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iHome's SmartPlug takes a shot at the throne

It plays well with others, but is that enough to surpass industry leaders?

David Priest
David Priest is an award-winning writer and editor who formerly covered home security for CNET.
David Priest
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1 of 10 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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.

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2 of 10 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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...

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...Amazon Echo and its Alexa voice control...

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...and Apple HomeKit and its Siri voice control.

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5 of 10 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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.

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You can always toggle the plug manually using the button on the side of the device.

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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.

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You can even integrate with the Nest app, letting you trigger the plug based on whether you're home or not.

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You can also use the included remote control for basic on and off commands.

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10 of 10 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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.

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