THE £15 GADGET that switches things off when you can't. Smart Plugs: Simpler Than You Think.
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
'James' lives near the Buttermarket. He has a lamp he keeps forgetting to turn off at night. Not a disaster. Just one of those small things that nags at you.
His daughter bought him two smart plugs for Christmas. They cost £15 each. He installed them himself, no instruction manual, no electrician, no YouTube tutorial and it only took about twelve minutes including making a cup of tea.
Two months later, James describes them as the best stocking filler he's made in years.
Here's what they actually do.
WHAT IS A SMART PLUG?
Wall socket → Smart Plug → Your lamp / appliance That's the entire concept. |
The plug sits between your socket and whatever you've plugged in. Once it's connected to your home WiFi, you can control that appliance from anywhere. Schedule it. Switch it on or off from your phone. Ask Alexa to do it without getting up. Check if you left it on from the other side of Dorset.
WHAT JAMES USES HIS FOR
💡 BEDROOM LAMP ON at 6:45am automatically. No fumbling for the switch half asleep. OFF at 10:30pm. Never left on all night again. The whole reason he got the plug. Problem solved on day one. 🛋️ LIVING ROOM LAMP "Alexa, turn on the living room." The lamp comes on. James doesn't move from the sofa. Small luxury. Large satisfaction. 🔌 PHONE CHARGER Scheduled to cut off at midnight. Charging to 100% and staying there all night is hard on battery long-term. The plug switches off so James doesn't have to think about it. |
THE FEATURE OLDER RESIDENTS LOVE MOST
The one no one talks about enough.
James went to Bristol to visit his daughter last month. On the train out of Dorchester, a thought hit him: did I switch off the Radio?
He opened the app on his phone. The Radio wasn't plugged into a smart plug (lesson learned). But if they had been, he could have switched it off from Bristol Temple Meads station without a second thought.
No more turning the car around. No more standing in a car park wondering. Open app. Check. Done. |
HOW TO SET ONE UP
James did this without instructions.
Step 1 - Plug it into your wall socket
Just push it in. It looks like a slightly chunkier plug.
Step 2 - Plug your lamp into the Smart Plug
Exactly as you would normally do.
Step 3 - Download the app
For example - TP-Link Tapo, Kasa, or Amazon Smart Plug app — depending which plug you buy there is plenty of choice.
Step 4 - Press the button on the plug until it flashes
This puts it into pairing mode. This one took about 3 seconds.
Step 5 - Follow the app prompts
It finds the plug, connects it to your WiFi, names it. Done. Each app is slightly different but simple to use
Step 6 - Schedule it
Tap the plug in the app → Schedule → Set your times. From now on it runs itself. Again each app schedule or routine section is slightly different but simple to set up.
Total time: 10-15 minutes. James did it during the adverts.
WHICH ONE TO BUY?
Here are some we found but there is plenty of choice, ask in your local store or take a look online
TP-Link Tapo P100 | £9.99 | Beginners. Simple app, very reliable. |
Amazon Smart Plug | £12.99 | Alexa users. Works instantly, no extra setup. |
Meross (4-pack) | £35.99 | Buying multiple. Best value by far. |
Many are available at Amazon, Argos, or Currys etc.
WHAT SMART PLUGS WON'T DO
Worth knowing before you buy.
❌ High-power appliances Kettles, toasters, washing machines — not safe. Smart plugs are for lamps, phone chargers, fans, radios. ❌ Work without WiFi If your internet goes down, the schedule still runs locally on the plug — but you lose remote control. ❌ Control appliances with their own power switches A television needs to be in standby mode to be switched on remotely. If it was physically switched off at the TV, the smart plug can't override that. |
A NOTE FOR FAMILIES WITH ELDERLY RELATIVES
One of the cleverest uses no one talks about.
If your mum has a smart plug on her bedside lamp, you can see in your app whether it switched on this morning. She's up. She's about. No need to call and interrupt her breakfast. No need to worry.
Simple. Quiet. Reassuring.
GOT A QUESTION? Curious about smart plugs or any other tech? I'll answer properly. |
Next week: 'Your phone already knows what that bird is' AI helps you identify that bird, plant or even bug