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We’ve added four new smart plug models to What to look forward to. Double Socket
Using a smart plug is the cheapest, easiest way to remotely control any electrical device in your home. Just plug one into an electrical outlet, and add a lamp, fan, or other on/off device. Then set it up with an app, and—boom—you’re making magic.
We recommend the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) for inside the home and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (EP40A) for outdoor use, since they both work really well on their own and when paired with many other devices.
We also recommend the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (HS300) if you want to be able to plug in and independently control and automate multiple devices.
This smart plug worked reliably in tests, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. Also, it’s widely compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.
This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.
This model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones, with built-in energy monitoring and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home). It also has three USB ports.
This smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture. It can also track the amount of time (in hours and minutes) you’re using electrical devices.
Many smart plugs can monitor usage in hours and minutes, and some can track actual energy usage in kilowatt-hours.
Most smart plugs are rated for 15 amps of current and so should be used only with low-power devices like lamps and small appliances.
Indoor smart plugs are compact but not weather-resistant. Outdoor models are bulkier but ruggedized.
Consider where a plug will be placed—for tight spots, like behind furniture, you may have to use a mini model.
This smart plug worked reliably in tests, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. Also, it’s widely compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) includes all of the features you’d want in a single-outlet smart plug. In addition to remote-control access, a timer, and the ability to be scheduled, it can be integrated with a large number of other smart-home devices through Alexa, Home, and Google Home. It also supports real-time energy monitoring, so you can keep tabs on electricity use in hours and minutes, or in watts and kilowatt-hours. It’s available only in a two-pack and a four-pack, but the price is similar to or less per unit than that of other plugs we like.
This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (EP40A) is built to weather the outdoors. (You should never attempt to use an indoor smart plug outdoors.) The EP40A has an operating-temperature range of -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can handle a wide range of weather. It includes two outlets that you can control independently using the app or voice (via Alexa, Google Home, or Siri—and if you don’t need Siri, you can go with the Kasa EP40), and it’s easy to set up and use. This smart plug can also track the running time of devices plugged into it, in hours and minutes.
This model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones, with built-in energy monitoring and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home). It also has three USB ports.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (HS300) transforms one wall plug into six independently controllable outlets, so you can turn different devices on and off, and you can also create separate schedules and triggers. Of the smart power strips we tested, this one is the most well built. It also has the most USB charging ports (three) for smartphones and tablets, as well as the longest power cord. And it supports energy monitoring (in watts and kWh) and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
This smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture. It can also track the amount of time (in hours and minutes) you’re using electrical devices.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (EP10) is the smallest and least expensive of our picks, but it lacks energy monitoring or Home support, which our top pick has. Sold in packs of two or four, this smart plug has built-in usage monitoring. So it can keep tabs on the precise amount of time you’re using a device (like a fan or AC) that’s plugged into it (though it doesn’t provide info on the actual energy consumption).
I first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, back when the only smart-home devices were X10. Since 2016, I’ve been covering smart-home gear for Wirecutter, and I’ve had my hands on everything from in-wall light switches, smart bulbs, and water-leak sensors to smart video doorbells, indoor security cameras, and security systems. I’ve also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among others.
Bringing smart functionality to your home doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. If you have a smartphone and an empty outlet, you can use a smart plug to control, schedule, and automate nearly any electrical device. You don’t need programming skills or an installer on speed dial to set up smart outlets, and they become immediately useful with very little fuss.
For example, hooking even just one smart plug to your old table lamp ensures that you’ll never have to enter a dark house. And if you have mobility or dexterity issues, a smart plug can make it much easier to set lights, fans, speakers, air purifiers, game consoles, and air conditioners on a schedule, or to control them with a smart speaker and the sound of your voice.
We’ve been covering smart plugs for over seven years now. All of the models we’ve tested share a few common features that we think are essential for anyone:
Additionally, some smart plugs can monitor how much you’re using a device that’s plugged into it (reported in hours and minutes), while others actually track the amount of energy consumed (in kilowatt-hours). Either of these can help you determine what it costs to run a power-hungry device, such as a TV or an air conditioner. Though we don’t think either is a must-have feature, for some it may be a nice perk.
For this guide we considered both indoor and outdoor smart plugs, with single and multiple outlets. To test smart-plug candidates, we use them with fans, table lamps, a noise machine, a radio, and Christmas lights. We used an iPhone 12, a Google Pixel 7 Pro, and an iPad to review the plugs’ companion apps. And we used several Echo speakers, a Google Mini, and an Apple TV to see how each smart plug reacted to voice commands and smart-home integration.
