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caligurl

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 8, 2009
3,647
1,532
socal
What are the BEST (reliable) smart plugs/switches that are compatible with home kit? I want to be able to voice control them to turn on the lamps (and Christmas tree).

Plus I have a couple of salt lights and a boot dryer that I would switch to a new system (currently on a non voice app operated system.)

A bonus is if they have a 3 way light switch that works well.
 

d.steve

macrumors 6502
Jan 6, 2012
351
150
I'm incredibly happy with Lutron Caseta wall switches. They are rock solid. I have a mixture of dimming, non-dimming, and a ceiling fan control. Three way is supported. The caseta dimmers don't require a neutral wire, but non-dimmers do.

I don't have a recommendation for a smart plug. I have a few different cheap ones, but they do have to be unplugged and plugged back in occasionally. They fall off of wifi, and occasionally won't even respond when pressing the button on the plug itself. Will watch for other responses :)
 

Itinj24

Contributor
Nov 8, 2017
4,457
2,557
New York
Wemo Mini is a good plug. They have a horizontal shape so you can stack them one over the other on a dual outlet. V1 was a bit of a pain to get connected on HomeKit but v2 with native HomeKit is much better. Haven’t had any issues whatsoever with “No Response” or automations and scenes. Work especially well with location based automations. I want to try the Satechi dual smart plug. They appear to be stackable and have two outlets on each.
 
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CraigB1960

macrumors regular
Sep 9, 2014
139
141
Tucson, AZ
I have 43 Levitron switches and dimmers in my house. They do require a neutral wire to be connected, was not an issue with me. With a good mesh network, I have very few issues with them. With the firmware updates this past year, they have become very reliable. I have several 3-way's that work well. My Christmas tree is on one of the switched outlets...so "Turn Tree On"..."Turn Tree Off" for the Christmas season.

However I have been using VOCOLinc outlets for a while, just purchased a 4 pack from Amazon for $46 ($11.50 per outlet), though now they are at $58. They are rock solid and once setup, work very well. I have never gotten a Non-Response from one of the outlets, they just work. I use them to outlets with the device I want to control. They are designed so you can put two in a typical outlet. I use them mostly for room lamps, though I have them in my garage to control my battery tender. VOCOLinc also has a power strip with 3 individually controlled outlets.
 
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bbednarz

macrumors 65816
Nov 16, 2017
1,408
3,739
Chicago
iHome plugs have been pretty rock solid for me. I did have an issue a couple of weeks ago where they got disconnected from HomeKit. A simple unplug/replug did the trick though. That was the only issue I have ever had with them and I have had them for about 1.5 years.
 
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chino-rican

macrumors regular
Sep 21, 2012
222
84
Virginia
I've been using the Wemo Mini plugs for a few weeks now and have had no issues with day-to-day operation, automation, and Siri commands. A few hiccups to set up the first one, but once I got past that one the rest were a breeze.
 

Q-Dog

macrumors 6502a
Sep 9, 2007
653
1,017
I have had zero issues with Lutron Caseta switches and wall plugs. I am doing some remodeling in my house and will probably add more switches.
 
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JR17358

macrumors newbie
Oct 14, 2019
23
15
Florida
For “simple” on / off switching plugs I like the Wemo Mini as long as dimming is not needed. For more complicated automation I like the Lutron Caseta line. Combining dimmers, switches and remotes through the Lutron Smart Bridge gives you the ability to do just about anything you can imagine, and they are very reliable.

A bonus with the Caseta is the ability to combine a switch in an existing 3 way with one of the existing mechanical switches as well as add one or more Pico remotes to make a 3 or 4 way setup. The Pico remotes are especially clever in how you can mount them (with or without an existing electrical box) so that they look as though they were always there.
 
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mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Aug 28, 2007
2,673
4,131
SE Michigan
+1 on Lutron Casetta

I’ve got the whole basement on them, thru Apple HomeKit, then into Harmony. In the dedicated HT I can use the Harmony elite remote, or the smartphone app, or Siri to control lights
6b3d27e9e4274937b9637908dffce610.jpg
 

loekf

macrumors 6502a
Mar 23, 2015
824
568
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
I've been using Wemo Mini for a couple of years and been pretty happy with them. I haven't had any issues with them.

Except that Wemo is dead outside the US, even the Homekit bridge never showed up here.

I swapped my Wemo “XXL” smart plugs for Hue smart plugs. Mesh Zigbee works great.

I also wouldnt recommend the Eve smart plugs, because they are Bluetooth (limited range, unless you want to fill the house with AppleTVs) ... dont get me started on the Eve Extend (horrible product).
 

GiacomoCastillo

macrumors newbie
Dec 10, 2020
1
0
I’m genuinely happy with my smart switches and plugs! They honestly are one of the best investments you can make for your home. I’ve been using mine for half a year and I haven’t run into any issues. Be sure to get one from a trusted company.
 
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