merossMatter Smart Plug Mini with Energy Monitoring, Works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, WiFi Plug with Voice Remote Control, 13A, 4 Packs

What a product very neat and tidy, hardly noticeable next generation smart plugs. The handy little guide to installation could not be simpler. Pairs very easily and links to Alexa without the usual faff. This has replaced an analogue timer that is a bit limiting. I have set this up to come on at dusk so more intuitive.

For the price, these plugs have to be the best to use with HomeKit, exactly what I needed. They work seamlessly with Siri and in the Home app. Takes literally 1 minute to add to your system and conveniently sized to fit in most sockets without getting in the way. A fraction of the price of some of the better known brands, but when they just work, why waste your money with that. I have over 10 of these dotted around the house with various appliances now turned “smart”. Being able to turn the kettle on before going downstairs, setting automations for an extractor fan in the bathroom, warming the bed with a heated blanket for just enough time for it to be nice and toasty, or having a fan stay on for a bit on the warmer days There are many different uses and I’ve not had one fail me yet. Will recommend these to anyone in the market.

This is a review of the more recent MATTER version of these mini plugs, not the "Works with HomeKit" variety which have been around for longer.I have a Thread/Matter network and my main smart home driver is Apple Home, with some Alexa-based devices. So these new Matter mini plugs seemed like a great forward-facing choice over the older HomeKit versions, allowing me to automate from/with different brands.Unfortunately they have been a little problematic. There is not yet a great deal of forum chatter about these plugs, since at time of writing they have not been available for long.When setting up the plugs the Meross app finds them and pairs very quickly, with no issues. It was when trying to pair them in the Apple Home app that the real fun started.These devices need a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network to connect to, and you need to disable the 5 GHz side on your router while you pair (you can do this for Eero by going to Trouble-Shooting in the app, where you can pick "my device won't connect" and turn off 5 GHz for ten minutes).So I did that, then put one of the plugs into pairing mode. This involves holding the side button until the plug resets, and the LED alternates orange and green. Apple Home spotted the plug and asked for the Matter code, scanned successfully, identified that it was a plug, started pairing.Oh dear. The mini plug exits the pairing state before Apple Home can complete the process, resulting in a failed pairing.This happened with both plugs, and it was the same on multiple attempts. The Meross app had already updated them to the latest firmware version, although there was nothing in the update notes which explicitly mentioned pairing.The problem appeared to be the private Wi-Fi used by my phone. One my second attempt the next day as well as turning off 5 GHz Wi-Fi temporarily, before attempting to pair I went to my phone’s Wi-Fi settings and turned off Private Wi-Fi Address and Limit IP Address Tracking. THEN I held the plug power button for five seconds, waited for the LED to flash amber/green, and finally scanned the QR codes to pair. It worked.However I’ve now added another four units, and using that method doesn’t make any difference. I’m at a total loss here. It’s like they just eventually decide to pair when they feel like it.Quite a lot of faffing, but when it’s done it’s done. It’s just getting to that point is a trial and there’s no obvious and reliable way to ensuring pairing works first time, which is frustrating.In terms of build and functionality the plugs are great. They have a small form factor, they feel well made, and they include energy monitoring (plus bill forecasting) via the Meross app. Matter doesn't yet support communication of energy consumption, but I expect if the Matter standard ever develops that far it shouldn’t be difficult for Meross to make the mini plug's consumption data available across Matter.Despite the fussing about trying to troubleshoot (don’t even bother with Meross support, save yourself the time), they seem like great little bits of kit. Response time is pretty much instant from both Home and the Meross app, once they’re paired, and I’ve not had a single “no response” in Home as yet.

I got 4 of these for the price of one hive plug and they are not worth a penny less. I got expensive hive bulbs which are very nice but also needed to control cabinet led lights from 4 plugs. Setup was easier than I can imagine and now I can just hey Google turn on or off plug A/B/C/D using my Google nest speaker. I was hesitant and have been doing IT all my life and these have so far exceeded my expectations.

I bought the Meross Smart Plug Mini to control our Christmas lights with Alexa, and it’s been fantastic. Setting it up was a breeze, and it quickly connected to both Alexa and my Wi-Fi. Now, I can easily turn the lights on and off with just my voice or schedule them to switch on and off automatically.The smart plug is compact, so it doesn’t block other outlets, and it works reliably without any issues. It’s been perfect for controlling holiday decorations, but I’ll definitely continue using it year-round for other appliances.If you’re looking for an easy way to make your Christmas lights smarter, this plug is a great option.

Added to smartthings via matter, set up was a breeze. Then downloaded the Meross app(more functionality). This was for the standby killer function, once the power usage drops below a threshold that you've set, the plug will switch off, I use it for my phone charger, but could be used for a multitude of settings. They are a compact size, not obtrusive and work well, very pleased with the purchase.