Best Smart Plugs for Home Assistant (WATCH before you BUY!)

[@FrankGraffagnino]

thanks so much for addressing the cloud dependency and helping to educate users!!!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

No problem!

[@gomalarga]

dude, I really like these series, helps a lot to make decitions. Thanks! great content!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad it helps! 🙏

[@TheOldMechanic]

Thanks for making these great video's. As a newby on smart home I loved the relaxed way you explain the stuff. Greets from the Old Mechanic.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks sir! If it's too slow for you you can change the playback speed to 1.5x 😂

[@joeneubauer3208]

There is definitely a market for this! Thanks for the video!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks! It was fun to make!

[@kfli2449]

Very detailed comparison instructions! The video shows the pros and cons of each product! The graph presentation you ended up using to test the accuracy of the fuel-gauge features of different smart plugs is very creative! I have subscribed to your channel! Looking forward to seeing more exciting videos from you!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Wow thank you! Great to hear the feedback!

[@KMMasumHabib]

Concise, thorough and in depth - awesome. I love it!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks!! 🙏

[@justindunn7467]

I personally have 2 aqara plugs for my washer and dryer, 3 zen15 for basement freezer and 2 basement refrigerator, and 8 sonoff s31 zigbee lite plugs (no energy monitoring) for zigbee repeaters (and they get used for Christmas lights at that time of the year). No other zwave plugs as repeaters since I have so many zwave switches that do the trick already. Love all 3 switches for what they do

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah it's nice having the Z-Wave plugs around for repeaters! I have mostly Z-Wave switches as well, so my network is fairly robust

[@justinverschoor6256]

Hi Justin, got a question about the aqara smart plugs. How did you set them up with your washer an dryer? Dit you made them smart then you get a message when they are done (probably with the power consumption?). In dire for something like this but somehow i cant find it outside home assistant (and that i dont want to use).

[@justindunn7467]

@@justinverschoor6256 Hi, I use them with Home Assistant. Notification when load is done (power cycles down) and monitor specific energy usage.

[@bones549]

thank you thank you....I spent a couple days for a solution and yours hit the mark, I have a 220v water heater i want to control. I have it currently on google home but hate the cloud part. I'm a huge PI4 fan and have a couple and just learned about home assistant. I have a 50 gallon 20A water heater being controlled by a 40A contactor that has a 120v coil. I plug the coil wired with a standard outlet plug and that is plugged into a cheap wifi outlet that is connected to google home. Works great and if the plug was to fail simpley remove it plug it directly into outlet and its a plain old water heater. Buggs me though the cloud. So looks like i'll take your recomendation and get the anthom plug and get a spare pi set up with home asisstand. Much appreciated.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Awesome! I hope you enjoy Home Assistant!

[@espressomatic]

Great overview. Just one thing to keep in mind regarding rated power - pretty much all of those wall-wart type products, except Zooz, are overstating their rated specs - the numbers provided are at best, conflated between 250 and 120v operation and at worst, totally false. None of those products is likely to support over a 10A load (some may not even safely handle half that). Example, some might say "16A" rated - but the maximum load on a standard 120V circuit is 15A (1800W). When you look inside these devices you might find a 16A/250V rated relay. Well, that's 1600 watts, or at 120v, just over 13A. But when you look at the rest of the components you might see they're not rated to even handle that. The Zooz stuff is honest and on point. 10A for a simple plug, and the full 15A for their heavy-duty model. If you're plugging anything more taxing than a lamp, such as any kind of appliance or coffee machine, the Zooz heavy-duty model is absolutely the only choice that's going to work long-term and the only one that's safe. And in general when looking at wireless standards, Z-Wave stuff is "high end" and Zigbee stuff is "low-end" - it doesn't matter if it's made by Philips or any other brand, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. :)

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good points! Yeah I never bothered looking at the internals, but the S31 could at least handle 1400W. I didn't really have anything higher to test!

[@RobertSzasz]

Pretty darn sure that's not how relays are rated.

[@kg4lod]

You are right about the quality and specification games played by manufacturers/distributors, but you're incorrect about the interpretation of relay markings. 16A and 250V are both maximums and they apply simultaneously. 250V is the rating for the insulation (called the isolation withstanding voltage). It means the device will not breakdown and allow current flow for any applied source at or below 250V. The 16A current specification is for the internal load path and details the maximum current (might be peak, but for UL certification, if only 1 number is listed, it must be the continuous rating) that the relay can allow across it before it begins to melt (or otherwise fail/derate). That relay (assuming it is marked correctly), would handle up to 4000W from a 250V source and 1900W from a 120V source.

