A smart plug that takes up just a little space on your electrical outlet is great. But it’s even better when it lets you monitor your energy use. Such is the case with TP-Link’s new HomeKit-enabled Kasa Smart Wifi Plug Slim.
And at about $12.50 per plug in a four-pack, it’s a good deal on Amazon, too. It’s the only smart plug priced that low that works with HomeKit and monitors energy usage.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Low-priced TP-Link Kasa Smart Wifi Plug Slim with energy monitoring and HomeKit support
The TP-Link Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Slim is a mini plug with energy monitoring and support for Apple’s HomeKit smart-home system. You can ask Siri to turn devices on and off via the plug.
The plug doesn’t need a hub to function. Note, however, that HomeKit remote control requires you to run an additional networked Apple device, such as an iPad, HomePod or Apple TV (though with iOS 16 onward, iPads can no longer be HomeKit hubs).
The four-pack of the new plugs is $49.99 on Amazon. The company said it plans to sell a two-pack at $29.99 later this year.
TP-Link also has a mini energy-monitoring plug without HomeKit that costs $23 for one. Other HomeKit-compatible energy-monitoring smart plugs cost more. Eve Energy goes for $40 (but it supports Thread, whereas the TP-Link is Wi-Fi). Satechi offers a $60 dual-outlet plug that works over Wi-Fi. And then there’s the Aqara Smart Plug, which costs $33 and requires a separate Zigbee hub.
First TP-Link plug to work with HomeKit
This is TP-Link’s first smart plug to work with HomeKit. The company had originally said the mini plug would get HomeKit in January 2019, but it didn’t. The Kasa line also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
The Mini with Energy Monitoring can control any compatible plug-in device up to a 15 amp max load, like other Kasa smart plugs. But the addition of real-time energy monitoring adds value to the plug as an asset for your smart home.
The Kasa app lets you set schedules based on time and sunrise or sunset and group devices together. Timers allow you to set something to run for a certain amount of time or to turn on at a given time. The device also includes an “Away” mode and runtime reports.
The UL-certified plug’s compact size seems like another plus. It fits over one electrical outlet without blogging others, so you can plug in other items.
Photo: TP-Link
More HomeKit compatibility coming from TP-Link
TP-Link showcased the upcoming HomeKit-compatible Tapo line at CES in January of this year. The company said the Tapo line, slated to launch before the end of 2022, will include a HomeKit-compatible mini plug, power strip, dimmer switch and light strip.
We haven’t heard about TP-Link devices’ support for the upcoming Matter smart-home technology and connectivity standard. But the company is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance working on the new smart home standard, so we have no reason to think it won’t support the standard.
Where to buy: Amazon
