In the modern world, electricity is crucial in every modern home. It is used to ease many chores and its usage requires close monitoring to ensure optimal use and prevent power wastage. This makes a smart home plug a must-have appliance in a modern home as it ensures one schedule the usage of power. A smart plug is a device that controls power by connecting to a power outlet. Most smart plugs use Wi-Fi to control the appliances through the use of smart life app.

The smart plug is then paired with a smartphone or a tablet and the controls to your home electric appliances will be at the comfort of your hand or even better at the command of your voice. This is possible through the use of Amazon Alexa or Google assistant that receives the command and transmit it to your already set smart plug to enable the switching on and off the electrical appliances.

This review is meant to help in the choosing of the best smart home plug for an individual. It covers their features and expounds on their usefulness.

 

Gosund Remote Control Smart Socket – Our Pick

Gosund is the ideal smart socket for one’s home or office. This smart socket has the advantage of being controllable from the one’s phone or from a remote making it ideal for hands-on use. One would worry that such a device would consume power; Gosund saves power instead of through its power use control features, schedules, and timers.

Key features

• Compatible with Amazon Alexa
• Wi-Fi enabled remote control
• Compatible with IFTTT
• Function with timer

Product design and features

Phone control feature

Gosund smart home plug allows you to manage your electrical appliances at the comfort of your phone by use of the free downloadable app with the availability of a network. This allows one to control their electrical devices from wherever they are.

Compatibility with Google

Gosund smart home plug has compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Android 4.4 and above and with any iOS 8 and above, this makes it convenient to use since one does not upgrade their operating system or change their devices.

Power saving

Once you own a Gosund smart plug you never have to worry about overcharging or wasteful standby power since you can control your power use very conveniently.

Schedules and timers

This smart home plug allows you to set A/C units schedules and timers for a smooth running of your electrical appliances like switching on and off the lights.

Pros

• Compatibility with many operating systems
• Control over any connected devices
• Power saving

Cons

• Has to be connected to a smart life app
• Unsafe due to the possibility of Wi-Fi hack

Martin Jerry Wi-Fi Smart Home Plug

This special smart plug is developed to make your home a really smart home since you control your devices via voice. It does not require Hub to operate since it has easy compatibility with Alexa via a Wi-Fi router.

Key features

• Compatibility with Alexa, google home and smart home devices
• V06 1 Pack Wi-Fi smart socket
• Drum like a round shape

Product design and features

Voice control

With martin jerry smart plug you have the capability to control your devices through the command of your voice. This is due to its compatibility with Google home accessories and Alexa.

Easy installation

This smart home plug uses the common Wi-Fi router and requires no hub of its own making installation very easy and straightforward. This reduces the cost incurred and the time spent.

Smart switch

With the smart switch Alexa function, this smart socket functions as a smart switch and allows for remotely turning on and off and also scheduling your devices on when to turn on or off. With the remote control, you do not need to move about the house to control your devices which brings great convenience.

Use both iOS and Android

Martin Jerry smart home plug is the real ideal smart plug since it uses android or iOS; this ensures compatibility with most devices and all this at no extra charges. It also means that the smartphone can be turned into a remote control for multiple devices in the home without the need for upgrades or changes.

Pros

• Designed not to crowd socket or extension
• Energy-saving due to schedulable on and off settings
• Voice control for hands-off control

Cons

• Extra costs in comparison with traditional control methods

Mesuvida Smart Home Plug

With its compatibility with google assistant and Alexa, Mesuvida is ideal and user-friendly. It is controllable via a smartphone app, further increasing its convenience. For use at night, the smart home plug has a night light which can be turned on and off.  Mesuvida is designed for ease of use and installation.

Key features

• App remote control
• Timer function
• Alexa and google assistant compatibility
• Smartphone control

Product design and key features

Nightlight

The Mesuvida smart home plug has a light ring around it that has different color and scene options. This light can be made dimmer or brighter through the smart life app which comes at no extra cost enabling you to do all this anywhere anytime. The light can be turned off completely when not in use.

Schedules and timers

With the scheduling benefits, you will no longer have to worry about forgetting to turn off your appliances. This helps you prepare crockpot meal; switch on and off the lights and this helps save power since it will power off appliances that are not in use.

Easy installation

This smart home plug is very easy to install since it uses the common Wi-Fi router and requires no hub of its own. Through the use of a smart life app, the device’s control will be through your smartphone at no extra charge.

