Why You Can Trust CNET Eufy Smart Plug Mini review: This smart plug automates with ease
This $21 space-saving smart plug works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and includes plenty of scheduling, away modes and timer options for your dumb devices.
Smart plugs turn ordinary objects into automated members of your smart home . The Eufy Smart Plug Mini does that and more. Aside from letting you turn whatever's plugged into it on and off from your phone, Eufy's plug comes with scheduling and power-monitoring options, and it works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to let you control it using voice commands. The space-saving design won't obstruct adjacent outlets, and at $21, it's about as affordable as good smart plugs get. I'd recommend anyone looking for a Google- or Alexa-friendly smart plug give the Eufy Smart Plug Mini a try.
Eufy Smart Plug Mini
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Read more: These smart plugs are the secret to a seamless smart home
The Eufy Smart Plug Mini saves space and monitors power for your connected devices.
Setting up the Eufy Smart Plug Mini works like with most other smart plugs. Connect the plug to a standard 120V wall outlet, download the EufyHome companion app, then register and link the plug to your Wi-Fi through the app. Step-by-step instructions make this process simple. Even if you've never used a smart plug before it shouldn't take more than 10 or 15 minutes to get everything up and running.
Linking Eufy to your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa account is just a matter of adding the Alexa skill or signing in to your EufyHome account through the Google Home app. You can rename your smart plug or give it a nickname like "living-room lamp" for more conversational voice interactions. When I tested, voice commands for Google and Alexa worked well to turn the lamp on or off and check its status. Eufy doesn't work with Apple HomeKit, though, so if you're looking for a smart plug that works with Siri, you'd be better off with the iDevices Switch or the iHome ISP8 SmartPlug.
You can schedule the Eufy Smart Plug Mini to turn on or off at a specified time and day of the week, with the option to repeat the schedule if you'd like. There's also a timer option to turn the plug on or off after a set amount of time ranging from 1 minute all the way up to 23 hours and 59 minutes. With a third feature called Away Mode, you can set a window of time during which the plug will randomly turn on and off to simulate someone being at home.
The Eufy Smart Plug Mini's power monitoring is surprisingly robust. In the EufyHome app, you can view daily averages and total consumption for 7-day, 30-day, 90-day and 365-day periods in energy consumption (kWh) and total runtime (hours). There's also an energy bill tab that displays the estimated cost generated by the plug. When I tested, the cost was based on 11 cents per kwh -- 12 cents per kWh is what's used to estimate energy use for things like light bulbs and appliances, and I'd have preferred it if Eufy had followed suit. That's about as small as quibbles get, though.
What's nice about the Eufy Smart Plug Mini is that it offers all of the power monitoring of the TP Link Kasa Smart Plug with Power Monitoring along with the bonus of a space-saving design that keeps adjacent outlets accessible. The plug would be nearly perfect if it worked with HomeKit or offered a side USB charging port. Still, with all the voice assistant, schedule and time-based features that make smart plugs truly smart, Eufy's Smart Plug Mini is an affordable, reliable way to bring your dumb devices into the smart home.