[@zeddpilsner4]

@@kg4lod this guy gets it

[@markstanchin1692]

Really appreciate your time and research

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks!!

[@KevinJSXM]

Thank you for creating this. I just installed HA yesterday and this helped with the basics. Trying to find info on integrating HK with HA.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Glad it helped! There's a HomeKit integration which seems fairly straightforward!

[@KevinJSXM]

@@MakeItWorkTech The issue I've run into is having my devices (that are already in HK) be duplicated once I connect HA to HK.

[@jakobholzner]

hey thanks for the video helped a lot. When searching for the video I noticed that you forgot to put that video in the right playlist "Ultimate Review Series" :)

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for the tip! I'll have to add it!

[@dinogreattail9234]

Hi, I live in the U.K. and am looking for a smart plug with log features. It’s principally for a security light and when it goes on and off, I will know the times. I recently bought a TP Link (Tapo) make, but it did not have the log feature.

[@drof2th]

Very, very nice educational video Arron!!! Being a complete NEWBIE, my daughter got me a couple of X5P Aoycocr. WIFI smart plugs for Christmas,. I use them with Alexa products and the Smart Life phone app. Will these smart plugs in your video work with Alexa and the Smart Life app? Or, is there a better app to control all smart plugs? Thank you so much! Ron

[@MakeItWorkTech]

HI! All of these plugs work with a smart home platform called Home Assistant. Only a few of them will work with Alexa, but many will work with SmartThings. I would try Samsung SmartThings if you want to use any of these

[@redsea866]

2 Smart plug questions. Can you make the light emitting plugs just plain white to act as a makeshift nightlight? Will ZigBee/ZWave only plugs control your appliance from outside the house?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

1. No 2. The protocol doesn't determine access outside of your house, that depends on what platform you are using

[@redsea866]

@@MakeItWorkTech Thanks for the reply.

[@Grynjolf]

I got a handful of TP-Link Kasa WiFi smart plugs as a gift for Christmas and they hook right up to home assistant!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah, I wish I had known they worked locally when I was planning this video! Excellent choice!

[@Grynjolf]

@@abel4776 then you'd use the kasa app? Not sure what you mean by "run independently", there needs to be SOME sort of app controlling them. HA is controlled by you so presumably you'd just bring it back up.

[@HATipsByLarry]

I have a humidifier that i wanted to make smart so i bought one of the sengled smart plugs you reviewed here and used a zooz 4 in 1 sensor and a switchbot bot that i already had and made it come on only when it needed to and go off all based on the humidity level and the power of the sengled plug. The switchbot bot is far enough away from my raspberry pi that the bluetooth connection is not the best so using the power of the plug i can tell what mist level the humidifier is at and send the necessary switchbot button pushes to correct for any missed button pushes. Thanks for the tip on the sengled plug having power monitoring.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Awesome! What a cool way to do it! I can at least monitor what mist level, even if I can't change it (mine has a rotary dial).

[@HATipsByLarry]

Also used one of the sengled plugs and made my washer smart, used a smartthings multipurpose sensor on the dryer as it is a 220v dryer. even reminds me about leaving clothes in the washer or dryer if i ignore googles voice message about one or the other being done. Got to love HA's helpers using a toggle and countdown timer helpers to do that.

[@surenbono6063]

...is it 2 way?..I'm trying to measure power from a grid tied solar inverter input...

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Is what 2 way?

[@surenbono6063]

@@MakeItWorkTech ...does it accept incoming power consumption monitoring , meaning normally load are connected but in this case it's feed..as for solar grid input?

[@TheDingleBingle]

I found one at Walmart that works with the greni app, perfect because my bulbs also do. And they work fine. I use them to turn on my amplifiers and save electricity when powered off or idle

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Ah ok. I had never heard of Geeni until recently. Do they require cloud connectivity?

[@-smokem]

Yes, they do.

[@joeblstrn]

what is the best plug / sensor combo to use the easiest with home assiistant?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

What kind of sensor? And so you have ZigBee or Z-Wave radios connected to your HA machine?

