iHome's SmartPlug takes a shot at the throne
It plays well with others, but is that enough to surpass industry leaders?
The iHome ISP8 SmartPlug improves its predecessors' designs and adds features, in the hope of taking down industry leaders such as iDevices and Belkin WeMo.
The SmartPlug still works conventionally -- plug it into the wall and it adds smarts to any pluggable device you use it with. That means you can lend your dumb old lamp the smarts of...
...Amazon Echo and its Alexa voice control...
...and Apple HomeKit and its Siri voice control.
The device connects to these devices through the iHome app and your home Wi-Fi network. The setup is a little cumbersome, but once it's up and running, the SmartPlug works reliably.
You can always toggle the plug manually using the button on the side of the device.
But you can also connect to smart home hubs like Wink and SmartThings. That means, beyond voice control devices, you can integrate the iHome with all sorts of Z-Wave and Zigbee gadgets around the house.
You can even integrate with the Nest app, letting you trigger the plug based on whether you're home or not.
You can also use the included remote control for basic on and off commands.
The iHome ISP8 SmartPlug has impressive interoperability. Check out the full review to find out whether the iHome takes the crown from the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch.