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Best smart plugs in 2024
The right smart plug can turn nearly many standard electrical devices into smart home devices with ease
Smart plugs offer complete appliance and electrical gadget control, unlocking features such as voice control through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, IFTTT, and other smart home assistants. Depending on the model, you will find smart plugs with a scheduling function that can power devices on/off when needed, allowing for hands-free operation. Additionally, these plugs have apps for device management, even when you are away from home. So they're convenient for those who often forget to turn off their smart home devices before leaving the house. Take a look at this selection to find the smart plug that is the best fit for you.
The best 15 smart home deals from Prime Early Access are still alive
From speakers to smart cameras, from backlights to locks, these are the deals to see
It doesn't have to be intimidating or expensive to break into the field of smart home devices. In fact, the entire industry has gone to lengths to make the processing of setting up your smart devices as easy as possible. Most devices support one of the three main voice assistants, and a great deal offers compatibility with third-party programming methods, including IFTTT applets. And for the rest of the day, Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale ensures you don't have to make a huge investment to get some of the best smart devices on the market.
The easiest smart plug ever is only $13 with this Prime Day deal
Amazon's Alexa-friendly smart plug is half-off for Prime Day
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: smart plugs don't have to do much to be good products: they need to turn on and off when required and not take up too much space in the outlet. The Amazon Smart Plug nails that, and it's on sale for Prime Day. On a bad day, the plug retails for $25, but it's just $12.99 today.
Amazon's super useful smart plug is just $15 right now for Black Friday
It ain’t getting any better than this
If you’ve been holding off on getting a new smart plug for your smart home setup, there isn’t going to be a better time than this Black Friday. Amazon’s highly-rated Alexa-enabled Smart Plug is down to its lowest price we have seen so far, slicing off a handsome $10 from its usual price.
Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug (EP40) review: A worthy addition to any smart home
... Unless you're an Apple household
The great outdoors and innovative technology don’t often get along too well. Cold temperatures and rain storms alone can make extending your smart home life to your patio or balcony nearly impossible. Fortunately, outdoor smart plugs are designed to fix that exact problem, and you could do a lot worse than the TP-Link Outdoor Plug (EP40) from Kasa. From cameras to lights to excellent smart plugs, if it’s in a smart home, Kasa sells it. Its products are generally reliable and on the more affordable side, which is what you can expect from this outdoor smart plug.
Want a smart home, but don't need where to start? Get some smart plugs. Already have them? Maybe get a couple more. TP-Link has a bunch of its Kasa plugs suitable for your desk lamp to your garden path lights on sale right now on Amazon.All of the items we're mentioning here seem to be at the low point of their price cycles, so it might be good to plunge in while that's still the case.Kasa smart plugs, big and wide they are, passes on a single outlet on 15A with physical on/off button and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radios to take commands from the Kasa Smart app that can be integrated into Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT recipes.
Google Home now lets you specify what type of device a smart plug controls
The feature is live on Android and iOS
Smart plugs are a great way to make simple electronics more intelligent — be it an old lamp with a non-removable light bulb, an older TV, or a coffee maker. However, outlets can't tell what's plugged into them, so any smart plug just got a generic logo in the Home app. That changed when Google started automatically adjusting the symbol depending on what you call the device — e.g., "desk light" will give you a light bulb icon. Now there's a more straightforward way to change the device type right through an extra option in the Home app on Android and iOS.
Grab a TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug Mini 4-pack for $24 ($6 off) with coupon code
Be warned, Kasa product owners: they're a different beast
If you missed out on getting a 3-pack of TP-Link smart plugs for $30 last week, but are looking to get started with smartening up your home, you're in luck: TP-Link has a 4-pack of smart plugs for $24 right now on Amazon with a coupon code. But if you've already got an existing TP-Link setup, you'll want to keep in mind one major catch.These TP-Link plugs come under its new Tapo brand, not the Kasa brand that you've seen us reporting on for a while. In general, you'll find that Tapo products have lower costs and are more compact while Kasa products are more robust and capable.In the case of Tapo's Smart Plug Minis versus the Kasa Smart Plugs we highlighted for sale last week, the Tapos are way smaller in size and have a capacity of 10A where as the Kasas take up more space and take up to 12A. They also respond to different apps, so if you already have a Kasa setup, you'll need to maintain a separate account for Tapo. Both products can support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant over Wi-Fi, though, as well as scheduling and on/off sync for events.
