Z-Wave smart plugs are ideal if you want to start designing your ideal smart home but need a simple place to start. One of the most economical and user-friendly smart home accessories is smart plugs. With their help, you may automate practically any wired device in your house with an on/off switch so that it can be operated with only a tap of your phone or voice command.
What is a Z-Wave Smart Plug?
A quick and easy solution to automate the wired appliances in your house is with smart plugs. It only requires a simple plug-in setup to get started, after which you can connect it to your smart home hub network by following the instructions in the appropriate software on your phone or tablet. Once a wired device, like an air conditioner or fan, is plugged into your Z-Wave smart plug, you may now operate it from anywhere in the world using your phone.
You can also link your Z-Wave smart plug to a smart home hub, such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home Hub, to enable voice requests like "Alexa, turn on the bedroom fan."
How do you use a Z-Wave Smart Plug?
Z-Wave Smart plugs are a great addition to your home if you want to save money on your energy bill. Aside from talking to your house and having it respond with actions is just cool. Using the scheduling feature of your smart plug's app, you can schedule things, like your lights, to only come on during certain times of the day when you're home, so they're not wasting energy.
If you use heat-powered appliances regularly, such as a curling iron or a clothes iron, plugging those into a Z-Wave smart plug allows you to turn them off remotely from your phone, so your Z-Wave smart plug can save the day.
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Best Z-Wave Smart Plugs
Wemo Smart Plug
One of the best smart plugs in the market is the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. It's smaller than other options so that it won't block your outlet, and although it doesn't feature energy tracking like some other smart plugs, it does interact with all the major smart assistants, including Siri.
It also features a unique Away mode that may make it appear as though you're home even when you're not by putting a lamp on intermittently.
EVVR Energy Monitoring Smart Plug and Relay
EVVR Energy Monitoring Smart Plug and Relay HomeKit-enabled, can remotely control your appliances on/off via HomeKit, EVVR App or the built-in button. This smart plug connects both older and newer home gadgets, and gives outdated appliances new and smart life. With Apple HomeKit, you can automate and control your appliances from anywhere at any time with a simple tap or use Siri voice commands. The EVVR App helps you monitor real-time energy consumption and enable button-lock option.
This home energy monitor can be used with 2-core and 3-core cable for home appliances and can carry currents up to 16 amps, compared with ordinary smart plugs and smart relay, EVVR enables high-power appliances to be integrated into your HomeKit smart home system. Customize various electrical appliances with Energy Monitoring Smart Relay by connecting the power and appliance, realizing energy monitoring and remote control.
*EVVR is developing Matter protocol support to enhance product experience and will be launched later this year, which means it will also be compatible with Z-Wave.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Mini Plug EP10
The Kasa Smart WiFi Mini Plug costs just $8 per plug, making it one of the best smart plugs in terms of value.
For the price and the value that it offers, the Kasa Smart WiFi Lite is ideal for adding to all of your home's lamps or other low-power devices. Its design is narrow enough to put two per outlet, too. The Kasa Smart WiFi Mini Plug is an upgrade over the brand's Plug Lite HS103, which was only rated for 12 amps.
Ring Outdoor Smart Plug
The Ring Outdoor Smart Plug is a giant brick if you hold it in your hand. At the bottom are two plugs, and at the top is a 6.5-inch cord long enough to plug the Ring into an outdoor outlet but can still close your outlet's door.
The Ring has a blue circular button in the center; you may press either side of the button to operate each outlet independently, and the button emits a small clicky sound. The Ring also includes three screws and wall anchors.
The Ring Outdoor Smart Plug is an amazing product for those invested in the Ring ecosystem.
Wyze Plug
Better yet, if you own the Wyze Bulb, Wyze Cam, or Wyze Smart Lock, you can integrate the Wyze Plug with your current system. The Wyze Plug is an affordable connected home device that's great for your small light fixtures or coffee maker and can be purchased in twos for as little as $15, which is less than many of the best smart plugs for a single unit.
The Wyze Plug's Vacation mode, comparable to the Wemo's Away mode, is one of its advantages; when this setting is selected, the Wyze Plug will randomly turn your devices on and off, creating the impression that you are at home.
Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug
One of the best smart plug dimmer, the Lutron Caseta Dimmer Switch Starter Kit, connects with any desk or table lamp on the market, turning the "dumb" appliance into a smart one. Unlike a standard smart plug, Lutron's device lets you dim the bulb rather than completely shut it down or keep it running. The Kit includes a remote, but you can skip that if you want to control it with your voice assistant.
However, it's worth the investment because the kit requires very little input once you set it up with your smart home routines. The Lutron Caseta smart wireless kit costs a lot; for under $200, you get two plugs, two remotes, and the requisite WiFi bridge.
Wyze Plug Outdoor
The Wyze Plug Outdoor is yet another product from Wyze, which has established a reputation for producing high-quality, inexpensive smart home accessories. Much like most outdoor smart plugs, the Wyze Plug Outdoor is a black box with two outlets and a cord on one end; however, the cord is only about 6 inches long, and the plug is in-line with the cord, making it more difficult to fit into my outdoor outlet and close the cover.
A small light sensor is located just below the buttons on the Wyze Plug, which can be used to control when the outlet turns on or off based on the ambient lighting. The Wyze Plug has two sockets. At the top of the front are two buttons to control each socket, with small LEDs indicating which is active.
You can use other Wyze products as triggers, such as turning the plug on a light if a Wyze Cam detects motion. Also, you can create a custom schedule based on the time of the day. However, there's no offset, such as 15 minutes before or after sunrise. These, too, can be time-based, but you can't specify if something should work only after it gets dark out.
As of this writing, the Wyze Plug Outdoor works with Alexa but not Google Home. You can also create a vacation mode, where the Plug will turn on and off, so it appears like you're home, although I'm not sure how practical that is for outdoor light.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Power Strip
For example, the Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip is six smart plugs in one (with three USB ports to boot), and you can control each connected device separately using the Kasa app, Alexa or Google Assistant, or buttons on the device itself. To reiterate, many smart plugs are not as secure or simple to use as advertised, so there's something to be said for TP-consistency Link's security and versatility.
The Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip is a bit pricey ($79 for the unit), but it's worth it for areas where multiple appliances are set up, like in a home office or entertainment center. Furthermore, it has a built-in surge protector, which most individual smart plugs (and most of the best smart plugs) lack.
Check-in Smart Power Strip
With four outlets and four USB ports, it can support as many devices as some surge protectors can, but at only $29.99, it costs less than half as much as its upmarket competitors. If you'd prefer a smart power strip for less, our recommended option is the Check-in Smart Power Strip.
With the Check-in Smart Plug app, you can remotely monitor and control your appliances and schedule and control each outlet separately. You can set each outlet to turn on or off based on various environmental factors, such as time, temperature, humidity, sunrise and sunset, or the actions of other smart-home devices. The Check-in Smart Power Strip offers more features than most other best smart plugs.
EVVR In-Wall Relay Switch - The Show Stopper
The epitome of an exemplary smart home unit, the EVVR In-Wall Relay Switch is compatible perfectly with Z-Wave and Zigbee and allows users to "smartify" any appliance or fixture in a couple of seconds. You can also choose our Homekit Light switch. It is safe and responsive and helps you control all your devices around the house with a mere tap on the screen.
The convenience and affordability are packed in small yet powerful packaging. Also, check out our range of smart home items, including EVVR Smart Hub, EVVR Center Lite, and more! EVVR can offer you a comprehensive smart home solution whether you are an integrator, professional installer, distributor, or DIYer. Get in touch with us and become our partner oday!
