Here’s an easy, affordable way to get your smart home started
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TP-LinkLast year, I tried TP-Link's smart plugs, which let you control any low-voltage appliance in your house through an app.
The plugs were very useful, but also big and bulky enough to require thoughtful placement.
This year, TP-Link redesigned them to be smaller, but just as functional. without losing any functionality, and
For those new to the world smart home accessories, smart plugs sit between your old, "dumb" electronics and an outlet, and they connect to your WiFi network. Once connected, you can manipulate that electronic through an app or your voice using an Amazon Echo.
You can also put your electronics on a schedule or timer to conserve energy or reduce the chance of damage if you're dealing with something that creates a lot of heat. You can technically use a smart plug with anything, but it's recommended you stick to gadgets that don't draw a lot of energy (think air conditioners or heaters,) which can overpower them.
Because of my previous positive experience with TP-Link's smart plugs, I was very interested in how this redesigned version would compare. The answer is very well. Whether you live in an apartment or house, outlets are a scarce resource, and although the old smart plugs only required one, they often took up two. At the very least I had to use them next to something with a very slender plug so both would fit.
That isn't a problem here. The new plugs are still a little chunky, but their shape makes them easy to fit almost anywhere, even on a power strip.
Like all of TP-Link's smart home accessories, setup and use are both handled through the Kasa app, which is very easy to use. After setting it up, I put this plug through the paces and it worked very well. I was consistently able to turn anything I used it with on and off (my primary use case) using Kasa or the Echo.
While my tests included things that were pretty superficial — it's more cool than useful to turn your electric kettle on using your voice — these plugs might solve some of your bigger problems.
Although these smart plugs didn't wow me the same way the previous generation did (like I said, in terms of functionality, they're identical) they did remind me that a new design can ultimately make something a lot more useful.
If you've been waiting for smart home tech to get a little more mature, your patience has paid off and now is the time to start to start picking some up. These smart plugs might not make your old electronics as advanced as the new ones you can buy today, but they'll give you more control over them than you had before at a very reasonable price.