Pros

• Nightlight
• Ease of use and installation
• Low cost because no new devices (hub and remote control) have to be purchased

Cons

• Can block outlet due to a larger size

Powerbear Smart Plug

Powerbear has the latest technological advances in its build to help one gain more control over all their electrical appliances. It has voice control which takes the hands-off use feature further than any other smart plug especially when combined with the Wi-Fi mini outlet. Despite its advancement, this smart plug is very easy to install and very user-friendly.

Key features

• Compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google home
• Wi-Fi mini outlet with voice and app control
• Remote control

Product design and features

Voice control

Powerbear home plug is one of a kind since it uses voice command to control your devices since it works with Alexa. This is very convenient since you control your appliances at your own comfort without the need to lift a single finger. This is best explained by the common ‘Alexa dim lights to…’ phrase. With Powerbear, this function can be used across multiple devices once the smart plug is configured with Wi-Fi.

Schedules and timers

Powerbear smart plug comes with the ability to set timers and schedules to turn on or off switches and other home appliances. This prevents overcharging and other wasteful power use thus saves power. It also means one can set up schedules such as lights on and off times, music on and off or activation of fans, routers and heaters.

Quick installation

The Powerbear smart plug does not require its own hub thus is quite easy to install. Its set up requires only five minutes completing and the control of your electronics will be from your phone.

Remote control

With the remote control feature of the Powerbear smart plug, you can control your devices from anywhere and at any time using your phone or tablet once you connect your smart plug with Wi-Fi. This is convenient for people who are not able to move about and controlling lights on and off in a large home.

Pros

• Away mode for security
• Works as an assistant when scheduled to perform tasks

Cons

• Potentially power consuming because of device activation even when one is away
• Requires a large space on the outlet

Teckin Smart Plug

Smart plugs are all about control and ease of use. Teckin smart plug uses Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT to pick up voice commands and control other devices to obey those commands. It is like having a digital assistant at home.

Key features

• Remote controlled
• Easy installation
• Compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
• Voice control

Product design and features

Voice control

Teckin home plug compatibility with IFTTT and Amazon Alexa allows it to pick voice command and gives you the ability to control your devices through these voice commands, which are given to either the Amazon Alexa or the Google assistant.

Schedules and timers

With Teckin smart home plug you can customize schedules for your electrical appliances to ensure automatic turning on or off. This increases convenience and also controls the wastage of power. This can also turn the smart plug into an assistant for roles such as cooking and some parenting roles such as regulation of children’s TV and study time.

Easy installation

Teckin smart plug has a stable connection and is very easy to install. This smart plug is efficient since it can be controlled by the use of different devices, and its control could be from anywhere making it very convenient. Installation is even made easier since the Teckin smart plug does not require a hub but uses the common Wi-Fi rooter

Remote control

With the smart life free app and network, the control of your electrical appliances will not require you to move around since their control will all be through your phone or tablet.

Pros

• Control from anywhere
• Voice activation for hands-off use
• Low cost

Cons

• Inconvenient when near furniture because of the larger space it occupies when compared to other plugs.

Yidian Smart Plug

Key features

• Smartphone control
• Schedule and timer feature
• Round design for convenience

Product design and features

Convenient power control

Yidian smart plug is compatible with Amazon Alexa and through Wi-Fi usage allows for control of your electrical appliances regardless of time and location. This means you will not have to abandon your activities or rush home for tasks such as lights off, coffee brewing and meal preparations.

Automatic power on and off

The tendency to forget small tasks like lights off is one of the main causes of power wastage in homes. This smart plug solves this through its automatic power on and offsetting. This feature allows one to set time frames and points for power on and off which also minimizes the number of the hands-on appliances for greater convenience.

Ease of use

Most technologically advanced devices are used by those with specific skill sets. In-home devices, this would be cumbersome and illogical. Yidian, however, is customized to be simply installed with a plugin and connection to Wi-Fi. This makes it ideal for use by anybody and in all homes.

Pros

• Small size for convenience
• Power saving due to on-off feature
• Voice control

Cons

• Safety risk due to the possibility of a hack
• Cannot be used with low operating systems

Bottom Line

The features and designs of the smart plugs mentioned in this review are strikingly alike. This marks the smart plug technology as one that is undergoing slow change because its functions are basically supported features or rather bridges to other devices. The importance of smart plugs is not to be undermined, choosing is the hard part.

The more advanced the smart plug, the better it is. However, advancement means the use of more complicated technology which either increases the bulk of the plug making it inconvenient or increases the number of its uses which in turn requires one to upgrade their pre-existing devices.

This being said, one should consider factors such as the functions one wishes to employ the smart plug for and the devices to be connected to the smart plug. Most people are attracted to the voice recognition feature so one should check for compatibility with voice recognition software such as Alexa and google assistant.

Read more: Automatic Trash Can for a Smart Home