The easy way to smarten up your home

The TP-Link Tapo P110M is a smart plug that’s exceptionally hard to fault. It’s been designed with the user in mind as it won’t block other plugs, cleverly monitors energy consumption and offers incredibly good value. 

The TP-Link Tapo P110M is impressively small, measuring at just 73 x 52 x 31mm, which means you can comfortably add it to a double socket without worry that it will block the second plug, which is a common frustration with bulkier smart plugs.

Download the compatible Tapo app and you’ll be able to control the plug remotely via your smartphone and access a host of advanced features. You can monitor how much energy is being consumed, and even download statistics to show how much power you’ve already run through. 

You can also set up a schedule to automatically manage your plugged-in devices and set timers through the app. There’s even an Away Mode which turns the plug on and off randomly to simulate that someone’s home. Simply plug in a lamp or radio and this will intermittently switch on and off, acting as a deterrent while you’re away.

This smart plug works with Matter, so it can be directly controlled from any compatible smart home system without needing to go through the cloud. This not only includes Amazon Alexa and Google Home, allowing you to control the plug with just your voice, but also Samsung SmartThings and Apple Home.

Although you’ll likely primarily control the smart plug either through the Tapo app or with your smart home system of choice, there is a manual override button on the left-hand side which turns the plug on and off.

Whether this is your first venture into smart home devices or you’re adding to an already established setup, you’d be hard pressed to find a better value device than the TP-Link Tapo P110M.

Reviewer: David Ludlow

Full review: TP-Link Tapo P110M

Designed to work with the Philips Hue lighting system, the Philips Hue Smart Plug can work with either Zigbee (if you have a Hue Bridge) or Bluetooth. The former is the best option, and we recommend this smart plug for those that have a full Hue system. There are two main reasons. First, Zigbee has better range and reliability than Wi-Fi and, secondly, if you have a network failure, you can still operate the smart plug using a Hue remote control.

Connecting to the Hue ecosystem gives this smart plug another advantage: it’s the only smart plug that we’ve tested that works with Apple HomeKit, so you can include this product in all of your automations. Otherwise, there’s Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and IFTTT support.

Installation through the Hue app is a little fiddly and, if you just want to control this plug via a device, you’ll need to put it in its own room or Zone. If you don’t have Hue already, then one of the other products on this list will do a better job; if you do, then buy this one.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Philips Hue Smart Plug review

The TCP Smart WiFi Plug is tiny and won’t obscure a second socket, so you can even use it next to larger plugs. Its default software is pretty good, but this plug is compatible with the Smart Life app, which opens it to working with tonnes of other devices from lots of other manufacturers.

In the app, you get basic control, but you can add automations, making your plug work how and when you want it to. Smart Life also brings IFTTT, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility.

While one of these plugs is quite expensive, they’re cheaper if bought in a two- or four-pack, making them excellent value if you need more than one device.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: TCP Smart WiFi Plug

There are plenty of smart power strips, but the Meross Smart Fast Charging Power Strip MSP843P is different, as this model adds dual 65W USB-C charging ports into the mix. Able to power a regular laptop computer, this power strip is a great tool for any desk. There’s also one regular USB port for charging other devices.

Most of the smart power strips that we’ve reviewed have only three power sockets, but this one has four, which gives a bit more flexibility. And, the strip can be wall mounted using the anchor ports on the rear, if you don’t want to place it on a desk.

The Meross Smart Fast Charging Power Strip MSP843P connects via Wi-Fi, and can be controlled through the Meross app. This gives simple on/off control, plus you can set a schedule and add an automatic power off to each plug after a specified amount of time.

Want more control? This model supports SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit, too. That’s a huge amount of flexibility. If you want to power a laptop through a smart plug, then this is a great way to do it, and it’s a brilliant smart power strip in all other regards.

Reviewer: David Ludlow

Full review: Meross Smart Fast Charging Power Strip MSP843P review

Made up of three individual smart power sockets, the TP-Link Kasa KP303 Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip is a great value way to smarten up more devices without having to splurge on pricier individual plugs. 

Each of the three sockets can be individually controlled, with LED indicators allowing you to quickly determine whether it’s switched on or not. There’s also two USB charging ports found on the strip too, although these are rated at a total of 2.4A so you won’t get fast charging support on two phones. 

We do wish the 90cm power cable was slightly longer as this would have made the strip a lot easier to place. Even so, at the back are wall-mount anchors which is a useful way to keep the power strip tidy. 

Naturally as a smart socket, the KP303 is controllable via the TP-Link app which can be quite confusing to get your head around at first. 

For example, it may appear that you can’t control each socket individually, however with a little digging you’ll find that you can give each socket its own name and icon to help identify it more easily. 

Initial confusion aside, the app is equipped with useful tools to control the socket. You can schedule when an individual socket will turn on or off, set dedicated timers and there’s even an Away Mode which lets the socket turn on and off randomly so it appears as though someone is home. 

The KP303 is also compatible with other smart systems too, including Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to control the strip with just your voice and set up dedicated routines. 

With an RRP of £29.99, the TP-Link Kasa KP303 Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip is a more convenient and cheaper way to smarten up your home. Not only is it compatible with numerous smart systems but its useful app makes it easy to control.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: TP-Link Kasa KP303 Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip review

If you control your smart home through the Apple Home app, then the Eve Energy may be the smart plug for you. It’s built for HomeKit and the future, with support for Thread, the new low-power wireless mesh networking protocol. And, as of a recent firmware update, it’s now Matter compatible, so will work with other Matter compatible systems (we’ve tested it with SmartThings).

That does slightly complicate things: if you update to Matter, the plug will only use Thread, so you must have a Thread Border Router, such as a HomePod Mini. If you don’t update to Matter, you may find the product works better in your home.

On the standard firmware, if you don’t have a compatible Thread border router, the Eve Energy will default to using Bluetooth. If you have an Apple Home Hub in range, such as the original HomePod, then you’ll be able to control the plug remotely when you’re not at home.

Although it’s comparatively big, the plug should fit into a wall socket without blocking a second one. You can add the plug using the Eve app, although it’s automatically added to HomeKit, too. There’s no Android app, so this is strictly an Apple-only product. Via the Home app, you can toggle the plug on and off, or include it in Automations, say turning it off when you go out. HomeKit support also means you get Siri control, so you can turn the plug on and off with your voice. Schedules are saved to the device, so they’ll run regardless of whether you have a HomeKit Home Hub.

With the Eve app, you can also monitor power usage. By setting the current price of your electricity in kWh, the app can tell you how much money it’s cost you to run the device plugged in.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Eve Energy review