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Smart Outlets and Plugs: A Guide For Homes
Adding smart functionality to your home is easy when you have the right products. But with a crowded marketplace, how do you know what to pick? Smart outlets are a cost-effective solution if you are ready to convert everything from your connected television to your phone charger. Smart plugs are a brilliant first step to take when updating your personal space. They can be used by just about anyone — homeowners or renters. Ready to learn more? Follow along as we take a closer look at the best smart outlets and plugs for today, new products, and their benefits.
Table of Contents
What Are Smart Outlets and Plugs?
Smart outlets are an inexpensive way to turn your everyday appliances and fixtures into smart devices. With a smart outlet, you can turn your appliances off and on from your phone or (in certain situations) your voice by using: Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple Home Pod, or a host of other devices. If you are searching for something less complicated, there is another way to make dozens of your electronics a little more intelligent, and that's smart plugs.
Smart plugs give you capable control over your home appliances while connected to a power outlet. Like standard smart home devices, they give you remote control from almost anywhere in the world, but they are more affordable than purpose-built smart home products.
How Do You Install Smart Outlets and Plugs?
For smart plugs, set up is easy. You insert your smart plug into any standard electrical outlet and add a fan, lamp, or other devices. Then just set it up with an app, and everything is ready to go.
If you install smart outlets, you do not need to take a programming class or have a professional electrician on speed dial to set them up. They come instantly enabled with little effort, cut the power to the desired outlet, remove the old one by disconnecting the wires, and swap in the new one.
Do Smart Outlets and Plugs Save Energy?
A positive aspect of using smart plugs is cutting energy costs. When appliances use smart plugs, you can set their schedule to turn off and on to fit your needs. For example, a household may program one smart plug to switch on their clothes dryer or pool filter only at low peak times, when electricity is less expensive to purchase.
Another instance could be someone who uses a small heater in their home during the winter months. Space heaters typically warm up a room quickly — but many older models don't have effective thermostatic control or energy efficiency. So once the room reaches the desired temperature, the heater needs to be turned off to avoid becoming too warm.
Using a smart plug can automatically switch the heater off after a certain amount of time. Smart outlets and plugs can control lights, televisions, air conditioners, fans, water heaters, electric blankets, and many other appliances. This ensures that devices only work when needed to reduce energy consumption when not in use.
Slashing Phantom Power
Do you know that many of your devices and appliances are still using energy even when they are off?
When they are 'off,' the power electronics use while in standby mode is called 'vampire or phantom power.' Based on NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) research, this can account for up to 25 percent of the power used by electronics in your home.
When it comes to phantom power, the worst energy thieves: electronics like televisions, streaming devices, DVD players, game consoles, computers, monitors, printers, WiFi modems, phone chargers, speakers, air conditioning units, blenders, microwaves, and other appliances.
How can smart plugs help? By plugging devices into a smart plug, your household can make sure your appliances switch off altogether when not in use, rather than going into standby mode—because the power is off.
What Are the Best Brands of Smart Outlets and Plugs?
Here is a shortlist of the best smart plugs on the market today:
- Kasa's Smart Plug, Smart Power Strip and Outdoor Plug, and
- Emporia Smart Plugs
- Wyze Smart Plug
- GE Z-Wave
Read about each one below.
Wyze
The Wyze Plug works reliably, has an app that is easy to use, and can track the power usage of the device you plug into it. You can even schedule the plug to go off based on the time of day, but it does not offer scheduling based on local sunrise and sunset times, as some models do. On a positive note and from a security standpoint, it offers two-factor authentication.
GE Z-Wave
The GE Z-Wave Enbrighten's benefits include a familiar design, voice control, and an outdoor option. As with all outlets, this product requires installation. The most significant difference between the GE Enbrighten and the others in this roundup is that it will require some electrical know-how. You will need to replace your old outlet with the Enbrighten. That means working with wires in your walls, which might require an electrician if you are not comfortable doing so.
Looking Ahead and New Smart Products
This month, (Amazon-owned) Ring has debuted a new outdoor smart floodlight. It is solar-powered, with a smart plug plus an outdoor siren that can alert homeowners to possible intruders when connected to a Ring Alarm. For all of us getting ready for the spring and summer weather ahead, preorders started March 2021 for these three new gadgets in the US and Canada.
What Are the Benefits of Smart Plugs and Outlets?
In addition to the energy savings, smart plugs can make your life a little easier. They are essential for anyone who has difficulty reaching light switches or turning inline rotary light switches.
Connecting just one smart plug to your ordinary table lamp, for example, ensures that you will never need to enter a completely dark living space. Do you have mobility or dexterity issues? If so, a smart plug can make it much easier to set up fans, speakers, lights, crock pots, and air conditioners on a schedule or control them with the sound of your voice.
What Are the Cons of Smart Outlets and Plugs?
Because not all appliances will work with smart outlets, limitations do exist. Although many lamps or light fixtures use a digital switch these days, you can still find space heaters, air conditioners, and other newer appliances that still use mechanical switches. You will need to check before purchasing them, as more devices are using electronic controls.
Here is an easy way to make sure your appliance has the right kind of switch: turning it on, unplugging it while still on, and then plugging it back in. If it does not automatically turn back on, then it will not work with a smart outlet.
Kelly Isley
Kelly Isley is a writer, author of four books and ASJA member. She has also been renovating homes for 12+ years, is an engineer, pilot, football fan, and lover of ice cream.
