If you're looking for a cost-effective way to turn classic, non-connected home devices into smart home devices, put the Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi Smartphone at the top of your list. At $ 17.99, it's one of the most affordable smart plugs we've come across, but it does offer some features that we usually only find on more expensive outlets, especially the reports on energy consumption, voice control and flexible planning. It also supports IFTTT applets and will integrate with other smart devices if you pair it to a SmartThings hub. All this makes our choice of publishers for smart plugs.

Design and features

At 1.5 x 2.6 x 2.1 inches (HWD), the SmartThings Smart Plug Wifi is a little smaller than the iHome iSP6X (1.5 x 2.8 by 2.1), but not so small than the Wi-Fi Smart Plug Aukey (1.5 x 2.5 of 1.3 inches). It is small enough not to block access to the second socket of a two-outlet wall outlet, which matters most. The plug has a 3-prong plug in front, as well as a small LED blinking green during setup, stays lit green when connected, and turns off when the plug is turned off. A manual power button is located on the left and a three pin plug on the back.

The plug uses a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network so you can control it with your phone. Wi-Fi radio also allows the form to work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands and to interact with other smart devices using IFTTT applets. It does not support Apple's HomeKit platform like the ConnectSense Smart Outlet 2, but works with the SmartThings automation platform when paired with a SmartThings hub.

You are connecting to the same SmartThings mobile application used to control the SmartThings Wifi system that we reviewed last year, but the application has undergone a makeover since. It opens on a My Home screen that displays all the rooms in your home and their associated devices. A plus icon in the upper right corner is used to add new devices, while in the left corner is a three-bar icon that opens a menu where you can see each piece or all installed devices. Here you can create scenes that allow you to control the form and other connected devices in one click, and automations that allow you to react to certain triggers, such as the time and the time of day. 39; location. You can also create automations so that the connector responds to triggers from other SmartThings devices if you use a hub. Use the gear icon to set up notifications, enable location services, update Wi-Fi information, and manage connected services such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.

Back on the My Home screen, tap the Smart Plug tab to open a screen with an On / Off button, a power meter, an energy gauge and a list of activity history. Tap the graph icon on one or the other gauge to view the hourly or daily usage graphs. The activity list shows the activated and deactivated activities and the random readings of the energy meter.

Installation and performance

During testing, the plug-in was up and running in no time. I already had a SmartThings account from a previous review, but if it's your first SmartThings device, you will need to download the mobile app and create an account. I opened the app and pressed Add a device, selected SmartThings from the list, selected Socket, and then chose the connector. I pressed Start, added the card to my house and assigned it to a room. I used my phone's camera to scan the QR code provided in the box and followed the instructions to plug the smart plug and press Next when the LED started flashing green. Using my phone's Wi-Fi settings, I connected to the card and then entered my SSID and my home Wi-Fi password. After waiting 35 seconds, the form has been added to my account and the configuration is complete.

The SmartThings Smart Plug Wifi worked perfectly in my tests. It instantly responded to On / Off commands using both the mobile button and the physical button, and tracked my automation schedule without problems. I've created an IFTTT applet for the plug to be activated when an Arlo Pro 2 camera detects motion and it works perfectly. Likewise, I had no trouble turning the plug on and off using Alexa voice commands. And the Power Meter readings were the same as the ones I had received from a Kill-O-Watt meter.

conclusions

Do not let the SmartThings Wifi Smart Plug's low price fool you. It offers many features that you find on more expensive outlets such as the Belkin Wemo Insight and the iHome iSP6X-including Alexa voice and Google Assistant, IFTTT applet support and energy consumption reportingFor about half the price. Although it does not support Apple HomeKit, it works with many third-party devices when it is associated with a SmartThings hub. Its affordable price, performance and generous features make SmartThings the plug-in of our choice of publishers.

If you need a dual-jack device, check out ConnectSense Smart Outlet 2 at $ 60, also a choice of publishers. It does not support IFTTT applets, but supports Alexa voice commands, Google Assistant and Siri, works with Apple HomeKit and offers reports on power consumption as well as a USB charging port .