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The best smart plugs in 2024
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If you don’t have a smart home, now’s a great time to set one up. One way to start is by buying the best smart plugs, which make it super-easy to automate your lights and other small appliances.
If you’re not sure how automation can benefit your home, the experts at CBS Essentials are here to guide you. Smart devices can help you pre-program your thermostat to save on energy bills or simplify your bedtime routine. They can ensure you never come home to a dark house and that you can have peace of mind on vacation with a security system that turns on and off automatically.
Building a network of smart devices might sound complex and expensive but smart plugs can help make it simple and more affordable. These small yet powerful devices plug directly into your outlets and take commands via an app or smart assistant, allowing you to control your lights and other tech with just a tap or your voice using a smart home hub like Amazon Echo or Google Nest.
Which smart plug is right for your home? Check out our picks for the best smart plugs in 2024.
The best smart plugs in 2024
The best smart plugs are easy to install, affordable and can be controlled via app or voice command. We found top-rated options to fit just about any budget.
Wemo smart plug
Amazon
This smart plug is one of, if not the best, you can buy. Its compact footprint and budget pricing make it an excellent pick for any household. Plus, it works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, unlike some of its other brethren. Plus, it also has a special “Away” mode that you can program to turn your lights off and on automatically for while you’re away.
An Amazon customer called it a great compact controller: “For what it is and does, the Wemo Smart Plug is a great device. I have no complaints and recommend it for smart home use or even something as simple as a timer or standalone appliance or light controller.”
GE Cync indoor smart plugs
Amazon
This midrange plug boasts a versatile app and reliable control via app or voice. It doesn’t require an additional hub for other features, and everything can be set up from your phone or smart device. It’s compatible with both Google Assistant and Alexa devices, and it allows for hassle-free scheduling with multiple pre-programmed light scenes to choose from.
An Amazon buyer was pleased to find there were no issues after setup: “These work well, and I feel safer using the GE brand as opposed to brands I’ve never heard of. Even if you just use them to trigger lamps, they’re very practical and save you effort over time.”
TP-Link Kasa Ultra mini smart plug
Amazon
This budget-priced smart plug is the cheapest on the market. It’s well worth its lower price, coming with a wealth of automation features. It supports both Google Assistant and Alexa, while offering the ability to schedule lights and control them via your favorite automation platform. It also has a great app for simple, breezy setup.
One Amazon buyer praised it for its simplicity: “I have my whole house set up with smart lights. This plug let me light up my tree. Let the laziness ensue! Very easy to set up and connects to Alexa in a snap.”
Regularly $10, you can get the TP-Link Kasa Ultra mini smart plug for $8 at Amazon now.
Wyze Plug outdoor smart plug
Amazon
If you’re using a variety of outdoor smart devices like lighting or security cameras, an outdoor smart plug is a must. This Wyze plug is an unassuming black box with a small footprint and two outlets, each with independent LED lights to highlight what’s currently active. It’s rated to withstand the elements, and each outlet has a useful cover to protect it when not in use. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant and can set up schedules based on the time of day as well as motion trigger zones.
An Amazon buyer called it “so practical”: “This plug is perfect to use outside, I use it to control my pool pump and have the option to turn it on or off with the app on the phone.”
HBN Wi-Fi dual outlet smart plug
Amazon
The HBN smart plug comes with two outlets, each controlled independently of the another. Even with an additional outlet, it’s still compact enough to save room for your second outlet either above or below. You can activate one or both plugs at your convenience, with either controlled via app or voice command through Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also name the outlets to help better identify them should you have multiple smart plugs enabled simultaneously.
An Amazon buyer praised this dual smart plug’s simple setup: “Make sure you use the Smart Life app. These are so easy to set up. Like having the advantage of two sockets from one outlet. Bought two and both work well with Alexa.