[@joeblstrn]

@@MakeItWorkTech i have nothing yet... trying to install zigbee now on youtube :D

[@rey6737]

Can I use one Smart Power Plug and connect a None-smart power strip on it and which the None-power strip has smart appliances connected on it? will it work?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

If you remove power from a smart appliance, it's not smart anymore because it's off

[@HATipsByLarry]

just to add another smart plug that works well with HA and that is the Meross mini and double ones. Once you add the plugs to your wifi network via the Meross app then they will show up in HA's devices and services screen then you can configure them to work directly with HA without need of the internet. Work well also in my experience. Also using one of there smart power strips, gives you 4 power outlets each one can be controlled individually and 4 usb ports. The usb ports are smart as well but all four are controlled as one.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

+Larry Likes Home Automation cool, I never tried them! I have an under-bed LED strip from Meross, and it has worked great locally. I'll have to check them out!

[@HATipsByLarry]

@@MakeItWorkTech I have a sylvania zigbee light strip under the bed, that was before i started making my own with wled and d1 minis

[@rrpedrigal]

Is the Sonoff S40 version flashable by Tasmota?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Hmmm, I'm not sure, i've never used that one..

[@MichaelCur]

Great content! Am looking forward to your next vid.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks!! It's a lot of work but I'm getting better! 🙏

[@RickFarris]

You didn't find the Fibaro blocking all the neighboring outlets?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah it is definitely a bit large!I prefer the more oblong plugs since they fit 2 in one wall outlet

[@iebecker]

Fantastic review! Perhaps a future video could evaluate outdoor-rated plugs?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks!! I'll have to look into those!

[@HATipsByLarry]

Is there a way to turn off the led light on the sengled smart switch in home assistant?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Not in ZHA! There are no configuration options. Maybe in Z2M?

[@crocobau2]

Hi, any experience with any Zigbee plug having inching feature?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

No, I've only seen that feature on a Sonoff basic.

[@crocobau2]

@@MakeItWorkTech I keep Sonoff also because of inching.

[@damp6067]

Hi! Are they all compatible to a 5ghz band wifi? Thanks

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Most of these aren't compatible with WiFi at all. The Sonoff and Athom only work on 2.4 GHz.

[@gerryf7015]

Nice job, Aaron. Had hoped you would have added some of the more household names - Leviton, which has Wifi, Zigbee and Z-Wave smart plugs, e.g Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Plug-in Switch (2nd Gen) (model D215P). Also Lutron, with Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Lighting Lamp Dimmer Starter Kit (Model P-BDG-PKG2P). Yes it does require a hub (included in the model number above, unless you already have it for your lights/dimmers). Some other highly rated units: Wyze Plug (two-pack) for $15, TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip (model HS300) with six AC controlled outlets and three USB controlled outs (Different!). And Wyze, Lutron, Ring and other have outdoor smart outlets.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks! I'll keep those brands in mind! In the future I'll be looking at smart outlets and switches too, so I should look at those. I wasn't aware that TP-Link stuff doesn't rely on the cloud until after I made this video! Pretty nice!

[@jaredgudnason4400]

I have a couple of the Leviton smart plugs. NOT at fan at all. they have stopped working / dropped off the network, and just been overall unreliable. I have 50+ zwave devices in house, so it's definitely not a network strength issue.

[@gerryf7015]

@@jaredgudnason4400 Lutron has the highest reliability of all the smart plugs and switches, but it has a proprietary RF hub and is expensive. Has an HA integration also.

[@MZachary21]

Hi, bit of a late comment but you should consider a similar video for ZigBee light bulbs; both rgb color and tuneable white. Been having a hard time finding a tuneable white one I want since the ecosmart one from home Depot is out of stock. Your videos are very helpful for trying to figure out what's good in a sea of options. Thanks

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good suggestion! I have a bunch of Tuya bulbs that I need to replace, so it would be nice to look at some.

[@TristynRusselo]

TP-link kasa has cloud but also local control. Home assistant picks up the local Ip and controls it direct.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good to know! I was under the impression they were cloud dependent!

[@TristynRusselo]

@@MakeItWorkTech no power monitoring though! but sometimes can find 4 packs on sale for 24.99 us/ 29.99 cdn. can confirm their kasa wall switches are local too, id assume the whole line of products.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good to know! Need to include them in the future

[@MrDarksidematter]

Can you plug 4 way adaptors into these plugs? I'm wanting to turn my TV, sky box, PS5 and sound bar off at the same time every evening. Is this possible?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

As long as they don't use more current in Total than the max that the plug can handle! Otherwise the plug will trip out

[@SwrPwr]

great videos. I wonder if all zigbee plugs are compatible with Lutron hub.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thank you! I'm not sure. I try to only have one hub where possible, which I why I have not tried Lutron yet

[@robertrose3068]

Do any of these have tiered prices we can enter? Here we have different rates for times of the day.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

No, but you can set that up in home assistant!