Once we narrowed our pick candidates, we reviewed their respective privacy policies, to make sure they were in line with those of other smart-home companies. We then sent a security and privacy questionnaire to each of the manufacturers, asking more-specific questions about each one’s security policies and practices and how they handle device owners’ data. Among other things, that includes login practices, whether a company supports two-factor authentication, what user data is encrypted, and what data is recorded and shared. We also connected those devices to Firewalla Purple SE, a firewall device that monitors the communications of all devices on a network and reports which devices are sending out data and to what country.
This smart plug worked reliably in tests, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. Also, it’s widely compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25) combines all of the best features you can find in a smart plug at a price that makes it possible to deploy them throughout your home. This smart plug provides reliable remote control and scheduling, and it works with all of the major smart-home platforms. It also includes energy monitoring, so you can track precisely how long you use a device as well as how much power it consumes.
It’s smart but still simple. Setting up the EP25 is quick and easy. In our testing, it promptly responded to both app and voice commands. We also found it was straightforward to create Schedules based on specific times as well as on our local sunrise/sunset, and we used them to control fans and lights.
Choose your own app. The EP25 works with the Kasa app but also the newly released Tapo app, which is the better option. Both were extremely easy to use, but the Tapo app allows you to access, group, and control both Kasa and Tapo devices which is more streamlined. For instance, we created a group with the EP25 and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch Dimmer KS220 (our in-wall dimmer pick). And we were able to turn the dimmer in our entryway and a living room lamp on and off with a single click (instead of having to individually trigger each device).
It’s widely compatible. The EP25 can be set up using an iOS or Android app, or using Apple’s Home app, and it’s compatible with all of the major smart-home platforms. But if you’re using Apple’s Home app, the setup is slightly different. For instance, you can bypass using TP-Link’s app, but then you miss out on a few attractive features—most notably the EP25’s built-in energy monitoring and the ability to use the Away Mode (which triggers devices randomly so it looks like someone is home).
It can save energy (and money). Energy monitoring makes the EP25 a standout. It allows you to track device usage in hours and minutes for the day, and it can also provide that information for the past seven and 30 days. It also delivers stats for the day in watts and kilowatt-hours (kWh), as well as the Daily Average and Total Consumption numbers for the past seven and 30 days. Those allow you to keep tabs on which devices you might be running too much—and which ones are driving up your energy bill.
This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
If you’re looking to extend your smart home outdoors, the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (EP40A) is easy to set up and use, reliable, and affordable, and it includes two outlets you can control independently. It’s also widely compatible with several major smart-home control apps, but if Apple Home and Siri aren’t a necessity, you can go with the cheaper Kasa EP40, our previous outdoor plug pick.
It’s pretty rugged. The EP40A can withstand temperatures between -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty typical for outdoor plugs (temperatures below or above those numbers may not even be an issue—the EP40A is just not guaranteed to work in those conditions). Like most outdoor smart plugs, this model has an IP64 rating, so it’s weather-resistant but not considered weatherproof. That means it can’t tolerate being submerged in water, but it can withstand dust and water splashes (which would include flurries and snow). As you should with any outdoor plug, always plug the EP40A into an outdoor receptacle with a weatherproof box.
It’s uncomplicated. There are two buttons on the top of the EP40A that allow you to manually control each outlet. It works with both the Kasa and the Tapo iOS and Android apps, which allow you to name and control each outlet independently so that you know, for example, which one is the strand of twinkle lights and which is the pool pump. (Labeling outlets this way also makes things work more reliably when you use voice commands to smart speakers.) You can also group the outlets (perhaps in an “Outside” group), so you can turn off both outlets with a voice command or the tap of a button on your phone. All of our picks work with both the Kasa and the Tapo app, which also means this device includes an Away Mode and scheduling for individual devices.
It tracks device usage. Unlike our top pick, the EP40A doesn’t track energy usage and instead tracks how long a device is used in hours and minutes on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
This model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones, with built-in energy monitoring and integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home). It also has three USB ports.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
Sometimes you want more than one thing to be automated. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (HS300) stretches smart-home capabilities, with six independently controllable outlets and three USB ports. It’s an excellent option not just for home-office and entertainment uses, but also for anyone who wants to control multiple devices due to mobility and dexterity issues. For instance, you can plug in a table lamp, a space heater, a radio, and other necessities, and make them controllable via voice commands. Or you can set them on a schedule so they go on and off at the same time every day.