TP-Link Kasa smart Wi-Fi power strip
Amazon
This smart power strip offers six smart plugs in one for homes with the need for multiple outlets. It brings the reliability and simplicity of the Kasa line to the world of power strips, which is a great solution for anyone with large homes or families who need an abundance of devices. It has a built-in surge protector and includes three USB ports for additional connections. Setup is a breeze with the Kasa app, and it works with both Alexa and Google Assistant. It includes physical buttons for further customization as well.
An Amazon buyer proclaimed “Kasa is king”: “I’ve been buying Kasa smart plugs and switches for over 5 years now and they know how to make a good product. They are easy to program and always reconnect to Wi-Fi whenever they lose power or if the network goes down. This strip delivered and the outlet plug is flat enough that the table doesn’t have to stick out all funny.”
Emporia smart plugs with energy monitoring
Amazon
For energy-conscious buyers, the Emporia smart plug has it all. It monitors how much power your connected devices are drawing in real-time, so you can see it all in the Emporia app. That way you can see what kind of electrical load you’re dealing with at any given point. They also connect with both Alexa and Google Assistant. It’s a standard smart plug otherwise, though it’s important to keep in mind that it’s only compatible with 120-volt outlets. It can be controlled via voice, though, and it also includes the ability to set timers.
An Amazon buyer stated that it “works perfectly”: “Very easy to set up, and makes it super easy to monitor the power consumption of a device with their app. I use it together with the energy monitor in my panel. You can group this one under a circuit so that there is no double-counting. Exactly what I was hoping for.”
How to choose the best smart plug
With so many different smart plugs available, it can be difficult to determine which one works best for you and your home.
Not all smart plugs are created equal. Make sure the plug you choose works with your preferred smart home ecosystem, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit. That way, you’ll get seamless integration with your existing devices and smoother voice control setup.
Another crucial factor is the plug’s size and design. Some models can be bulky, and they can block adjacent outlets when plugged in. Look for a compact design that won’t hog all the outlet space, especially if you plan on using multiple smart plugs. There are smart strips available for those use cases, so you don’t have to stack plugs on top of each other in a single outlet.
You may also want to do some research on the smart plug’s app and if it’s compatible with voice controls. A user-friendly app will make setup and control a breeze, so look for one with positive reviews and an intuitive interface. Clarify whether you need a hub for additional features or if the app is all that’s required. This may save you some frustration later on.
Energy monitoring features can also be a plus for those who want to keep an eye on their power consumption, too. Some smart plugs provide real-time usage data and even suggest ways to save energy, making your home greener and reducing your electric bill.
A judge in France on Thursday found the former husband of Gisèle Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping her repeatedly over the course of almost a decade and inviting dozens of other men to assault her as well, guilty of aggravated rape. Over the course of her trial, Pelicot — who insisted her full name be published and proceedings be made public — has been praised for her courage and become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France and around the world. The judge on Thursday was reading out verdicts for dozens of other men also accused of raping her.
Pelicot arrived Thursday at the court in Avignon, southeast France, where crowds had gathered outside holding signs saying: “Thank you for your courage.”
The trial began on Sept. 2, and almost every day, Pelicot came face to face with her former husband, Dominique, or one of the 49 other men charged with raping her. One other man faced a charge of aggravated sexual assault. She insisted that videos submitted as evidence, made by her ex-husband showing men sexually assaulting her while she appeared to be unconscious, be shown in open court.
The assaults took place between 2011 and 2020, when Dominique Pelicot was taken into custody. Police found thousands of photos and videos of the abuse on his computer drives, which helped lead them to other suspects. Some of the men testified they thought the unconscious woman was OK with it, or that her husband’s permission was enough.
“Gisèle Pelicot thinks that this shock wave is necessary, so that no one can say after this: ‘I didn’t know this was rape,'” her attorney, Stéphane Babonneau, told The Associated Press.
“It’s not for us to feel shame — it’s for them,” Pelicot said in court, referring to the attackers. “Above all, I’m expressing my will and determination to change this society.”
Controversial French laws
Pelicot’s case triggered protests across France, and there was hope among some demonstrators that the case could lead to changes in controversial French laws governing sexual consent.