[@robertrose3068]

@@MakeItWorkTech Awesome!

[@robertrose3068]

@@MakeItWorkTech I just checked it out. Setup doesn't seem as simple as adding an app. It has to have its own "server", possibly from a yellow or blue device, which ships 12/2022 at the earliest. Or a Raspberry Pi that I've never used and most probably don't know how. Was hoping for a device easier to setup.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah, this video is all in reference to using Home Assistant as a hub. That or SmartThings.

[@Noaman2022]

Hey , i need zigbee plug for laptop which one you recommend

[@MakeItWorkTech]

To turn a laptop on and off? Are you looking for energy monitoring?

[@HATipsByLarry]

bought a couple of the sengled smart plugs. I wanted something to replace the smartthings smart wifi plugs. Switching over everything to Home Assistant so want local control of the plugs.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Nice! Pretty solid plug from my testing! Nice to go local - gives some peace of mind

[@HATipsByLarry]

@@MakeItWorkTech yes getting tired of all the smartthings no reply emails saying they are having a few minor problems then most of my webcore automations quit working so dumping smartthings.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

HA is easier than both Hubitat and SmartThings from my testing when it comes automations! No need for web core!

[@SF_Channel_05]

I enjoyed this review video. Thank you. I was looking for some video that covered outlet controllers as well as a sensor that lets the home owner know that an outlet has lost power. Can you share whether or not any of these are able to do that? And if so do they notify me via my phone versus making a alarm noise. Thanks.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

None of these will do that on their own, but you can do that within Home Assistant

[@ChloexLashay]

Could you do a video on In-Wall Smart Home Outlets?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I'll add it to the list!

[@pollocs7]

How about the kasa smart plugs? I just bought some yesterday for my first home assistant project 🤔

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I am not sure if those are cloud based or if they work locally... I've heard it both ways 🍍 Let me know?

[@pollocs7]

Due to I live on south america I have to wait a long time to get the plugs 🤦🏽‍♂️ the Kasa mini plugs (hs103) and the double outlets (hs210) works flawlessly with the app, one minute to get it running and another minute to get it working with HA even though it was the first time I tried both so, 100% recommended 👌🏽

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good to know! Thanks!

[@bulldog803803]

Awesome info I just purchased 4 Kasa ep254 which are the 15Amp 1800 series with power consumption. Great plugs. Waiting for the thread tech to catch up. Question do you know how to set up automation message for one not responding Can do it for on / off Thinking freezer no power (breaker trip) alert

[@fareedalshihab5177]

Is there any smart plugs with type c port??

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Not that I have seen! Too bad!

[@markhoffman]

Yolink is nice because the Lora chip allows it to be reached from really far.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah, super fun to play with!

[@spr0k3t]

I have the Zooz ZEN15 for my appliances and they are solid. I just wish there was something that would work for 50A for my non-gas dryer. I also have a bunch of Sylvania Zigbee smart outlets for the Zigbee side of things. While they don't report any energy usage, they are solid performers for handling Zigbee and also work as repeaters. The only downside, they do not play well with Aqara anything.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Good to know others have the same experience with the ZEN15! Before I got my gas dryer I had the same issue. I almost got the Aeotec current clamp, but decided to switch to a gas dryer anyway

[@justindunn7467]

Assuming your electric dryer is on its own circuit you can monitor from the panel with your choice of platform: vue, etc. You *could* get a heavy duty smart switch that you run the circuit to and then circuit to appliance (like the pool pump rated ones) but seems like way more of a hassle

[@jaredgudnason4400]

I have an Aeotec energy meter on the house, you could add a third clamp to that specifically for the dryer line to give usage report. another option for dryer sensing is a vibration / motion sensor on the dryer. when it stops moving, your load is done.

[@mat967]

Tasmota for the S31?? Esphome for me ;)

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I have yet to try ESPHome! When I do maybe I'll flash it on my other s31

[@fabioalmeidajou]

How about smart extensions?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Extension cords?

[@sazma]

Thanks for the great video. Neither of your Zooz Zen25 links works.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Hmmm, looks like they may have stopped making them! I will try to reach out to Zooz. Still one of my favorites!

[@HATipsByLarry]

Anyone able to get the samsung smartthings wifi plugs to work with home assistant directly? I know i could integrate them using the smarttings integration but that goes up and down so much (main reason i switched to HA) that i don't want to use the integration to do that. I've got 6 of these, only things i could not switch over to home assistant and use locally

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I was never able to unfortunately.

