If you never caught on to the Smart Home craze when it was all new, this could be the perfect time to get a taste of what it would be like to control your appliances by voice. The Amazon Smart plug is an inexpensive way to do that, but you’ll have to stick with Alexa since it doesn’t work with Siri or Google Assistant. You can also use the Alexa app to control your appliances through your phone, but you need to make sure your Wi-Fi network always stays on so that the smart plug works. If you want a WiFi plug to keep outside, you’ll definitely want to read our iClever outdoor smart plug review. If all this sounds intriguing, let’s dive into the details through this Amazon Smart Plug review and see whether or not this Amazon smart plug is the best smart outlet in the market.
Why We Like It – Amazon Smart Plug
The Amazon Smart Plug might be a bit expensive compared to the price you’ll pay with other manufacturers, but it’s the best plug you can use to control your home appliances exclusively through Alexa. It doesn’t hog up all the space on your socket, though functionality is limited to turning things on and off. Compare this smart plug with our review of the NuPlug if you’re still not sure which is best.
- Easy to set up
- Streamlined design
- Great design
- Expensive compared to other brands
- Occasional unresponsiveness
Performance
To Install the Amazon Smart Plug, you’ll need to get the latest Amazon Alexa app on your Android or iOS device, and once setup is complete it’ll get saved by default as “First plug”. You can of course change this later if you want. Another nice thing you can do with the smart plug is to create a routine where you can turn it on and off during specific times of the day. It also won’t work with other smart home frameworks like Apple Homekit or Google Home like the Wemo Mini Smart plug review, and will have its voice control feature restricted only to Amazon devices like the Echo, Fire and Fire TV.
Design
This smart outlet comes in a simple design, and is fitted into a rectangular body that won’t take up too much space on your wall socket or power strip. It measures 1.5 by 3.2 by 2.2 inches and bears a single three prong outlet, but it’s not as small as the GoSund Mini Smart Plug. On its front, there’s an LED indicator that glows blue when it’s on, blinks when it’s ready to be installed, and turns red when there’s no network. The Wi-Fi plug also has an on/off button to its side, and can be configured to work in tandem with a preset routine. If you’re looking for another small smart plug similar to the GoSund Mini Smart Plug then check out our Etekcity Smart Plug review to see if it’d be perfect for your home.
Value
If you know a bit about smart plugs, you know that there are other brands that can give you data on power usage and such. This one unfortunately cannot. Unlike the Teckin Mini Smart Outlet, it doesn’t have any support for If This Then That (IFFT) configuration which triggers changes based on conditional statements. Despite this, we still think it’s the best smart plug you can get to turn your appliances into smart devices, and belt out commands like “Alexa turn on my lights/lamp/radio” to get things switched on.
Amazon Smart Plug Wrap Up
Is the Amazon Smart Plug the best smart plug in the market? We think it comes pretty close. Other than its exclusive support for Alexa and lack of usage reporting, it’s a decent smart outlet that you can use to slowly start turning your house into a smart home.
