T3 - UK (2020-08)

The humble smart plug may not attract the same kind

of attention as other smart home kit, but don’t

underestimate the usefulness of having a plug socket

that you can turn on or off as needed, right from your

phone (or on a timed schedule) – basically, it lets you

add smarts to all kinds of other electrical appliances.

Those appliances could be lamps, for example, or

fans in a room. Add a smart plug to the mix and all of

a sudden you can turn them on and off from the other

side of the house. Perhaps more practically, you could

start up a kettle or a slow cooker while you’re en route

home from work (or still in bed).

The more you get used to what smart plugs can do, the

more uses you’ll find for them. You could link one to a

radio, for example, to turn music on and off at certain

times, or hook one up to a Wi-Fi extender to make sure

the kids don’t have access to the internet when it’s time

for them to go to bed.

On a practical level, smart plugs can let you operate

sockets that are stuck behind desks and other furniture:

just use your phone to turn them on and off rather than

crawling around on your hands and knees. These devices

also give you an easy way to turn everything off in one

go when you’re headed to bed, for example.

Perhaps less glamorous than their smart siblings, these plugs

are way more versatile, adding smarts to everyday gadgets

PLUGS

TP-LINK KASA HS100

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WXUQOLJKWVRQDQGRIIDWUDQGRPWRPDNHLWORRN

OLNH\RXèUHDWKRPH

£15.99, tp-link.com

TECKIN SMART PLUG

7KH7HFNLQ6PDUW3OXJGHOLYHUVWKHVPDUWSOXJ

JRRGVDWDQDSSHDOLQJSULFHåDQGLWZRUNVZLWK

$OH[DDQG*RRJOH$VVLVWDQWWRRVR\RXFDQ

WXUQVRFNHWVRQDQGRIIZLWKDYRLFHFRPPDQG

DVZHOODVIURP\RXUSKRQH

£19.99, amazon.co.uk

MEROSS SMART POWER STRIP

3RZHUVWULSVDUHQèWH[FOXGHGIURPWKHVPDUW

SOXJUHYROXWLRQDVWKLV0HURVVPRGHOVKRZV

7KHWKUHHVWDQGDUGSOXJVRFNHWVDQGWKHH[WUD

VWULSRIIRXU86%$VORWVFDQDOOEHWXUQHGRQ

DQGRIILQGHSHQGHQWO\WKURXJKWKHDSS

£24.99, meross.com

PICK OF THE PLUGS

32 T3$8*867

Unmissable smart home upgrades