Why You Can Trust CNET Wallflower review: This smart stove plug is a good first step toward kitchen safety
The $170 Wallflower smart plug will let you know if your stove's on. But it can't turn your stove off for you.
The Wallflower currently only works with electric stoves, but its creators plan to release a gas version in the future.
In the best case scenario, you wouldn't need the Wallflower. This $170, Wi-Fi-enabled smart plug connects to your electric stove and sends you alerts on your smartphone via the Wallflower app if you left your stove on when you're not home. These alerts could, in theory, prevent kitchen fires.
Wallflower
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Wallflower is easy to install: Plug it into your wall, then insert your oven's plug into the Wallflower.
The Wallflower lives up to its promise to detect whether your stove is in use with little effort. It's also easy to use: Insert the Wallflower in your wall outlet, plug your electric stove into the Wallflower, connect it to your home's Wi-Fi network through the Wallflower app. When you turn your stove on, the Wallflower lets out a loud beep.
From the app, you can see if your stove is in use (it doesn't differentiate between a burner or the oven being on, but it can detect when either is engaged) or still hot. You can also set cooking timers and receive notifications when the timer is up. And if you allow the Wallflower app to receive location information, it will send you a notification if the device detects that your stove is on but you're outside of a set radius of your home address.
The problem with the Wallflower is that it doesn't do more than just tell you about the status of your stove. Unlike the $495 iGuardStove Intelligent, another safety-minded stove smart plug, the Wallflower won't automatically turn off your stove. So if you do receive an alert, you'll have to go back home or the home of a loved one to turn the stove off.
The Wallflower will give you some peace of mind if you're the forgetful type or want to keep an eye on someone's stove usage (for example, an older adult who lives alone). Just be willing to get in your car if someone leaves a burner on.