Why you'll love it: The
iDevices Smart Wall Outlet seamlessly integrates into a wall of your home, looking like any standard outlet but offering you smarter capabilities.
The one major drawback to most smart outlets is their marked lack of subtlety. The enhancements they offer are great, but they tend to be eyesores, especially when located in the kitchen, living room, or other high-traffic parts of the home.
The iDevices Smart Wall Outlet solves that conundrum: Rather than plugging into an existing wall outlet and acting as the smart middleman between power source and device, it replaces the existing wall outlet entirely. The result is a flat, discreet pair of sockets with some smart capabilities.
As you'd expect from a smart outlet, the iDevices Smart Wall Outlet offers remote connectivity, letting you monitor and switch devices on-and-off from afar. It supports voice control via Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, so operating the outlets while you're at home requires nothing more than speaking to your phone or smart speaker.
Like the ConnectSense Smart Outlet 2, the iDevices app helps you track power consumption and to establish custom programs for lighting, kitchen appliances, and more. Unlike plug-in smart outlets, this one has an embedded night-light that casts a soft glow after dark (but can be turned off if you prefer).
Although the iDevices looks like a traditional outlet, it does stick out a tad more. In our Insider Picks review, we said, "That won't be obvious visually once the device is installed, but if you have an exceptionally small wiring box, then it might be an issue for you. The back of the outlet is a little less than two inches wide and two inches deep, so it should fit in most wiring boxes."
On the plus side, we liked the power buttons that let you manually turn the outlet on or off. We also found it easy to install, however, those who aren't comfortable with electrical DIY should call an electrician.
Most Amazon customers gave the iDevices Smart Wall Outlet a solid review and a 5-star rating. One customer called it "easy to install" and said it "works perfectly, every time." Another loved that the "device tells you the wattage consumption with daily weekly and yearly estimates per outlet."
But many people shared a common complaint — one that fortunately has nothing to do with product performance — the price is just too high. This hardwired unit costs about twice as much as the next most expensive smart plug on the list.
Pros: Subtle appearance, night light, tracks power consumption
Cons: Very expensive, some wiring knowledge required, cover plate not included
Get an iDevices Smart Wall Outlet on Amazon for $97.42