What is the plug and what is a switch? Understanding the differences between the two technologies is crucial to successfully implementing intelligent devices and appliances in your home. But, when understood, you can create a home environment that's more comfortable, convenient, and safer than before.
In this article, we'll examine the primary differences between switches and the best smart plug; then, we'll review eight of the best smart switches and plugs from the two categories available today.
- Eve Energy Smart Plug
- Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch
- Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini
- Philips Hue v2 Smart Dimmer Switch
- Meross Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini
- Philips Hue Smart Plug
- iDevices Instinct
- Brilliant Control Panel
Smart Plug vs Smart Switch: How to Choose in a Smart Home?
Smart plugs are intelligent devices that attach directly to your wall outlet. Exactly, how do wifi smart plugs work? The Google home smart plug is an excellent example of a popular and reliable product installed in thousands of homes nationwide. It will switch devices and appliances on and off locally or remotely through various interface devices such as your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer. Furthermore, you can create scenes using a downloadable app to automate the behavior of devices in your home. Smart light switch, bulb, or plug – what to choose?
What is a smart plug used for? Simply set up your system by inserting your chosen smart home plug into any wall outlet, synchronize to plug with your mobile device or computer, connect any device or appliance to the plug, customize the device's behavior, and you're done.
Conversely, smart switches are used wherever you have a button that controls a device, most often, light switches. The Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch is an excellent example of a wildly popular device that gives homeowners ultimate control over their lighting system, adding a remarkable degree of convenience to a home.
The Evvr is installed directly into any standard-size wall switch box using a few basic tools. Once wired up, you sync the devices with the downloadable app, and you'll have complete control of the lights in your home. You can locally or remotely turn lights on and off or program a lighting schedule that matches your lifestyle or simulates occupants in the house while you're away.
Combining the two technologies into a singly smart home ecosystem gives you total control over just about every device in your home to maximize the efficient use of energy, which saves money and adds convenience, comfort, and safety to your life.
Eve Energy Smart Plug
The Eve Energy smart plug is a HomeKit-enabled device that works best with Apple products. It'll toggle any connected devices on and off at will and remotely control devices when you're away. It also has an energy consumption monitoring feature that helps you track the energy efficiency of the devices used in your home to help you save money on utility bills.
This Bluetooth and Thread-connected product are highly reliable and controllable through an Apple TV or HomePod Mini. It's slightly more expensive than competitors, but it's packed with handy features, such as automated scheduling of device behavior with the best smart plug.
Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch
A rising star in the smart home technology space is the Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch or its Homekit version. For the best in home interior and exterior lighting control, the Evvr switch is the obvious choice.
You can create scenes and automate lighting sequences to sync with any busy lifestyle. Effortlessly turn lights on when you get up and turn them off when you go to bed with no thought to the task. Turn lights off when you leave the house and turn them on just before arriving home from work, waiting for your arrival.
You can also program a series of activities to simulate someone in the house when you're on vacation or on a business trip to confuse and discourage potential robbers from breaking into your home while you're gone.
The Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch uses the best ZigBee smart plug wifi protocol to leverage the reliability of its communication technology and optimize long-term performance.
>> Top 10 best smart light switches you need to know
Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a feature-rich plug capable of controlling any connected device, yet it carries a competitive retail price. What does a wifi smart plug do? For starters, it’s a reliable device that faithfully toggles devices off and on either locally or remotely, automates schedules, and simulates home occupancy. It's compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant but not with the Apple HomeKit.
It also lacks a true energy consumption monitoring feature but gets around that limitation by tracking how long devices are being used to give you a sense of which appliances or devices are the most significant energy users in your home. If you're not using Apple products, then the Kasa the best wifi smart plug choice.
Philips Hue v2 Smart Dimmer Switch
If you already use Philips smart bulbs, then the Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch is a natural choice for comprehensive lighting control through tight vertical integration of its product line.
It can control up to ten lights, is easy to use, works without a hub, and requires no wiring. A unique feature of its sleek new design is a compact coin battery that powers it, and you can remove the switch from your wall outlet and carry it around your house as a handy remote control device.
Meross Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini
The Meross Wi-Fi smart plug is tailor-made for tech-challenged homeowners wanting to control devices with an easy-to-use wireless plug. You get all the most popular features, such as scene creation and automation, to bring your home to life with the best smart plug.
It's reported by users nationwide to be reliable and responsive under various conditions over long periods when interfaced with Alexa or Google Assistant. On the downside, it doesn't support energy consumption monitoring or two-step security authentication, factors that every homeowner should consider.
Philips Hue Smart Plug
Philips became famous for manufacturing industry-leading smart bulbs. Then they stepped into manufacturing high-quality lighting switch smart home systems. Now they're innovating again with the Philips Hue Smart Plug to control every other device in your home, in addition to being a smart plug for lights.
This excellent device can create schedules and automated routines because it's compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. But you can't monitor energy consumption. However, one of its best features is that you can share your location data with the Philips app, and it'll dynamically turn lights and other devices off as you exit and enter your home as the best smart plug should.
iDevices Instinct
For a top-notch home automation experience, the iDevices Instinct switch integrates your lighting schema with Amazon Alexa to give you voice control of intelligent home lighting. It’s a good choice for combining a smart plug with switch devices.
It's a great idea, but it requires a neutral wire, and connectivity problems have been reported with the setup. However, once established, it works with smart speakers and 3-way switches, which is a technologically nifty trick. With voice commands, check the weather, review your calendar, and control your lights.
Its built-in night light and motion detector make stumbling around in the dark a thing of the past. And the motion feature doubles as a security system to alert you to suspicious movement in and around your home.
Brilliant Control Panel
Control your lighting, security cameras, smart speakers, and so much more with the Brilliant Control Panel. It's a well-designed touchscreen, switches lights on and off, and you can dim lights with a handy slider on the screen.
The device has a built-in motion detector and can be used as a video intercom to screen visitors at your front door. It'll also automatically turn lights on and off when you enter or leave a room.
The Brilliant Control Panel works with many smart home systems, like Amazon's Alexa, August, Ecobee, Genie, Google Assistant, HomeKit, Ring, Honeywell, Philips Hue, and Sonos.
Conclusion
By carefully combining smart plugs and smart switches, you can control every device in your home in various ways that add unprecedented convenience and comfort. You can also enhance security with automated lighting, occupancy simulation, video intercom systems, and location sharing, with the best use for smart plug technology is controlling devices.
For excellent lighting control, consider the Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch or Homekit version technology for maximum benefits. For a free consultation, you can reach out to us through our Contact Us page.
