Leviton Decora Wi-Fi Smart Plug review: Cheap, plug-in smarts for Alexa and Google Assistant

If you're in the market for a smart plug, you've certainly got plenty of good options. I like to stick with established names with a good history of supporting their products and keeping things up to date, which is one reason why the Belkin-owned WeMo Mini has long been my top smart plug pick.

7.9

Leviton Decora Wi-Fi Smart Plug

The Good

Leviton's Wi-Fi smart plug works perfectly with Alexa and Google Assistant, and you don't need a hub in order to use it. The slim-bodied design won't block adjacent outlets after you've plugged it in.

The Bad

The plug doesn't work with Apple HomeKit, so you can't control it with Siri, and it won't track energy usage. It also doesn't include any USB charge ports.

The Bottom Line

This is a basic, no-fuss smart plug from an established manufacturer that gets the job done without costing too much.

But then there's Leviton. A long-established name in your local hardware store's lighting aisle, Leviton's recently been selling its own line of automatable plugs, outlets and dimming devices under the Decora brand name. That includes a mini-sized Wi-Fi smart plug that looks and works just like the WeMo Mini. And, at $30 per plug, it's just as easy to afford.

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Like the WeMo, the Leviton plug syncs with Alexa, IFTTT, Nest and Google Assistant, but it doesn't share WeMo's support for Apple HomeKit. That means you won't be able to control it using Siri commands. The WeMo Mini is also frequently discounted -- for instance, as of this writing, it's $5 off at major retailers like Best Buy, bringing the cost down to $25.

Still, unless you're organizing your smart home gear using Apple HomeKit, the two are essentially interchangeable. If you just want a cheap smart plug that'll reliably let Alexa or Google Assistant turn a lamp or a space heater on and off, Leviton's plug will do the job just as well as WeMo's. My recommendation: Don't think too hard about it and just buy whichever one's on sale.

Design and features

Leviton's Decora smart plug looks like most smart plugs these days, with a wide design that won't block adjacent outlets like the bulky smart plugs of a few years ago. Its only physical control: a small button on the left that toggles the switch on and off and doubles as an indicator light.

Use this plug as intended, and you'll probably never need to press it. As soon as you plug the thing in, the indicator light will start flashing green to let you know that it's in its pairing mode and broadcasting its own Wi-Fi signal. Create a free account in the MyLeviton app, then select "Add new device" and follow the onscreen instructions to pair with it and sync it with your home's router -- no hub required.

Once you've connected the plug to your home's Wi-Fi network, you'll give it a name and be ready to start automating. I named my plug "Space Heater" and plugged -- you guessed it -- a space heater into it. 

With the app, I could turn that space heater on and off or automate it to turn on or off at a certain time, including at sunrise and sunset. Within a minute, I had created a schedule that would make sure the plug was turned off every night at 1:00 a.m., lest I ever forget to turn it off myself before bed. If you head to the device settings, you can also set your Decora plug to turn itself off automatically after a set period of time, which is a nice extra touch.

If you're using multiple Decora devices, the app also lets you create a scene that toggles all of them at once -- but you can create similar scenes that can also incorporate non-Decora devices by using the Alexa or Google Home apps. To do so, you'll need to link Leviton with your Alexa or Google accounts in those respective apps. Doing so is easy, just tap the plus sign icon in the Devices section of the Alexa app, or the "Add" button on the home screen of the Google Home app.

Linking with Alexa or Google also lets you control the plug using voice commands. Commands to both assistants worked perfectly when I tested them out -- both "Alexa, turn the space heater on" and "Hey, Google, turn the space heater off."

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Performance and usability

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Leviton's plug didn't cause any headaches as I tested it out.  The app controls worked reliably well, voice controls worked reliably well and my scheduled automations worked -- wait for it -- reliably well. It's a boring little doodad, but it does the trick.

I especially appreciated the app; it's nothing fancy to look at, and it doesn't do anything that other apps like it don't, but it never lagged on me, and it held a steady connection to the smart plug throughout all of my tests. That's a notable edge over the WeMo Mini, as the WeMo app has long been too sluggish for my tastes.

I also like Leviton's IFTTT channel, which offers a number of extra ways for power users to automate their Decora devices alongside other IFTTT-compatible gear. 

Then again, Leviton's plug won't track energy usage, and it doesn't include any USB ports for charging your phone like you'll get with some competitors. It also won't act as a smart dimmer for your lamp, though Leviton does sell a different Decora plug that will.

The verdict

At $30, the Leviton Decora Wi-Fi Smart Plug is a quick and easy way to automate lamps, coffeemakers, desk fans, space heaters and so on. It connects directly with your home's router, so you don't need worry about getting a hub, and the only high-profile smart home platform it doesn't work with is Apple HomeKit.

That makes it a perfectly fine pick for folks whodon't use Apple HomeKit, especially those who use Alexa or Google Assistant instead. Roughly the same price as the WeMo Mini and the Alexa-only Amazon Smart Plug, Leviton's plug gets the job done, and deserves just as much consideration as competitors like those.