Kasa Smart Plug 3-packs discounted to all-time low of $30 on Amazon
No need to get up and flip a switch
Well, we're at home right now. Still. Might as well take some time and effort to improve it. One way you can do that is automating your light fixtures, electronics, and appliances. Enter the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug — Amazon is selling 3-packs for a surprisingly good price.As with a lot of things 'smart,' you'll be able to use an Alexa or Google Assistant device to turn anything you plug in through these blocks on or off. And with the Kasa Smart app and other Kasa products, you'll also be able to configure Smart Actions for multiple items to turn on or off on schedule or via a single switch. These smart plugs support currents of up to 15 amperes.
The Wemo Mini Smart Plug can turn virtually any dumb appliance into an intelligent, app-connected accessory that can be controlled from your favorite smartphone. Today, Wemo is selling its mini smart plug for the lowest price we've ever seen at just ( off) for a single plug and ( off) for a triple pack on Amazon.Getting started with the Wemo Mini Smart Plug is easy. Just insert the device into a standard three-prong outlet, connect it to your Wi-Fi network using the free Wemo app, and plug in whatever appliance you would like to use as a smart accessory, be it a TV, a lamp, a Christmas tree, etc. From there, you can manually turn your appliance on and off through the app or with voice commands via Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. You can also set recurring schedules to activate or deactivate your appliance at certain times of the day.
These days, just about any "dumb" product in your home – be it a bedside clock, front doorbell, and even your window drapes – can be transformed into an intelligent one. All you need are the right connected accessories, and controlling your various appliances are simply a tap away. Right now on Amazon, you can save up to 25% on a wide range of smart home upgrades from TP-Link, including wall plugs, lightbulbs, outdoor outlets, and even security cameras for both inside and outside your home.Today's Amazon deal showcases seven different products from TP-Link, all of which are WiFi-connected and can be controlled through the Kasa Smart app or with Google Assistant and Alexa voice commands. Other notable features include automated schedules for the smart plugs, multicolor support for the smart bulbs, and 1080p recording capabilities for the security cameras.
The previously teased and leaked Wyze smart plug is now a reality. Well, it will be soon. It's real in that you can spend money on it, but Wyze won't send the plugs for a few more weeks. The price is predictably low, just like other Wyze products. For $14.99, you get a pair of Wyze smart plugs that pair with your favorite assistant and other Wyze products.
Connected plugs are perhaps the lowest-stakes way to infuse your home with some smarts. They're not expensive, and they work with all your existing non-smart stuff. TP-Link's gadgets are already generally affordable, and with this deal, you can dive into home automation head-first: a bundle of three smart plugs is just $30 right now at B&H.
If you're liking the look of a smart home, you might appreciate the color that Philips's Hue brand is providing with its light bulbs, lamps, and dimmer switches. But the company is apparently looking to expand beyond what it is offering this fall with a series of new fixtures, smart plugs, and Edison-style light bulbs.
If you have a smart speaker and want to use it to control your home appliances, smart plugs are one of the most convenient options to do so. Thanks to their built-in WiFi radio, they connect directly to your home router, which allows you to operate the socket remotely and hence your electrical devices. They're also quite straightforward to set up, as they don't need additional hubs or bridges to get online. Unfortunately, good ones can be costly and drive buyers away, but thanks to this deal, you can get two compact TP-Link smart plugs for $23, representing a $12 rebate off their MSRP.
Connected devices are a great way of making your life easier, automating tasks, and saving energy. They usually come at a premium, though, and building an intelligent home infrastructure usually costs more than what it'll save you on the short term. However, these coupons on Kogeek's plugs and lights give you the opportunity to smarten your home at a discount. Plus, in addition to working with Alexa and Assistant, they also support Apple's HomeKit, which is an advantage for those of you using Siri-enabled products.Smart plug — $20.45 ($10 off with coupon HZBXAYMY)
It's Wednesday afternoon! You know what that means: the week is more than half over, and we've got a fresh crop of deals for you. Proceed with caution — there's a lot in impulse buy territory here, from cheap Chromecasts to smart plugs and phone chargers. There are a couple of bigger discounts, too, like $45 off the best portable projector you can buy.
