Best Smart Outlets That Replace the Socket in Your Wall

Nothing in the table below costs less than TP-Link’s Tapo P210M, about $30, and it is the only Wi-Fi outlet in it that measures energy, so it is the smart wall outlet for most houses. Renting, or not touching the wiring, means the Tapo P110M plug instead.

The difference between the two: an in-wall outlet replaces the socket in the wall and is wired into the mains, and a smart plug pushes into the socket you already have. Both switch whatever is plugged into them from an app, a schedule or a voice assistant, so the choice comes down to wiring and looks.

The in-wall outlets below are made for North American wiring: 120 volts and 15-amp receptacles, unless we say otherwise. Fitting one means working on mains wiring, so use a qualified electrician wherever the law requires it, and whenever you are unsure. Whether you can fit one yourself depends on the law where you live. Eve tells buyers who are unsure to consult a qualified electrician and to follow local electrical codes. A smart plug avoids the question.

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Five in-wall outlets compared

Prices are the makers’ own US prices, rounded.

Tapo P210M: two sockets and energy monitoring

TP-Link says its two sockets can be switched together or one at a time. It measures the energy the plugged-in devices use and estimates the bill from your electricity rate. It is Matter certified, and the spec sheet names Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings. It connects straight to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and is rated at 15 amps, and the only hub TP-Link mentions is the one Matter needs. TP-Link also says the Tapo app can still reach it over the home network when the internet is down.

TP-Link announced it at $29.99. Its product page prints no price and sends buyers to Amazon. TP-Link Tapo P210M on Amazon

The older Kasa KP200 is still on TP-Link’s site. It also switches two sockets separately at 15 amps, but its page mentions neither Matter nor energy monitoring. Choose it only if the house already runs on the Kasa app.

Leviton D215R: one socket always live

Leviton makes ordinary wiring devices, and this is one with Wi-Fi added. Pick it over the Tapo if you want one socket that is always live, or a colour other than white. The top socket is switched and the bottom one stays on. It joins 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi through the My Leviton app with no hub, and Leviton says a firmware update in that app turns on Matter. It lists Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home and SmartThings. Both sockets are tamper-resistant and rated at 15 amps, and Leviton sells a clip-on kit that changes the face to black, grey, brown, ivory or light almond.

Leviton’s page lists no energy monitoring. The outlet is $34.99 on Leviton’s store. Leviton Decora Smart D215R on Amazon

Eve Energy Outlet: for Apple Home on Thread

The only outlet here that uses Thread. Eve says it needs a hub that is both a Matter controller and a Thread border router, and that in return there is no Eve account, no Eve cloud and no subscription. The two sockets switch separately, and the outlet is rated at 15 amps. Energy use is measured, but as one figure for both sockets together. Eve’s page carries badges for Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant.

One limit matters outside Apple houses. Eve’s own energy monitoring and schedules live in the Eve app for iPhone and iPad, which Eve says needs the outlet connected through Apple Home. So buy it for a house that already has a HomePod mini or an Apple TV with Thread. At $54.95 on Eve’s site it costs nearly twice the Tapo. Eve Energy Outlet on Amazon

Enbrighten for a Z-Wave hub

For a house built around a Z-Wave hub. Jasco’s outlet uses the Z-Wave 700 series, switches one socket and leaves the other always on, and both sockets are tamper-resistant. Jasco says it requires a Z-Wave certified hub, naming SmartThings, Ring Alarm and HomeSeer among others, and that Alexa and Google Assistant work through that hub. Its page gives no amperage and mentions no energy monitoring. It is $44.99 on Jasco’s store, with white and light almond faceplates in the box. Enbrighten In-Wall Z-Wave Smart Outlet on Amazon

We found no Zigbee in-wall outlet to recommend for North America. Jasco used to sell one, and the page for it on Jasco’s store now comes back as not found.

In-wall outlets with USB ports

The Lumary Smart Outlet USB, about $30, has two sockets plus a USB-A and a USB-C port, and Lumary says each of them can be switched on its own. It uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with no hub and works with Alexa and Google Assistant. The rating is 15 amps for the whole outlet and 10 amps for a single socket.

Read the small print on the USB side. The ports supply 5 volts at 2.1 amps, about 10 watts, and Lumary says the USB-C port does not support Apple devices. It is $29.99 on Lumary’s store. Lumary Smart Outlet USB on Amazon

Geeni’s Current, about $27, is the alternative, and it has replaced the Current+Charge on Geeni’s store. Geeni says it replaces a standard outlet and adds a 20-watt USB-C port with Power Delivery and a Quick Charge USB-A port, about twice the power of the Lumary’s. Its page does not state an amperage or name the voice assistants it works with. We would take the Lumary, whose specifications are complete, unless charging speed matters more to you.

Do smart outlets need a hub?

A Wi-Fi outlet joins your router directly and needs no hub for its maker’s app. A Thread or Z-Wave outlet does nothing until it is paired with a hub that has the same radio. Which hub has which is listed under smart home hubs.

Matter lets one device appear in Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa at the same time, but it does not remove the hub. TP-Link’s own footnote says its Matter features need a hub from whichever platform you choose, which means an Echo, a Google Nest speaker or display, a HomePod or an Apple TV. The Tapo P210M, the Leviton D215R and the Eve Energy Outlet all list Apple Home. The Enbrighten and the Lumary do not.

On the wiring side, every maker that states its requirements asks for a neutral wire. TP-Link also asks for a wall box at least 2 inches deep for its Kasa outlet, and Lumary for 2.36 inches.

Smart plugs, if you would rather not rewire

A plug does the same switching with no wiring at all, and for renters it is the only choice. The cost is a box sticking out of the wall.

The TP-Link Tapo P110M is the plug version of the P210M: Matter certified, energy monitoring, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and 15 amps, with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings listed. TP-Link prints no price for it. TP-Link Tapo P110M on Amazon

The Eve Energy has Thread and Matter, energy monitoring and 15 amps, at $43.95 on Eve’s site, and Eve says it needs a hub that supports both Thread and Matter. Eve Energy on Amazon

The Kasa EP25 suits a house on the Kasa app: Wi-Fi, energy monitoring and 15 amps, with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings on TP-Link’s page.

Outside North America

None of the in-wall outlets above is made for a British, European or Indian wall box, or for the higher mains voltage there. Aqara makes its Wall Outlet H2 for other countries. The UK version is a double 13-amp socket with USB-C that uses Thread or Zigbee and measures energy. The EU version is a 16-amp Schuko socket that uses Zigbee. Neither works alone: the UK one needs a Matter controller with Thread or an Aqara Zigbee hub, and the EU one needs a Zigbee hub.

For plugs, TP-Link sells regional versions of the Tapo line. In the UK there is a 13-amp Tapo P110M. In India there is a 16-amp Tapo P110 with energy monitoring, and a Matter model called the P116M.

TOPGREENER and iDevices outlets

TOPGREENER’s in-wall Wi-Fi outlet with energy monitoring is on clearance at about $18, and TOPGREENER says it is being discontinued and may not be restocked. iDevices now belongs to Hubbell, and the retailer Alarm Grid lists the iDevices Wall Outlet as discontinued and out of stock.