Can You Plug a Smart Plug Into a Power Strip

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Forget to unplug the iron this forenoon? The best smart plugs and power strips let y'all control anything you can plug into the wall from your phone.

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A high-tech home doesn't take to toll a fortune. Smart plugs (and ability outlets) are an easy and affordable mode to upgrade ordinary appliances, lighting, and whatever other electronics into smart home devices that y'all can command straight from your smartphone. While installing and using these plugs is relatively simple, choosing which one is right for you lot is no piece of cake chore. To assist yous out, nosotros've rounded up the best smart plugs and power outlets nosotros've tested, forth with a few tips to consider when automating your abode.


What Is a Smart Plug?

Let's make this clear: Whether they're marketed as smart switches, smart outlets, or any variation thereof, smart plugs are ultimately plug-in outlets (or power strips). They plug directly into a wall outlet or traditional ability strip, and have their own outlet yous then plug into with the device you want to automate. You're non gaining or losing any outlets past plugging one in—you lot're simply making an existing outlet smart by connecting it to your dwelling house Wi-Fi network.

With that in mind, the offset affair to consider is where you want to place your smart plug. While most are svelte plenty to fit next to i another in your typical wall outlet, not all of them are, and ability strips are a different story entirely. If you have a crowded power strip, it's important to consider where the plug's outlet is located. Some feature outlets on the side. Layouts like this can be easier or more difficult to admission depending on the type of power strip you lot're using and where information technology's located.

Wyze Plug

Wyze Plug


What Does a Smart Plug Do?

Once you're sure a smart plug will fit properly in your domicile, it's important to consider what information technology can do. Every plug we've tested lets you use your phone to turn command ability—so if you've plugged in a lamp, for instance, you can plough information technology on or off no matter where y'all are. And nearly smart plugs also offer some form of scheduling. If yous simply want to plough your connected coffee machine on at the same time every weekday morning, you can do that with any of the plugs on this list.

Scenes (this is the term almost oft used, simply it might vary) let you program several devices to interact with each other. Some permit you program scenes based on weather condition such every bit temperature, humidity, and sunrise or sunset times. Others take preset "abroad" scenes for when you're on vacation, that plow continued devices on and off to make it wait like someone is home. Scene options vary from plug to plug, so it's good to keep in heed what automation options fit your lifestyle.

If you're concerned most the environs or hoping to save a few bucks, expect for a plug that supports energy monitoring. But keep in heed that the energy information collected isn't uniform across all plugs. Some provide a detailed breakdown of how long your device has been on over the unabridged 24-hour interval, your daily boilerplate "on" time, your (estimated) monthly and daily power costs, and your average power usage in watts. Others simply give a brief overview of hours used over a period of fourth dimension. And many don't report power usage at all.

Features aside, installation and app design are also major factors. Luckily, pretty much all the plugs we've tested are easy to install—you basically just plug them in and connect them to an app on your telephone. App quality, on the other paw, varies. We have a close look at each plug's companion app in our reviews, and consider its usability in our rating.


What Is the Best Smart Plug to Purchase?

Ultimately, the best smart plug for yous is the one that easily interacts with the products you already have, peculiarly whatever smart speakers and smart displays. For example, if you similar Siri or are an avid iPhone user, yous'll get the best feel from a plug that supports Apple tree's HomeKit protocol. Similarly, if you already utilize Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, make sure to become a plug that supports your voice assistant of pick.

Some plugs feature native support for a particular brand of smart home products, while others can collaborate with almost anything via IFTTT. We've noted which features are supported by each plug in the chart below to help determine which one best fits your needs.

So if you can't settle on a family of smart light bulbs, or you don't want to shell out big bucks for a fix of new connected kitchen appliances, consider connecting the products you already own with a smart plug. Whether you lot're but dipping a toe into smart habitation tech, or y'all're a pro at writing your own IFTTT applets, smart plugs make information technology simple and affordable to automate just well-nigh anything in your habitation.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-smart-plugs-and-power-strips

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