3 Best Smart Wi-Fi Plugs Compatible with Android
Are you aware of Smart Wi-fi Plugs?
Gadgets and devices are now more integrated into our lives than ever before. This helps us make our daily life easier and convenient. As a result, we now have more time to do important things and become productive.
With that in mind, the advances of technology got people to widely welcome wireless connectivity at home. The best example of this claim is how smartphones become a huge part of our daily life, and it doesn’t stop there. We have routers for wireless internet connectivity at home, Wi-Fi connected CCTV Cameras, Smart televisions for wireless entertainment, and many more.
Now, people can control their appliances at home without being physically there. However, there are still some limitations to this such as old appliances or appliances that don’t have smart features. Because of this, companies and manufacturers saw a market for that and offered a cheap solution called “Smart Plug.”
The Best Smart Wi-Fi Plugs
| Best Overall | Amazon Smart Plug |
| Cheapest | TP-Link HS100 Kasa Wi-Fi Smart Plug |
| Best Value | Belkin WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug |
What is a Smart Plug?
Smart plugs are devices that let you control your appliance or whatever it is plugged in them remotely anytime and anywhere. I remember back in the day, we used to have this device called “Timer Plug.” As the name suggests, timer plugs are devices you manually configure to turn off or on any appliance or device plugged into them.
Today, these kinds of products are slowly being phased out and are being replaced by smart plugs. Basically, smart plugs are more advanced than timer plugs. They can be connected to your Wi-Fi at home and can be controlled remotely via smartphone.
The main function of a smart plug is to let you control a device or appliance via your smartphone through the local area network connection or via the Internet.
Related: 4 Best Smart Light Bulbs Compatible with Android Devices
Choosing the Best Smart Plug
Choosing the best smart plug may sound complicated or too complex but, it isn’t. You just must know and understand how smart plug works. Then from there, decide the features that you want from it. Once you’ve decided, you can then now look and choose the best smart plug for your needs.
For this article, we listed down must-haves feature of a smart plug. So that you have a guide in case that you don’t know what to look for and how to decide the best one for you.
The Basic Features
- A power on/off scheduling control.
- Supports control via Android devices. (NOTE: May not support all Android versions)
- Have Wi-Fi connectivity feature.
- Maximum power output rating of 10A to 15A.
- Has an app for Android wireless control.
- Native support for IFTTT, Google Home, and Amazon’s Alexa for Voice Control.
- Support IEEE standard of at least 802.11 N.
Bonus Features
- Power monitoring features.
- Support for 5GHz Wi-Fi.
- Overpower protection. (Automatically shuts itself down when power output exceed the limit)
With this guide, we hope that it helped you choose the best smart plug for you. Below is our recommended and for us, the best smart plug on the market.
1. Belkin WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug
Features:
- Space-saving design won’t cover the whole outlet
- Max Output 15A
- Appliance On/Off Schedule Sync
- Support for IFTTT, Google Home, and Amazon’s Alexa Voice Control
- Free Wemo App
- One-year limited warranty
When it comes to wireless connectivity, one brand that comes in mind is Belkin. Belkin offers a wide variety of products such as cables, chargers, mobile accessories, networking, and many more… One of their best-selling products on Amazon.com, as of 2018, is the “WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug”.
The WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug features a 2.4GHz 801.11 N Wi-Fi connectivity as well as support for Android 4.1 or higher. It boasts a space-saving design that prevents the plug from blocking the whole wall outlet. However, this is true if the sockets of the wall outlet are adjacently on the top or bottom of one another.
If the socket of the wall outlet is positioned next to one another, the plug will then block the whole wall outlet.
Pros
- Space Saving Design
- Power Scheduling
- Free Android App over Wi-Fi Control.
Cons
- Blocks the whole wall outlet if the female wall sockets are next to each other.
- No Energy Monitoring
- Slightly Expensive
2. TP-Link HS100 Kasa Wi-Fi Smart Plug
Features:
- Max Output 15A
- Power Scheduling
- Free Kasa Smart App
- Voice Control
- Support for IFTTT, Google Home, and Amazon’s Alexa Voice Control
Another popular brand that comes into mind is TP-Link. This brand became popular because of their wide range of affordable routers and switches. On Amazon.com, one of their best-selling products is the TP-Link HS100 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug.
The TP-Link HS100 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug is an affordable basic smart plug. It features a 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity and is compatible with Android 4.1 or higher. It also has a power on/off scheduling as most smart plugs do. You can control this smart plug via an app called KASA Smart.
If you like this product but you want the one that has an energy monitoring feature, then purchase the TP-Link HS110 Smart Plug model for an additional $8 instead of the H100.
Pros
- Free Android App over Wi-Fi Control
Cons
- Bulky in size.
- Can potentially block the second adjacent wall outlet.
- No Energy Monitoring
3. Amazon Smart Plug
Features:
- Max Output 15A
- Power Scheduling
- Amazon’s Alexa Voice Control Exclusive
- Control via Alexa App
The Amazon Smart Plug is a basic smart plug that’s specifically designed to enhance your life at a home with an Alexa network system. Despite being exclusive for Alexa voice control, you can still use and control this smart plug with an Android phone. To do so, all you must do is pair it with the Alexa app. You can download the Alexa app on Google play store.
Pros
- Perfect for homes with Alexa home system network.
Cons
- This Smart Wi-Fi plugs are expensive
Must Read: 5 Best Smart Garage Door Opener Controllable with Android
Frequently Asked Questions on Smart Wi-Fi Plugs
How do smart Wi-Fi plugs work?
An electrical outlet that plugs into a smart plug allows you to control whatever you plug into it from an app on your smartphone or with your voice using a virtual assistant. Smart plugs are power receptacles that plug into conventional electrical outlets and are integrated into your smart home network.
Is a smart plug worth it?
Many consumers find smart plugs to be worthwhile. If properly configured, they utilize less energy than other devices. Smart plug use results in annual energy savings of between 500 and 1000 kilowatts, or between 1.4 and 4.58%, according to research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and CLEAResult.
Will a smart plug turn on a TV?
No, you cannot turn on a TV with a smart plug. Modern TVs enter standby mode when they are switched off. When you try to turn on your TV using a smart plug, the TV will only go into standby mode because smart plugs operate by totally cutting the electricity.
Choosing the Best Smart Wi-Fi Plugs
Smart Wi-Fi plugs is a new market with plenty of competition, and competition is always good for us, the consumers. We find that the smart plug WeMo by Belkin is the easiest one for us to recommend. With its simple setup and a very user-friendly app, it definitely is the one ideal for general purposes.
So proclaiming a certain model is the best will always never be absolute. Most of the times, it always comes down to individual preference. Sometimes, a newer model comes out.
No matter what you choose, smart Wi-fi plugs are there to give us a more convenient life at home.
Do you own any of the Smart Wifi Plugs that we mentioned above? Or do you have one that we did not mention but you believe should be included our list? Let us know in the comment section below.
