The Tiny Tech Purchase That Made My Life 1,000 Times Easier

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I dont remember exactly why I bought my first Kasa smart plug. According to my Amazon history, it was May 9, 2021, and I cant remember what I was doing then except spending lots of time at home. But I do know this: I dont want to remember life without one. Or 10. Theyre so good, so helpful, so useful, that now I have 10. 

Why did I go from zero to 10, and why should you? Turning every outlet in your home into one you can control by app or voice assistant opens up a world of possibilities. I have houseplants under grow lights in darker corners of my home, and can turn those on and off even if Im halfway around the world. I can put them on a schedule when I travel, but still turn that schedule off if someone needs to stay in my apartment. I can leave an appliance running, and turn it off while running errands. I can use my smart plugs for Christmas lights, or to make it appear someone is home for safety. I have a bedroom air purifier set to turn on one hour before my usual bedtime and to turn off in the morning, right as my living room air purifier is scheduled to turn on (doing this with a coffee maker or fan is an absolute no-brainer). Beyond automation and energy savings, I also use one so that I can turn a lamp on without having to strain to reach behind my couch to find its switch. For hard-to-reach outlets or behind-furniture outlets, they are an absolute game-changer. I can think of a thousand more uses.

All this automation might sound complicated or technically intimidating, but I promise its easier than you could dream possible. All you have to do is plug one in, push a button to connect it to your WiFi, add it to the phone app, and live your life. In the more than two years Ive been using these every day, Ive never had an issue with dropped connections or an inability to find WiFi. The Kasa app is straightforward, and if you prefer, you can simply use Alexa or Google Home instead (or both). 

(Amazon has a new and compact Alexa-enabling Echo Pop smart speaker , if you dont have a voice control system set up.) 

One thing I love most about the Kasa mini smart plugs is that if you only use one, its small enough to leave the other socket in your outlet free without covering it up or making it impossible to plug something else in.

Kasa also makes their smart plug in a weather-ready outdoor power cord form, which is great for Halloween displays, Christmas lights or landscape lighting, or as indoor power strips for which each outlet can be controlled individually (I have one of those, too, plugged in behind a piece of furniture I never want to move). You can check out every type  they offer.