TCP Smart 13A Wi-Fi Plug

Product Information

This is hands down the best smart plug on the market, especially as it comes in at the cheaper end of the price spectrum. While not compatible with Apple, it does everything you'd want from a smart plug and has a two year warranty to boot! First off, it works using Wi-Fi, meaning that you don’t need a hub. It also has all the features we’ve come to expect in the best smart plugs. It’s Alexa and Google Assistant compatible, so you can use voice commands for basic controls. Automations are basically the same, only you set a different Condition to run them. Conditions can include outside influences – when the local weather drops below a set temperature or humidity, for example, or at a specific time (schedule), or when you leave or arrive at a location. The latter geolocation tool only works with a single device, so isn’t much cop for multi-user households. Actually, it looks like the TCP engineers have got a little confused. In the Android app at least, the Timer option lets you set a schedule, while the Appointment option lets you start a countdown. It's a rather glaring error but we assume it'll get fixed at some point – and it doesn't really stop you using the plug. Energenie has a range of smart plugs, but most of them require an expensive hub that connects to your router. This Wi-Fi Smart Plug, however, doesn’t. That’s great news, as it will talk directly to your router via Wi-Fi.

While it’s okay to use the TCP app, compatibility with the Smart Life app allows you to combine control of smart devices from multiple manufacturers in one place. You can also select a convenient day to receive your delivery by choosing a named day delivery (delivery on working days only).If you only want to use it to operate a switch from the comfort of your bed or schedule times to switch lights and appliances off and on, you only need the Bot itself, but if you want to create scenes, you’ll also need a Best pizza oven 2023: top outdoor and indoor pizza ovens for your patio, garden, balcony or kitchen If the smart plug or switch can turn on/off themselves but they cannot turn on/off the devices connected to them, please refer to the corresponding product for troubleshooting. There are two main ways in which a smart plug works, the most common being via WiFi. Most households in the UK have a WiFi connection, and we’re going to assume if you’re looking at home automation you have one too.

This means its feature set can now rival any smart plug on the market, plus it’s well priced, widely available and made by a reliable brand. TP-Link has added a new feature to its updated mini smart plug, the Tapo P110. It can monitor the energy used by any device you plug in, in real-time, in an easy to view and understand format. It’s worth noting, however, that you can’t use it with the Kasa app, so it isn’t ideal if you already have TP-Link smart plugs or other smart devices. You can turn the switch on and off via the Apple Home app in iOS 10, or using the Eve app. There’s a button on top for manual control as well. Another point to note is that the MiHome Wi-Fi Smart Plug supports 13 amp devices, whereas some of the cheaper offerings are limited to 10 amps – or less.

Rather than using Wi-Fi, the switch uses Bluetooth. This makes it easy to set up and also means you don’t need to have a hub connected to your router. However, it does limit the range over which it can be controlled. It will work in most UK homes, but if you want to control it when away from home, you’ll need an Apple TV (3rd generation or later) or a spare home-based iPad (newer than iPad 2) running at least iOS 8.1.

Smart plugs aren’t just smart because you can control them with your phone or voice, they can also do a number of other useful things. For example, you can set your own plans and timers to save power, or even monitor the amount of electricity you’re using with certain smart plugs. This makes even more sense if you want to use services such as IFTTT. To use IFTTT, you have to enable the Smart Life service, which then provides the option to select the brand you want to use: Smart Life, TCP Smart, Amarey Smart, GeoSmartPro, Homeflow and Hey! No you don’t, if you lose your internet connection the system will still work, but you won’t be able to control if from your phone via the internet if you are away from the location the device is set up at. This is similar to Hey! products – the Hey! Smart Power Bar, for example – that also use Smart Life. It uses the same MiHome app as Energenie’s other products and, if we’re brutally honest, it’s one of our least favourite apps because of its clunky interface. Make sure you don’t mistakenly install Xiaomi’s MiHome app: look for the Energenie one instead.It's well worth considering this smart power strip from TP-Link if you have a number of devices you're looking to use with a smart plug. It represents much better value for money than buying three individual smart plugs and, in our opinion, the Kasa app is the easiest and most comprehensive to use. Also available through the app are Tap To Run and Automations. Both are created in the same part of the interface, only you have to select Tap To Run as the Condition for the former. Tap To Run offers a manually triggered set of commands – say, turning on the smart plug and setting it to run for a certain length of time. The slider for Tap To Run only presents this time in seconds, making it difficult to work out how many minutes it will run for. TCP products are all over the DIY shops, offering a cheaper alternative to many of the big-name brands. With the TCP WiFi Smart Plug, you get a small plug with an app that offers lots of features, although the product is much better value if you buy more than one plug. Working days are defined as Monday-Friday 8am-7pm inclusive, excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays. Next Day & Named Day Delivery

Conditions can be based on other devices, too – say, when the TCP motion sensor detects movement. This is another reason to use the Smart Life app, since you’ll likely end up with a wider choice of products to automate. Get a couple of these and you have a cheap and efficient way of automating your home to respond to changes in the weather. Once in the app, you can give the plug a meaningful name. It appears on the app’s homescreen, with a toggle control, or you can tap the main entry to view a more detailed screen. This provides the same toggle option, plus some more detailed options that include a Timer (actually, a scheduler that lets you configure automatic on/off times) and a Countdown (actually a countdown timer). It has two forms of timer: the usual type that sets it to switch on or off on a schedule, plus a countdown timer. The countdown timer means it can turn a device (such as a portable heater warming you while you’re snoozing) on or off after a certain amount of time.You can also give the impression you are at home by setting time schedules for your plugged-in lamps to switch on whilst you are away. Features and Benefits You can also set it up as one of multiple devices that come on at the same time or automate its timings to switch on (or off) when one of a number of conditions is met, including outside temperature, humidity level or sunrise and sunset.