Best WiFi Smart Plugs to Automate Your Home
We live in a world in which we have more and more devices connected to the network of networks. IoT devices and home automation are slowly changing the conception we have of our home. We no longer only have our PCs, laptops or smartphones connected to the Internet. Now we have smart speakers, Smart TV and many more devices. This time we are going to focus specifically on smart plugs to automate your home.
Some of you may have heard of these kinds of devices, but you may not be clear about what advantages they offer and what they can be used for. Therefore, before talking about the best smart plugs, let’s briefly explain what these devices can bring to our home.
What do smart plugs bring us
Now we are going to explain what it is for having some of the best smart plugs in our home. When we buy a device with these characteristics, we do it with two main functions in mind:
Without a doubt, saving energy is a fundamental point when it comes to buying a smart plug. Our goal is usually to turn off these devices that are on standby / rest, and that we see that they have an LED on. They are devices that have a very low residual consumption, but still use energy. What we intend, in short, is to save on our electricity bill, be more energy efficient and, incidentally, more ecological.
As for the automation of tasks, it is closely related to the first element. In that sense, we want these smart plugs to turn off those devices that we are not using. For example, there are devices that when we go to bed still have a very low consumption, even if we are not going to use them. Although it is true that we could turn them off ourselves, in the end we end up getting tired and forgetting to do so. To solve this we have the smart plugs, which provide us with a time schedule doing the work for us completely automatically.
How they work and what should we look for when buying one
While there are smart plugs without WiFi that can be programmed, the ideal is to buy one that has it. In addition, if we add that from about € 15 we have them with that feature, we have no excuse not to buy them with WiFi.
- It will be integrated into our home network.
- It usually comes with a mobile app so that we can configure and program it to our liking.
As for WiFi, it will work on our 2.4 GHz network. Smart plugs have little data traffic and they do so in this wireless frequency band because they better support the distance with the router.
- The maximum power they support. For example, there are those that support up to 3680W that could be used with large appliances. While those destined for the little ones would be over 2000W.
- If you have an app to control it with your mobile.
- If you have remote access to control it when we are away from home.
- If you have an energy monitor that indicates the consumption. They are usually a bit more expensive, but they are worth it if you want to know what the different equipment is consuming.
- Support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT to send you voice commands and also automate actions.
Remote access is a fundamental option, since, for example, being away from home for example we could turn on an electric stove. So, when our workday is over, we turn it on and when we get home that room will be hot. After this introduction now it’s time to talk about the best smart plugs.
The best plugs you can buy
D-Link DSP-W118
One of the best smart plugs is the D-Link DSP-W118. Also thanks to its maximum load of 3680W you can use it with large appliances. It incorporates Wi-Fi in the 2.4GHz band, its main feature is that it has a very small size, a physical button for manual on and off of the plug itself, and thanks to the mydlink app, we can have at our disposal many options of programming.
It is a mini plug, so we can say that it is smaller in size than others from the competition. This small design will allow us to connect two in a double socket without problems. The manufacturer D-Link to configure and program this device uses the mydlink app.
- Control our devices from anywhere and at any time.
- Schedule schedules so that the smart plug turns on or off automatically at any time of the day.
- Compatible with Amazon’s Echo’s Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT. Thanks to our voice we can use it to control it and we can use it with smart speakers from Google and Amazon.
AVM FRITZ! DECT 200
Another of the best smart plugs we can buy is the AVM FRITZ! DECT 200. This model activates the power supply of connected devices with a consumption of up to 2,300 watts. One thing to note is its splash protection system. In sense it is suitable for outdoor use and meets the IP44 standard.
It also includes an energy record in which we can view the current voltage and the voltage in volts. But there is still more, we will have estimates of consumption per hour, day, month and year in kWh and in euros together with CO2 emissions. In case we want it, we can configure it to send us an email with our energy consumption.
In addition, it is prepared to be used in conjunction with FRITZ! Box, which are the brand’s routers. In the FRITZ! Box user interface we can adjust the different configuration options for our plug. As for manual activation, we can do it from the computer, smartphone or tablet through the FRITZ! Box user interface or through the MyFRITZ! App.
We recommend you visit our complete analysis of the AVM FRITZ! DECT 200 where you will find all the details of this model.
AVM FRITZ! DECT 210
In this case we could say that the AVM FRITZDECT 200 is a somewhat more complete version than its lower version. The first important change is that we went from 2,300W to 3,450W. This means that the 210 model is compatible for use with large appliances. One thing that also sets it apart is that it comes with a red protection cap to preserve the plug.
Also like its younger brother, it has splash protection . Obviously it is suitable for outdoor use and complies with the IP44 standard. Furthermore, neither raindrops nor extreme temperature variations can harm this plug since it can work with temperatures ranging from -20 ° to + 40 ° C.
As in the previous case, it can be accessed for operation or configuration from a FRITZ! Box router or the MyFRITZ! App. We do not forget that it also has the options of energy monitoring, sending emails with energy consumption and more.
We recommend you visit our complete analysis of the AVM FRITZ! DECT 210 where you will find all the details.
TP-Link HS100
The TP-Link HS100 is a smart plug whose maximum power is 3.68KW. This will allow us to use it with large appliances. It should also be noted that it has a physical button for on and off.
The application to install and configure this device is Kasa;
As for its functions, it supports remote access to control devices connected to the smart plug where we have Internet thanks to the Kasa app. It also allows scheduling of tasks, so that you automatically turn on or off the power of appliances as needed. In addition, it includes an away from home mode that turns our devices on and off at different times to give the appearance that we are at home.
Another section that must be discussed is that we can use voice commands with smart speakers like Google Home and Alexa. We can buy a single smart plug:
We also have a Kit with two that is somewhat cheaper:
TP-Link HS110
The TP-Link HS110 is the big brother of the HS100 with a few more extras. It is a model prepared to be used with large appliances and also has a physical button.
The great novelty compared to its younger brother is that the HS110 offers an energy monitoring function that analyzes power consumption in real time and has a historical record of our consumed energy. Regarding its functions, it supports remote access, task scheduling and away from home mode. It is also compatible using voice commands with smart speakers like Google Home and Alexa.
We recommend you visit our complete analysis of the TP-Link HS110 where you will find all the details.
Edimax SP-2101W V2
The Edimax SP-2101W V2 comes with the ability to monitor the energy consumed. As you have already seen, these types of models are usually a little more expensive and offer some extra function. In that sense, it allows us to create a budget. In this way, we can establish a daily, weekly or monthly energy limit for our appliance. As soon as we exceed that consumption, it will automatically turn off and send us an email alert.
The application to use and configure this device is EdiSmart: