Best Smart Plug?

#1: Post by **Mike3dr** » May 9th, 2022, 4:38 pm

Is there a "Best Smart Plug", I will be needing one and don't know much about it. Anybody have any thoughts on these? Thank you

#2: Post by **jxyz** » May 9th, 2022, 5:16 pm

I have used the WeMo ones for years, and they are usually pretty good. Many times it comes down to what ecosystem you want to use them with- Alexa, Google, Siri/HomeKit. The newer WeMo ones work with everything I think, and I use them with HomeKit.

I have several of the "Wemo Insight" switches that are a little more featured, such as power monitoring, but they have been hard to find recently. Of course you will want to keep an eye on max amperage, and of course my experience is based on US mains/110V.

#3: Post by **slybarman** » May 9th, 2022, 5:49 pm

Something rated for 15 amps - assuming you are using a normal 15 amp circuit. UL or ETL rating would be a plus.

#4: Post by **baldheadracing** » May 9th, 2022, 6:01 pm

I'd strongly suggest picking one that actually has third-party nationally-recognized certification like CSA, UL, etc. ("CE" is not certification and is explicitly not recognized as not valid in USA/Canada.) WeMo is certified AFAIK. Lots of stuff on Amazon, eBay, etc., isn't. You can pretty well tell by the price, unfortunately.

The rest depends on ecosystem as mentioned above. Wi-fi plugs are the least expensive and are fine if you have good Wi-fi and Internet with a good firewall and don't mind using a phone app to control the plug. On the other hand, some don't like a plug that typically needs Internet to work and also makes regular calls home to the manufacturer. However, avoiding that gets into home automation hubs - which can be a deep and annoying rabbit hole (unless you either love coding or love being locked into a proprietary ecosystem).

#5: Post by **Jeff** » May 9th, 2022, 7:10 pm

Nationally recognized safety ratings are, for me, a must. A CE mark alone is not a safety certification.

I use the 15 A versions of the TP-Link Kasa series because their "encryption" is so poor that they've been reverse engineered.

This is a double-edged sword, as I also keep them on their own AP and non-routed subnet.

Many devices "phone home" no matter what you do, including setting them not to do so. Any device inside a typical home/SOHO network can trivially pass data out as well as establish peer-to-peer connections through multiple SOHO-style firewalls. How much this bothers you depends on your own beliefs around your responsibility for not enabling a cyber attack on someone else through your compromised equipment. Home networks were not so big of a deal when a 56 k modem was "screamingly fast", but home connectivity now is a great target. 100 homes at 100 Mbps each is usually a lot easier to compromise than one, 10 Gbps target.

Python API that I use: https://github.com/GadgetReactor/pyHS100

#6: Post by **hagthor** » May 9th, 2022, 10:27 pm

I did a bunch of research on an in wall outlet and I was looking for a 20a. I've been using the connect sense one for the last probably eight months without fail. They may have come out with a 20 amp outlet but at the time this one was the best option. Anyway, Here is a link if you want to check it out. I am in no way affiliated, just an old coffee maniac.

ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet (20A) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081ZCTHH7/

#7: Post by **eheffa** » May 10th, 2022, 8:15 am

Hi hagthor,

The in-wall 20A plug receptacle looks like a great option; but expensive at $99- USD.

Thanks.

- evan

#8: Post by **beanman** » May 10th, 2022, 10:30 pm

I have a Wemo for my ECM Syncronica and works well.
I surfed the 'net, and the Wemo seemed to be very popular, so I went with it.
Happy so far.

#9: Post by **brokenlungs** » May 17th, 2022, 10:07 pm

I use a Kasa plug. Found it thrifting works great going on 2 years.

#10: Post by **Ypuh** » May 18th, 2022, 5:34 am

Wemo is quite popular. In Europe a lot of people use Shelly. It has a good app and large selection of smart home devices. I like how it also tracks your power consumption, alongside having the ability of setting up rooms, schedules, remote control (also outside of your network via the Shelly Cloud).

Believe it's a German company, so not a no-name that's going disappear after a few years.