Smart plugs
Three of the best on test.
> Eve Energy
$49.95 From Eve, evehome.com Specs 15A/1.8kW maximum load If you’re an Apple user through and through, Eve Systems’ HomeKit– compatible accessory is a good bet. That said, if your household deviates from Apple even slightly, the Energy is liable to alienate you, and being HomeKit–only, it doesn’t play nicely with services like IFTTT or with smart assistants. If you don’t have a home hub, you won’t even be able to control it remotely. Outside of its potentially contentious levels of interactivity, we’re more than happy with the Eve Energy’s electricity monitoring features, which offer significant depth if you’re interested in the minutiae of your equipment. It’s simple to set up — but it’s pretty expensive too.
Solid > Eufy Wi–Fi Smart Plug
$45.99 From Eufy, eufylife.com Specs 15A/1.8kW maximum load Although size doesn’t necessarily matter, there are situations where a smaller smart plug is ideal. Eufy’s budget–priced energy monitor is compact enough to drop behind appliances, making it a good choice for washing machines and dishwashers. While there’s no HomeKit support, the Wi–Fi Smart Plug plays nicely with both Alexa and Google Assistant, and it can be toggled from outside your home with no need for any additional hardware. Eufy’s app is well appointed, but we were disappointed with the lack of real–time monitoring — it only offers a day–by–day kW report, with the option of adding your energy provider’s going rate, and an estimate of your usage for the past day.
Great > TP–Link HS110
$34.99 From TP–Link, tp-link.com Specs 15A/1.8kW maximum load Don’t confuse this plug for the physically identical HS100 — that model doesn’t include the same energy monitoring features, although it’s a solid smart switch in its own right. The HS110 is just as easy to set up as its little brother. Once you’ve registered with TP–Link, the Kasa Smart app does all the wrangling for you and offers a real–time look at power draw, as well as archival readings. You get a device that’s easy to control from afar, through a smart assistant or through a service like IFTTT. There’s no way to take advantage of its energy monitoring features as a trigger — a common thread with all this hardware — but if you’re looking to get creative with scheduling routines, this is ideal.
Great