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TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25
The cheapest sensible way to start. It is slim enough that two share a standard double outlet, shows energy readings in the Kasa app and works with Alexa, Google and Apple Home without a hub, so a lamp or fan is on a schedule within minutes. Engadget named it the best smart plug overall in its 2026 guide, usually sold in four-packs at about $13 a plug.
The catch is age and the missing Matter support. It is a few years old, and if you expect to change assistants between flats, the Kasa KP125M costs a little more and carries Matter.
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TP-Link Kasa Matter Smart Plug KP125M
The plug for a setup that has to survive a change of phone, partner or flatmate as well as a change of address. Matter certification means one plug works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings, and it keeps responding over your home network when the internet drops. It is rated for 15 A, so it copes with more than a bedside lamp.
Energy readings stay in TP-Link's Kasa app rather than appearing in Apple Home, and it only joins 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Engadget's tester also found the Apple Home connection unreliable until a HomePod mini was added as a hub.
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Eve Energy (Matter)
The privacy pick. Eve Energy talks over Thread rather than Wi-Fi and needs no cloud account, so control stays local instead of depending on a company's servers, which is exactly what went wrong for Wemo owners. It is also made in US, UK, European and Australian versions, handy if a move crosses a border.
It costs more than the Kasa plugs and needs a Thread border router, such as a HomePod or a fourth-generation Echo. Detailed power readings are in the Eve app, and it is at its best in an Apple Home setup.
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IKEA GRILLPLATS Smart Plug
At $7.99 in the US, this is the way to fit every lamp in the flat for the price of one premium plug. GRILLPLATS uses Matter over Thread, tracks energy use and strengthens the Thread network for other devices, and it pairs with IKEA's cheap remotes and motion sensors.
It is the least proven pick here. Owners reported connection problems with IKEA's new Thread range in early 2026, which IKEA acknowledged, and it needs a Thread border router, such as IKEA's DIRIGERA hub, before an app or assistant can control it. Buy it for lamps, with a Thread hub already in place.
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TP-Link Tapo P316M Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip
One wall socket, six smart outlets. For the desk or TV corner of a flat with too few sockets, the P316M gives each outlet its own on-off control and its own energy reading in the Tapo app, plus three USB-A ports for phones. Seeing which gadget is drawing power on standby is the practical win.
It is Matter-certified, but the per-outlet energy figures are best read in Tapo's own app, since support for them through Matter varies by platform. At about 14 inches long, it needs floor or shelf space.
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SwitchBot Bot Rechargeable
The answer to anything you are not allowed to rewire. This small robot sticks beside a button or rocker switch and presses it on command: a ceiling light, a radiator boost button, an old coffee machine. The rechargeable version announced in April 2026 has a built-in battery charged over USB-C, rated at about six months per charge at one press a day, for $33.99 or £33.99.
On its own it is Bluetooth-only; voice control, remote access and Matter need a SwitchBot hub. Check the switch has room for it to sit alongside.
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Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer
Fixes the oldest smart bulb problem: someone flicks the wall switch off and the bulbs stop answering. The Aurora's bracket fits over an existing toggle switch, holds it on and turns it into a rotary dimmer for Philips Hue bulbs, with no wiring. It runs on a coin cell that Lutron rates at about three years.
It only works on toggle-style switches, so it suits most US flats and few British ones, and it is built around Hue. It controls up to 12 bulbs on its own, or joins a Hue Bridge for a bigger setup.
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Philips Hue Tap Dial Switch
A proper wall switch you can stick anywhere. The Tap Dial's plate fixes with its adhesive backing, beside the bed or the front door, and the dial lifts off the plate to use as a remote or to sit on any magnetic surface. Four buttons hold scenes or rooms, and turning the dial dims, so one switch can run a whole small flat.
It needs a Hue Bridge and costs $49.99 or £44.99, which makes sense only if you already own or plan to buy Hue lights. The coin cell is rated for at least two years.
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Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2
The sensor that makes the plugs smarter. Stuck to a front door or window, it can turn a hallway lamp on when you walk in or tell you a window was left open. It uses Matter over Thread, pairs directly with Apple Home and other Matter platforms through a Thread border router, and needs no Aqara hub for the basics.
Battery life is the thing to watch. Aqara says it varies with the border router and the Matter apps the sensor is linked to, so pair it with one platform rather than several.
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