CUT DOWN ON ENERGY US AGE , POW ER YOUR DEVICES ON DEMAND , AND CON TROL IT ALL FROM ONE PLACE

D-Link’s smart plug isn’t just about switching things on and off remotely. Oh no, it’s far smarter than that...

Second to smart speakers such as the likes of Amazon Echo or Google Home (and also perhaps garish RGB lighting), it could be argued that smart plugs are the figurehead of the connected home revolution. They propped up the first wave of home automation, and while the X11 standard fell on its face in the end, the smart plug has remained strong.

D- Link’s Wi- Fi Smart Plug (also known as the DSP-W115) is a perfect example of the smart plug’s benefits. It’s cheap at only £ 29.99, meaning you could scatter a few around your home without a crippling financial outlay. It’s easy enough for even the most technophobic user to get started with – if you can work a smartphone, you can work a smart plug – and, most crucially, it’s obvious: immediately, you know what a smart plug does and how it can make a difference in your home.

But do you really? Yes, D- Link’s plug can power your devices on and off through your home’s Wi- Fi connection. That’s a given. But it can do much more besides. For example, you can set schedules for it, switching the power automatically, precisely when you want it. You can fire up an air conditioner shortly before you get home from work, switch that coffee maker on from your bed, toggle a lamp for the classic ‘I’m at home’ deception…

If you are away from your home, that’s no problem either as, because it’s tied into the Mydlink cloud system, the Wi- Fi Smart Plug can be toggled from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to an internet connection, be it Wi- Fi or 4G. You can also combine multiple plugs for one-touch routines, switching off all your devices at night or activating all of the lights in a room.

And what would a smart device be without integration with those headline-grabbing home assistants? You can fire off the DSP-W115 with Alexa- compatible devices, with Google Assistant and even through IFTTT. This means it’s possible to tie together D- Link’s Wi- Fi Smart plug with other IFTTT- compatible smart devices, configuring your own triggers. Perhaps you want to toggle a plug when you reach a certain proximity to your home or (somewhat impractically) when you get a new email? Link a suitable trigger to your socket with an IFTTT action and this could be yours.