In the HomeKit world and in home automation in general, dual outlets are far less common than your standard single smart outlet and the first to come to HomeKit was the ConnectSense Smart Outlet. Let’s dive in and see if this smart home staple is right for you.

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Features

• 2 individually controlled 120V N.A. power outlets
• Dimmable on/off LED indicators
• Additional 2.4 amp USB port
• Real-time and average power consumption monitoring via the ConnectSense app

Need to Knows

• Only connects using a 2.4 Ghz (802.11 b/g/n) connection
• Total power draw cannot exceed 15 amps

Pros

I’m a fan of smart outlets in general.  They allow us to bridge the past to the future.  We can take dumb appliances that we already have and add a touch of Jetsons to them.  They also let us track down inexpensive dumb appliances that may already have smart counterparts and convert them, saving us a bit of moolah in the process.  

While I don’t think this is the nicest looking device due to its size, it doesn’t look completely out of place and, in all honesty, if you’re interested in smart home gadgetry, you probably also have a host of tricks and Google history of searches for hiding unsightly cables so it’s relatively unlikely that this device will be out in the open anyway.  In the event that you need an entire outlet to be smart, I would say it looks better than two individual smart plugs.

In terms of bang for your buck, I think this device is pretty good.  If you are weary of replacing the outlet with an in-wall receptacle, or simply can’t because you rent, this device is competitively priced if you are needing two outlets in the same location to be smart.  

CONS

Personally, the times that I did test it out, I had problems charging my phone and iPad using the USB-A port; even with no other devices drawing power from the outlet; and I tried with two separate units.  As it turns out, I rarely found that I needed the USB anyway so this became a non-issue, but nonetheless if it is a feature of the device, it should certainly work.

Over the course of the time that I’ve had the device, I’ve not needed to reset it, although with power outages, I’ve found it necessary to unplug the device for a few seconds and plug it back in in order for it to reconnect to your WiFi network.  In the event that you do need to reset the device, it’s very straight-forward and we have a video on our YouTube channel that walks you through this.

It’s great that you can dim the brightness of the LEDs on/off indicators on the ConnectSense Smart Outlet, but we cannot change the color, nor are they exposed in HomeKit like some other outlets.

The App

The ConnectSense app is fairly easy to understand, but I don’t think is something most HomeKitters will use regularly as is the case with the large majority of third-party HomeKit apps.  

As far as features of the device that aren’t available in other apps, we are able to change the brightness of the LED indicators on the face of the device, as well as see current and average power consumption in watts, as well as time the device has been on or off.  The downside is that we don’t get a graph or chart indicating usage over time, which would be significantly more useful in my opinion.

We are also able to update the firmware through the app and as I always recommend, do this on a consistent basis, please.  Do it.

Final Thoughts

This is a solid device if you need what it offers.  It boasts a solid build, doesn’t look half-bad, and it has a reasonable price for its features, though I would choose this device wisely.  

I’ve not personally needed an entire outlet to be smart.  In fact, I currently have a popcorn machine connected to outlet 1, which is awesome for telling Siri to make me some popcorn on the fly or as part of a motion-based theater automation, but outlet 2 uses a lamp which has a Phillips Hue bulb which makes it redundantly smart…genius?  The other unit I have has a foot massager connected to outlet 1 and nothing to outlet 2.  I’ve also never found myself using the built-in USB-A ports.  This is obviously a use-case scenario and there are tons of applications where this device would come in super handy.  I’m thinking in maybe a workshop area or a kitchen.

If you’re interested in the ConnectSense smart outlet then you might also want to consider some of the HomeKit power strip options out there.  They offer more outlets and more USB ports at similar or even lower costs.

Finally, this is a great device for specific, quick make-dumb-things-smart solutions for those who are not comfortable with wiring or can’t install an in-wall switch, but you might also want to consider an in-wall switch if you can.  I find them personally more aesthetically pleasing and they can be found for around the same price if not lower.

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Links & Resources

https://www.connectsense.com/home-automation-faq/