[@miecz8316]

ive been looking for a smart plug, that has low idle power usage, and all i need is schedule and for it to dont rely on outside servers, in case the company decides to abandon it/dies, so preferably just local browser gui

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Sonoff S31 flashed with Tasmota works great!

[@Brooklynapoli]

Great video, I was looking to get something to control my window ac I think the zooz would be good. Thanks

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Awesome, glad it helped! I love the Zooz plus, so if you have questions let me know!

[@Brooklynapoli]

@@MakeItWorkTech yes, do they make any smart plug 220v I have another ac that is 220v.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Not that I know of! Not many plugs out there for 220

[@Fconig1]

Thank you so much for this!

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I hope it helps!

[@TSandusky1]

While the zooz double switch has a lot of features, I’ve found the zwave functionality to be slow and unreliable. Great marketing brochure but not great in practice.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Ah that's a bummer! Mine has been great for over a year, but I really just leave it on and use it for power monitoring. I'll have to test my spare

[@jaredgudnason4400]

I have two in the house. one i use for the snake, each side has the day and night lamps. so they get toggled every day for 2+ years so far, no issues. nice thing is i get an alert for a burnt out bulb, as no energy consumption while on.

[@audymat55]

Sonoff is the best for me, specially in case of power outage, keep memory last position

[@MakeItWorkTech]

That's a great feature! And the price is hard to beat

[@ToniHinton]

I bought a Minoston Z-Wave plug that looks remarkably like the Eva Logik, though it has 2 smart outlets. It was cheap, in stock, and I needed one in a hurry. It went back in a hurry, too, since it was junk. I'd guess that all the ones with that form factor (which is the nicest thing about it) are all just rebranded and so likely to be the same quality across the board.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Hmmm I've never even heard of Minoston, but I already returned that Eva Logik

[@tycham85]

I had a great experience with the Minoston, so much so that I have 6 around the house! I came to this video to see if he had reviewed it and if there could possibly be a better option. Minoston is responsive, compact, button is obvious for non-techies, looks decent and works great in HA. Perhaps you got a bad one?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

I guess it just wasn't worth the price I got it for in comparison to the others!

[@Tntdruid]

Where is the shelly plug s? It's the only one I use, whit Tasmota 👍

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Not available until April for US version... I had a section talking about it but I cut it 🤦

[@Tntdruid]

@@MakeItWorkTech ah.

[@RafaelAlves2023.]

Faz video de comparação sobre as melhores lâmpadas inteligentes e, sensores de temperatura e sensores de vibração.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Already working on it! Thanks!

[@oldsklminitrk]

What about Tuya??? There Local now on HA

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Yeah, I just got turned off with Tuya. Not a fan of the Tuya integration or TuyaLocal

[@arkrainflood]

i am looking for a smart plug that has a 168 hour countdown turn off mode. recommendations?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

You can make that work with an automation

[@abstyle001]

finally 👍🏻🙏🏻

[@MakeItWorkTech]

It took a while! Haha enjoy

[@Lorenzo-wh4wc]

Thx . 🥳

[@imikla]

I appreciate your video and information, but please update your voltage references. Power service in the US has not been 110V/220V since the 1930s when voltages started creeping up nation wide. By the 1950s, over 75% of the US had settled at 120V/240V, and in 1984, 120V/240V was officially standardized. Your voltage references are over 90 years old.

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Sorry, just reporting what's on the package!

[@imikla]

@@MakeItWorkTechFar too many things made, especially in other countries, incorrectly list 110V/220V for the US. Fortunately, I think most are made to tolerate a wide enough range, but still, at best they are mislabeled, and at worst poorly designed.

[@AgentOffice]

Zooz cord is good

[@pcampanotti]

great video! surprised you didn't include the Ikea smart plug

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Thanks!! Unfortunately I don't have an IKEA close by and they won't deliver to my area 😢 I need to make a 2-hour trip to get to the closest one!

[@HHHorea]

wow how could you not say anything about that cringe human face looking design they all have? :))) is it iust me?

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Hahaha ah you've noticed that about US plugs too?

[@LowreyContractorsUK]

If you understand the Techinical information this guy gives. You don’t need his advice Sadly highly experienced technicians can’t speak without going into tech speak

[@MakeItWorkTech]

Sorry you feel that way! Maybe I could do a "electricity for beginners" video!