iHome iSP100 Outdoor SmartPlug - Review 2022

The iHome iSP100 SmartPlug ($39.99) offers a relatively affordable mode to smarten up ordinary outdoor devices such as lights, puddle pumps, and other exterior appliances. It connects directly to your home Wi-Fi network, and supports Apple tree's HomeKit platform, which means you can command it with Siri vocalism commands. It also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, and can be incorporated into your Nest, SmartThings, or Wink smart home automation ecosystem. It doesn't support If This Then That (IFTTT) or provide power usage statistics, simply it'due south still our Editors' Choice for smart outdoor power outlets.

Design and Features

Designed for outdoor employ, the iSP100 has a NEMA 3R rating for protection against dirt, dust, and pelting. The blackness rectangular enclosure has a 3-prong plug fastened to a half-dozen-inch cord on 1 end and a three-prong outlet on the other end. On the left side of the device you'll find an on/off button, a power indicator, and a Wi-Fi indicator that flashes green when the plug is looking for a network, turns solid greenish when connected, and flashes red when it is disconnected.

At four.0 past i.7 by 1.7 inches (HWD), the iSP100 is considerably smaller than the iDevices outdoor switch (6.0 by two.8 by 1.9 inches), only the iDevices switch has two outlets. That said, the iSP100 is simply $39.99 compared with the $79.95 iDevices switch.

iHome iSP100 Outdoor SmartPlug

The iSP100 is controlled using an Android or iOS app and supports Apple's HomeKit platform. The iOS app opens to a home screen that lists all of the rooms in your HomeKit business firm, every bit well as all existing HomeKit Devices, Zones, and Scenes. The Android app is like but lists Devices and Rules.

You can add the smart plug to an existing room or create a new one. You tin can also add it to an existing Scene or create a new one. Tapping the device proper name turns the plug on and off, and tapping the exclamation point icon takes you to an Edit Device screen where you lot can name the plug, assign it to a room, update the firmware, and create Rules to take it plough on and off at specific times of the day and days of the week.

At that place's a Ability State History tab that shows y'all when the plug has been turned on and off, but it doesn't offering the power usage and cost reporting that yous go with the iDevices plug and the Belkin Wemo Insight Smart Plug. The gear icon at the bottom of the screen takes y'all to a Settings screen where you can connect to third-party devices including Nest products, Alexa and Google Assistant voice control, and SmartThings and Flash habitation automation hubs. You can use a SmartThings or Wink hub to have the plug work with other smart home devices, and connect it to your Nest account to take it follow your Nest Home and Away rules.

Installation and Performance

iHome iSP100 Outdoor SmartPlug To install the SmartPlug I plugged it into an outlet and the Wi-Fi indicator began blinking immediately. I downloaded the app, created an business relationship, and tapped Add Device at the bottom of the dwelling screen. I selected iHome SmartPlug from the list and followed the instructions to reset the plug by property down the on/off button for 12 seconds. I hitting Next and waited a few seconds for the app to find the plug. Once discovered, I entered the HomeKit lawmaking, and inside another few seconds the setup was completed. I and so moved the plug outside and used it to command my Christmas lights.

The SmartPlug performed flawlessly. Information technology always reacted quickly to on and off commands using the app, and followed my Rule to have my lights come on a four:35 every afternoon and turn off at eleven:thirty at night. Alexa and Siri voice commands to turn the lights on and off also worked perfectly. I had no network connectivity issues, despite placing the plug outside around 30 feet from my router.

Conclusions

Whether you're lighting up the exterior of your habitation or running a pool or spa pump, the iHome iSP100 SmartPlug lets you turn outdoor devices on and off using your phone, and create schedules to have them turn on and off automatically. It'south very easy to install and works with a well-designed app, and it can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri vocalisation commands. Although it doesn't support IFTTT, y'all can make it work with other smart dwelling house devices using a SmartThings or Wink hub, and it's HomeKit compatible. Power usage reports would be a welcome feature, but that doesn't preclude the iSP100 from earning our Editors' Choice for smart outdoor power outlets.