It converts one outlet into six smart ones. This device works with TP-Link’s two apps: Kasa and Tapo. We prefer the latter, since it allows you to group Kasa and Tapo devices together. Both apps lay out each outlet as if it were a separate device. You can rename each plug, too, so you don’t have to remember what’s plugged in where. Individually naming each plug also makes it easier to use voice commands, so you can use natural language commands like “Alexa, turn off the table lamp,” rather than “outlet 6” or something similar. You can also group all of the outlets to turn several devices on and off simultaneously. Each of those outlets also has an energy-usage feature, so you can peek at real-time power consumption based on readings from the embedded power-meter chipset, as well as daily, weekly, and monthly averages in kilowatt-hours.
It has a bonus charging area. The HS300 includes three USB ports. Although these aren’t remote-controllable, it’s handy to have another spot to power up phones, tablets, and other electronic devices.
It’s foolproof. The HS300 is the only smart power strip we reviewed that includes manual controls on the actual device for each of its outlets. And since it has the longest cord (38 inches) of any of the power-strip models we tested, you can tuck the HS300 in a corner, out of sight.
It’s not surge protection. Per TP-Link, this model is rated to reduce power spikes to 500 volts when exposed to a 6,000-volt surge in testing. That means it will clamp down high-voltage surges to that level and limit the damage to any connected devices. By contrast, for our surge-protector guide, the models we test are generally rated to lower surges—to 400 volts or lower—in the same situation. And in our own tests using 5,000-volt surges, our top surge-protector picks were able to reduce that even further, to under 200 volts. As such, we don’t think anyone should buy this Kasa power strip for its surge protection as much as for its smart-home capabilities.
About three years ago, senior editor Christine Ryan installed the HS300 to replace a few Wemo plugs that were controlling lamps and an espresso machine. She’s been pleased but recently had difficulty reconnecting the HS300 after changing her home Wi-Fi password. “I’ve looked all through the Kasa app, and there’s no place that I can find to update the password,” Christine said.
Unlike many smart-home device makers, Kasa doesn’t provide a way in the app to update a password after a device has been set up. Instead you’ll need to do a complete factory reset of the device and then reinstall it again from scratch; this isn’t ideal but it’s also not terribly complicated. Kasa provides full instructions here.
This smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture. It can also track the amount of time (in hours and minutes) you’re using electrical devices.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (EP10) is the smallest of our picks, so it fits a little better in tight spaces you can’t or don’t want to reach that often, such as behind furniture. Otherwise, it’s almost identical to our top pick, but this one doesn’t have as many features.
It’s cheap and compact. At 2.36 by 1.5 by 1.21 inches, the EP10 is easy to place anywhere. And because it’s the least expensive of our picks, you can install these in multiple places around the house. The EP10 is sold in packs of two or four, but not individually.
It works with some smart-home platforms. Although this is not the most widely compatible plug we tested, the EP10 can be paired with Alexa and Google Home. Those integrations enable voice commands using a smart speaker or smartphone, so you can turn the plug on and off hands-free. We named the plug “Office Fan” in the app and connected it to both Alexa and Google Home. So we were able to say, “Alexa, turn the Office Fan off,” and it worked seamlessly.
It tracks usage. Like our outdoor pick, the EP10 can track device usage by day, week, and month. (In our testing, we learned that we used a lamp for roughly 16 hours a week.)
We tested a number of smart plugs that we didn’t prefer as overall picks but that are perfectly fine choices.
If Matter matters: We thought the Meross MSS115 Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini, the TP-Link Kasa KP125M Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim, and the TP-Link Tapo P125M Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug all worked fine, but are more expensive than our top pick—and we actually found the non-Matter Kasa model to be easier to set up with all three smart-home platforms. Plus, out of these three Matter models, only the Kasa 125M adds in energy monitoring.
If you want one plug: Our top single-outlet picks are sold in multipacks, but the Meross MSS110 is a good smart plug with support for Alexa, Home, Google Home, IFTTT, and SmartThings. We found our top pick to be a little easier to use, and the Meross is also a bit bigger (measuring 2.65 by 1.5 by 1.5 inches) than some of the other plugs we tested. If you don’t care about Home, the Roku Indoor Smart Plug SE is a good, less expensive option.
