Brilliant, as Long as You Use Alexa – Review Geek

Smart home automation aims to simplify every aspect of our lives, even something as relatively effortless as turning on a light. Amazon’s Smart Plug may be the most basic device in the hierarchy of smart home integration, but it’s an essential part of adding convenience to your day-to-day.

It’s a plain white plug with one outlet and a small LED indicator light. You don’t get much more simplistic than this smart plug, but the unit’s functions and capabilities can really change things around in your household; that is if you take advantage of everything the smart plug can do. I was initially guilty of writing it off as an unnecessary modern convenience, where the easy act of flipping a switch was merely replaced by the even more effortless “Alexa, turn on the outlet.”

However, when I started to tinker with the Alexa app, I realized the potential of this relatively basic smart home concept.

Design and Setup: More Than Just a Plug

When connected to an outlet, the Smart Plug will only power an object when requested. Unless you want to turn the plug on and off manually, you’ll need to connect it to an Amazon Alexa-compatible device, like the Echo Dot, or the Amazon Alexa app (available for Android or iPhone). Once connected, the plug only needs a voice command in range of an Alexa device to be activated.

Therein lies the most complicated part of using the Smart Plug—connecting it to a compatible device and learning how to use its features. The device uses a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, and it’s surprisingly easier to connect than other smart devices I’ve used, such as Sengled’s Bluetooth bulb, which kept dropping my Wi-Fi signal.

Note: The Amazon Smart Plug is not compatible with 5GHz Wi-Fi networks.

In the weeks I’ve spent using the plug, it never once lost its connection, but getting it linked up to Alexa may prove difficult if you’re new to smart home integration or aren’t too savvy on modern tech.

Control and Routines: A Simple Connection With a Big Impact

Having already connected several devices to my Alexa, I found setting up the Smart Plug a breeze. If it’s your first time using Alexa, you may stumble a bit, but the directions are clear enough to keep you from veering too far off the path. Once the plug and Alexa are linked, you have a few options to tinker with. For instance, you can make it part of a Group of devices. If the plug is in your living room along with an Alexa-compatible lightbulb, you can group them together to control both simultaneously.

The Smart Plug works with Alexa’s Routines, so if you want to say “Alexa, good morning” and have a plugged-in lamp turn on, you can. I currently have Christmas lights plugged in and the Smart Plug in a “Living Room” Group with two third-party bulbs and Govee’s TV light T2. When I say, “Alexa, turn the living room on,” all devices light up. The plug can also be part of a scheduled Routine (programmable in the Alexa app) to toggle at specific times throughout the day.

I’ve enjoyed the convenience, but I feel the most significant benefit of the Smart Plug is the sense of security it can provide. The plug can be scheduled to maximize your comfort if you don’t like leaving a light on all day just so the house doesn’t look empty come dusk. Set a time for nightfall and the plug will automatically turn on any lights plugged into it.

Limited Connectivity Options

As versatile as the Smart Plug may be when it comes to functions, it’s a little limiting in who can use it. Unless you have an Alexa-powered device, the plug is relatively useless. Sure, you can manually toggle the switch via the small button, but that’s not convenient and defeats the device’s purpose.

Amazon’s Smart Plug is not compatible with Google Assist or Apple HomeKit. You also won’t be able to use it with your IFTTT profile to create custom scenes. Unfortunately, this can limit how connected your home is if you’re using other smart devices that aren’t supported by Amazon.

Unfortunately, the plug also lacks support for Bluetooth. So, if you happen to have a Wi-Fi outage or your router stops working, you’ll lose access to your Smart Plug. It’s the biggest drawback of any smart device, and the Amazon Smart Plug doesn’t step outside of the box to try to solve it.

I do wish there was more than one port or that Amazon sold one device that serviced an entire outlet. Having to buy two at $24.99 each just to fill one wall outlet is a considerable hit to the wallet. And then each has to be paired as its own device, which isn’t a huge deal, but an option with two plugs would have been nice to have for more complex lighting arrangements. On the other hand, the plug is compact enough that it does leave your second outlet free.

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