Two)
With most smart devices, we love smart plugs because they do have a pretty high value-to-cost ratio. For what they do and how much easier they make our lives…getting a smart plug is a no-brainer. So our favorite plug out of all the ones would be the Wyze Smart Plug. This smart tech device is honestly the best bang for the buck, works with all the major systems like Amazon, Google and IFTTT for any home automation that you want to set up, and it is super reasonable on price. If you have any questions about smart plugs or how to set up your home to make it the best smart home, follow us at Dale Dumbs IT Down for more smart home tips.