TP-Link isn't just making routers anymore. It has branched out into smart plugs, cameras, and more routers. The company is preparing to roll out two Kasa-branded new products in the coming weeks: an outdoor security camera and a smart plug with two outlets. As with all other Kasa devices, these have full integration with Google Assistant.The smart plug mates with a single wall outlet, but the two outputs operate as separate smart plugs. So, you can plug two entirely different things and turn them on and off independently. You can pre-order the plug right now on Amazon for $39.99, and it will ship on August 17th. As of this posting, the price on Amazon is incorrectly listed at $49.99. TP-Link says it's working to fix that.As for the Kasa Outdoor Camera, it sports a 1080p sensor with a 130-degree field of view. You also get 2-way audio and a built-in siren. The Kasa Outdoor Camera is weather-resistant and operates at temperatures between -4 degrees F and 109.4 degrees F. It's a wired camera, so you'll need to run a cable to it. TP-Link's new camera is supposed to be up for pre-order today as well, but the listing isn't live on Amazon yet. We'll update when that shows up. TP-Link says it will cost $139.99.
I bought an apartment in October. You can imagine the joy at the thought that it'd be my future family's home, terror at the sight of the mortgage value on the signed contract, and all the excitement about getting to set up a house from scratch. I could pick everything that I loved from design to materials to colors to organization, and yes, also automation.I wanted lights that turn on when the doors open, A/C units that cool the place when I'm coming home and the outside heat is too much to bear, cameras that catch intruders the moment they are detected, a washing machine that notifies me when the load is done, colored lights that coordinate with whatever I'm watching on TV, blinds that open and close with the sunset and sunrise, and much more.But soon into my research, I hit a wall, then another wall, followed by even more walls. Metaphoric walls, mind you, because hitting my apartment's walls would be very damaging and expensive. Despite the promise and allure of smart homes, despite us hearing about them for years now, despite what seems to be a huge collection of IoT devices on the market, and despite everything we own becoming smart in some form or another, home automation is still in its infancy. Nay, its fetal state.Putting aside the issues with security which everyone is still trying to figure out, there are so many problems that home automation has to overcome before it becomes as prevalent as we would like it to be: ease of use for the non-techies in your life, interoperability between different devices, affordable prices, and most importantly protocols.There's Bluetooth (and its many variants and sub-protocols), WiFi, ZigBee, and at least two different Z-Wave frequencies for North America (908.42 MHz) and Europe (868.42 MHz). When you factor in the different voltages between countries, plug types, light fixture sizes and shapes, and lamp screw types, you're looking at soooooo many things that need to be compatible for just one product to work in your house. Ouch.If you live in the USA, you have it easy... kinda. Plenty of companies are US-based and are building products that simply work there. If you live in Europe or somewhere else, your home automation life is going to be a lot more complicated. Each product you look at will have to go through rigorous research to make sure it is compatible with what your country uses, and odds are that you will find a limited selection of products that do fit the bill.After realizing the limitations with home automation, I lowered my expectations, then lowered them again. I didn't want anything that was permanently affixed in my house because technology changes very quickly, nor any indispensable product that doesn't work without power or connectivity (both are finicky in Lebanon), nor anything that demands modifications to the walls or ceilings or house wiring, and whenever possible, I wanted products that didn't require their own hub because who has 20 Ethernet ports on their router? Plus, whatever I bought would have to work with as many other products as possible.It's about that time in my research that the Wink Hub 2 was announced. The number of connectivity protocols was appealing, especially the upcoming Thread (Bluetooth) support, and the Wink website felt inviting and clear. Supported products are neatly laid out and the requirements for each (eg GE Link bulb page) are so clearly labeled with superbly detailed support pages (eg GE Link support page) that it made things a lot easier to parse and understand.So I jumped on the chance to review the Wink Hub 2, despite the fact that it supports Z-Wave at the North American 908.42 MHz frequency. I knew this would make finding compatible Z-Wave products that operate at 220V (voltage in Lebanon) almost impossible, but I liked the challenge. The Cree bulb and Leviton plug pictured at the top, for example, only work at 110V and are useless for me. The GoControl sensor suite, however, uses batteries and thus caused me no issues. I thought the GE Link bulbs would work at 220V but they didn't. I had more success with the Aeon Labs ZW096 smart switch, which supports Z-Wave 908.42 MHz, both 110V and 220V, and only needs a US-EU plug to work with my appliances. Add a Canary camera (read my full review) and an Amazon Echo Dot 2nd gen (read my full review) and I was ready to get started.