3 smart outdoor plugs you need for entertaining in your garden
Upgrade your garden entertainment with these smart outdoor plugs from Tapo, Philips Hue and Meross
Whether you’re hosting a barbecue or upgrading your outdoor space with a full entertainment set-up, you need an outdoor smart plug to make entertaining in your garden easy and seamless.
Despite their handiness, smart plugs aren’t as popular as other smart devices. I think the main reason for this is people don’t realise the full extent of what they can do – it’s much more than just turning your appliances on and off.
It goes without saying that if you want to use a smart plug in your garden or patio, you’ll need one that is weather-resistant. Most smart plugs are designed for indoor use, so you’ll need to look for one that’s marked for outdoor use, and is built with materials that are IP44-rated or higher. This rating means it can withstand weather conditions, like rain and snow.
The slight downside to outdoor smart plugs, especially if you’re based in the UK, is most models are for US or EU-style plugs so you’ll need an adapter to use them. But now that you know how handy they are, here are three outdoor smart plugs you should add to your garden to take your outdoor entertainment to the next level.
1. TP-Link Tapo Matter Outdoor Smart Plug
Best outdoor smart plug overall
In terms of capability and cost, the TP-Link Tapo Matter Outdoor Smart Plug is hard to beat, and might be the best outdoor smart plug you can buy today. Available in the US, the TP-Link Tapo Matter Outdoor Smart Plug has two independent outlets and dual antennas to add a WiFi signal to your garden up to 300 feet.
The TP-Link Tapo Matter Outdoor Smart Plug is compatible with Matter devices, and platforms like Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings. Users can group their smart devices and create custom scenes using this plug, as well as set schedules, automations and use voice commands – and it’s only $25.99.
2. Meross Matter Smart Outdoor Plug
Best outdoor smart plug for energy monitoring
Another affordable and Matter-compatible model is the Meross Matter Smart Outdoor Plug. Available for US and EU use, the Meross Matter Smart Outdoor Plug has two individual outlets, a long power cord and can be used both indoors and outdoors. It has all the standard features you expect from an outdoor smart plug, like schedules, and it comes with a timer setting.
What makes the Meross Matter Smart Outdoor Plug stand out is its power monitoring. It tracks your power consumption for each outlet, and reports your energy usage in the Meross app. It’ll also give you advice on how to save energy and costs.
3. Philips Hue Outdoor 100W Power Supply
Best outdoor smart plug for lights
If you only want an outdoor smart plug to control your outdoor lighting, then I’d recommend the Philips Hue Outdoor 100W Power Supply, especially if you have Philips Hue lights set-up in your garden. It has two connectors which can connect to any low-voltage Philips Hue outdoor light to help them reach up to a maximum 100W of power.
Slightly different to your normal outdoor smart plug, the Philips Hue Outdoor 100W Power Supply is essentially a handy way to safely power your Philips Hue outdoor lights, especially if you have a pretty large amount of them.
