It's Black Friday weekend – and in a flat that's already full of smart home tech including smart lightbulbs, smart speakers, a smart app-controlled fan, and even a smart robot butler for my cat, I'm thinking about adding another item to that excessive list. And it's something I already own...
So, where does someone who bought a speedy little robot vacuum cleaner in lockdown and nicknamed it 'Vax Verstappen' go next? They buy a smart plug – and not just because it's been discounted to under a tenner in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales (although that does help).
Tapo Matter-compatible smart WiFi plug with energy monitoring
Related: The best Black Friday gaming deals
This is the Tapo P110M smart plug. Usually retailing at £16.99, you can often find it slightly cheaper than that, but this 50% price cut is pretty significant – the £8.54 Black Friday deal price is the lowest it's been on Amazon to date.
Also significant – the 'M' in the plug's codename. This 'M' stands for Matter, the cross-brand smart home connectivity standard which means you can set your smart plug up to work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod and so on.
Why I'd recommend the Tapo P110M smart plug
Why, in a house with so much smart tech, is a smart plug the standout item? Well, this has been by far the easiest to set up (thanks, in part, to that Matter connectivity). I also already have the Tapo app for smart bulbs, and smart speakers set up at home, which made things especially straightforward.
What to Read Next
However, instead of going via the Bluetooth route where you have to connect to the plug, then to your internet, what you can do instead is scan the little Matter QR code on its side and your preferred smart home app should walk you through the process.
Compared to other smart plugs I've used in the past, the Tapo P110M is a nice compact size, measuring 5 x 3 x 7cm. As mentioned in our round-up of the best cheap tech gifts, this smaller design means it won't block off other outlets either.
While it comes into its own with voice control over a smart speaker, those of you who don't have or don't want Alexa, Hey Google or Siri in your home can use the Tapo app to set up a schedule for your smart plug. You can also group it into rooms with other Tapo items and organise automation based on proximity (for example, when you leave or arrive home).
As I mainly use my smart plug for a heated clothes rail, I don't use the scheduling at the moment, preferring to set a timer on my smart speaker. However, I do use the app to schedule a failsafe for my Tapo lightbulbs at home, in case I ever forget to switch them off before I leave home for work.
One app function I've been experimenting with is energy monitoring – pressing on the icon for your smart plug in the app will let you see energy usage for the current day and month to date.
Pressing 'Show More' will give you graphs of energy used and power to your device. For monthly bill estimates per device, you'll need to edit in what you pay for your electricity first. Otherwise, you'll be given a placeholder sum.
The P110M smart plug is available for a Black Friday deal price of £8.99 at TP-Link's online store (you'll need to add it to your cart to see the sale pricing). Of the other retailers, Amazon has it for £8.54 and at Currys, you'll pay £9.99.
You can also save 34% on a four-pack of the P110 smart plug with Amazon for £32.99.
