Insteon debuts a dual smart outlet

Hot on Quirky's heels, Insteon's announcing a new smart outlet with two remote-controllable sockets.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs

Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.

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Ry Crist

Nov. 11, 2014 2:38 p.m. PT

Today was an especially busy day in smart home news, with seven new Wink-ready gadgets from Quirky and new Samsung appliance integrations for the SmartThings platform. Not one to be left out, Insteon's announcing some news of its own, with a brand new smart outlet set to rival the freshly unveiled Quirky Outlink .

Insteon hopes its outlet rises to the top thanks to a dual-control design that'll let you manage each socket independently from one another. That makes Insteon's outlet the first of its kind, and might give it a leg up over Quirky, as the Outlink only lets you automate the top socket.

Insteon's outlet will require an existing Insteon-compatible control devices, such as the Insteon Hub . Once you're set up, you'll be able to automate each socket or turn it on or off remotely through the Insteon app, available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices. Thanks to a deal with Microsoft, Windows Phone users will enjoy a few extra bells and whistles, including Live Tiles and integration with Cortana.

The Insteon On/Off Outlet is available starting today, and set to retail at $60 for a plain white finish, or $65 for a colored finish. That makes it a touch pricier than the $50 Quirky Outlink, but with two built-in smart sockets instead of one, many home-automation enthusiasts might see value here.