France introduced a legal age of sexual consent in 2021 after a public outcry over the rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl by a man who was initially convicted on a lesser charge. Since then, sex with anyone under the age of 15 has been viewed as non-consensual, but French law does not refer to consent in cases involving older victims.
Under French law, rape is defined as penetration or oral sex using “violence, coercion, threat or surprise,” without taking consent into account, according to the Reuters news agency. Prosecutors must, therefore, prove an intention to rape if they are to be successful in court, legal experts told Reuters.
Just 14% of rape accusations in France lead to formal investigations, according to a study by the Institute of Public Policies.
“Why don’t we manage to obtain convictions? The first reason is the law,” legal expert Catherine Le Magueresse told Reuters. “The law is written in such a way that victims must comply with the stereotype of a ‘good victim’ and a ‘true rape’: an unknown attacker, use of violence, and the victim’s resistance. But it is only true for a minority of rapes.”
“I’m trying to understand”
Speaking in court during the trial, Pelicot, who is 72, talked about how she had thought she was in a loving marriage with her husband and would never have guessed that he was drugging her.
“We would have a glass of white wine together. I never found anything strange about my potatoes,” Pelicot told the court.
“We finished eating. Often when it’s a football match on TV, I’d let him watch it alone. He brought my ice cream to my bed, where I was. My favorite flavor — raspberry — and I thought: ‘How lucky I am. He’s a love.'”
She said she didn’t have any sensation of being drugged.
“I never felt my heart flutter. I didn’t feel anything. I must have gone under very quickly. I would wake up with my pajamas on,” Pelicot told the court, adding that she would sometimes wake up “more tired than usual, but I walk a lot and thought it was that.”
“I’m trying to understand,” she said, “how this husband, who was the perfect man, could have got to this.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters says workers at seven Amazon facilities will begin a strike Thursday morning in an effort by the union to pressure the e-commerce giant for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.
The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized walkouts in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations. Amazon says it doesn’t expect any impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history.
The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.
Amazon is ranked No. 2 on the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest companies.
At a warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island, thousands of workers who voted for the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At the other facilities, employees – including many delivery drivers – have unionized with them by demonstrating majority support but without holding government-administered elections.
The strikes happening Thursday are taking place at an Amazon warehouse in San Francisco and six delivery stations in southern California, New York City, Atlanta and the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement. Amazon workers at the other facilities are “prepared to join” them, the union said.
“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” he said.
The Seattle-based online retailer has been seeking to re-do the election that led to the union victory at the warehouse on Staten Island, which the Teamsters now represent. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.
Meanwhile, Amazon says the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, aren’t its employees. Under its business model, the drivers work for third-party businesses, called Delivery Service Partners, who drop off millions of packages to customers everyday.
“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.“
The Teamsters have argued Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer.
Some U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon boosted pay for the drivers amid the growing pressure.
NEW YORK — The Teamsters union is launching a strike against Amazon at numerous locations across the country, including in Maspeth, Queens.
The Teamsters are calling it the largest strike against Amazon in United States history, and it’s set to begin at 6 a.m. Thursday. In addition to New York City, workers will be joining picket lines in Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.
In a video announcement released Wednesday night, workers voiced their frustrations.
“Us being strike ready means we’re fed up, and Amazon is clearly ignoring us and we want to be heard,” one worker says in the video.
“It’s really exciting. We’re taking steps for ourselves to win better conditions, better benefits, better wages,” another worker in the video says.
The union says it represents about 10,000 Amazon employees and that Amazon ignored a deadline to come to the table and negotiate. The $2 trillion company doesn’t pay employees enough to make ends meet, the union asserts.
At the height of the holiday season, many are wondering what this means for packages currently in transit.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”
Amazon says Teamsters are misleading the public
An Amazon spokesperson says the Teamsters are misleading the public and do not represent any Amazon employees, despite any claims.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
An Amazon representative says the company doesn’t expect operations to be impacted.
