Incipio CommandKit smart power strip works with both HomeKit and Amazon Echo
Siri? Alexa? Take your pick -- this smart power strip works with both.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Incipio's new CommandKit Smart Power Strip.
Incipio brought some new smart gadgets to CES, including a new $100 "CommandKit" Wi-Fi power strip that you can control using both Siri and Alexa voice commands.
With four automatable outlets that you can can control independent of one another, this thing is basically a four-way WeMo Switch that'll let you automate four things at once. Aside from syncing it up with Apple HomeKit or with one of Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices to control it with your voice, you'll also be able to turn the outlets on and off from Incipio's app, or by scheduling them to turn on and off at specific times.
That Apple HomeKit compatibility also lets you control the outlets using Apple's Home app on your iPhone or iPad. You can also pin outlets to the Control Center, then swipe up and tap to turn them on and off -- no app needed.
The power strip's other big trick is that it'll track the energy usage of whatever you're plugging into it. That's a nice little bonus, and an added value if you're looking to cut your consumption. Automation can help with that.
At $100 (about £80 or AU$140, converted roughly), this is definitely expensive for a power strip, but it costs a lot less than you'd spend on four switches from iDevices or Belkin WeMo. Provided you've got four things right next to each other that you're ready to plug in and automate, it sounds like it might be a smart buy once it hits the market this summer. We'll keep an eye out for it.