If you want a budget-conscious outdoor model: The Wyze Plug Outdoor is a little cheaper than our outdoor pick, and the Wyze model keeps track of how much power is being used in kilowatt-hours (although it’s combined for both outlets). However, we didn’t find this model to be as sturdy overall—both outlet protectors fell off after a month.
If you’re prone to torrential downpours: The Lutron Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug is IP65-rated, so it can handle water at a slightly higher pressure than the other smart plugs we tested. However, we found this single-outlet model (which also requires the Lutron Smart Bridge for remote operation) to be lacking some of the special features that our lower-cost picks offer.
If you’re interested in Thread wireless: The latest incarnation of the Eve Energy includes Thread, the low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that should allow more reliable and faster connectivity among compatible devices. It also supports Matter, but it wasn’t easy to set up with every smart-home platform and Matter doesn’t support a few key features (such as energy monitoring). Also, a single plug costs as much as a four-pack of our top pick.
If you’re all in with Alexa or Ring: We found that the Amazon Smart Plug and the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug worked fine. But prices and functionality would limit them to users who are all in with their respective ecosystems.
If you need an outdoor dimmer: The Meross MPD100 Plug-in Dimmer Outdoor Plug has a single outlet that can dim outdoor lighting. However, it has just one controllable outlet and a limited operating temperature of 14 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our top picks offer a better overall user experience and have better features than the Geeni Smart Dot, the Geeni Surge, the RCA Smart Outdoor Plug, the Monoprice Stitch Mini, the WiZ Smart Plug, the Shelly Plus Plug US, the UltraPro Plug-In 1-Outlet Wi-Fi Smart Switch, TopGreener’s TGWF115APM, TopGreener’s TGWF115PQM, Wemo Smart Plug, Wyze Plug, and GE's Cync Outdoor. However, these models performed fine in our testing.
The ConnectSense Smart Outlet2 has a double outlet, but it’s more bulky and not as user-friendly as our top picks. Also, we found the Leviton D215P-2RW Decora Smart Wi-Fi Mini Plug-In Switch, the Leviton D23LP-2RW Decora Smart Wi-Fi Mini Plug-In Dimmer, the Lutron Caséta Smart Lamp Dimmer, and the Satechi Dual Smart Outlet to be too expensive for the features each one offered.
The Ezlo PlugHub has an internal Z-Wave hub built in; this makes it chunky and may explain why it’s currently $60. That would be fine, if it weren’t so difficult to use.
We prefer our other outdoor plug picks to the Geeni Outdoor Smart Plug, the Geeni Outdoor Duo, and the Meross MSS630 Smart Wi-Fi Indoor/Outdoor Plug, since their operating temperature range is better. Also, in our testing, these three models had other performance issues.
During our testing, the Array by Hampton Single Outlet Smart Plug failed often. And we originally dismissed the Monoprice Stitch Wireless Smart Power Strip due to its lack of features and an especially short cord (19 inches). Also, it died after a year of use.
We also had setup and performance problems with the GE Enbrighten Wi-Fi Outdoor Smart Plug, the EZVIZ 30-10B-US.
We plan to test the Aqara Border Router Plug and the Shelly Qubino Wave Plug US when they are released in the coming months. Both include energy monitoring features, but the Aqara supports dual-band Wi-Fi and also has the ability to act as a Thread border router. The Shelly is a Z-Wave plug, and so requires a compatible hub to function.
We’re also looking at the TP-Link Tapo P400M Outdoor Plug and the Tapo P110. The P400M has an IP65 weatherproof rating, Matter support, and dual antennas for a greater Wi-Fi range. The P110 is an indoor plug that has many of the same features as our top pick, but it’s smaller and includes energy use monitoring.
We've started testing the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug, a single-outlet model with Matter support. It claims to have better weather resistance than our current pick (-20 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit) and can be paired with the Anywhere Switch Companions (DAWSC), a wire-free wall-mounted controller.
We also plan to test the $18 Monoprice Stitch Smart Outdoor Plug. It has an IP65 water-resistance rating, two individually controlled outlets, and works with both Alexa and Google Home.
This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser.
Rachel Cericola is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter who has been covering smart-home technology since the days of X10. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others. She hopes her neighbors read this bio because it would explain why she always has four video doorbells running simultaneously outside her home.
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5 Pin Socket Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).