![]() This provides the same toggle option, plus some more detailed options that include a Timer (actually, a scheduler that lets you configure automatic on/off times) and a Countdown (actually a countdown timer).Īlso available through the app are Tap To Run and Automations. It appears on the app’s homescreen, with a toggle control, or you can tap the main entry to view a more detailed screen. Once in the app, you can give the plug a meaningful name. In both cases, the interface and installation instructions are identical, taking you through connecting the plug to your Wi-Fi network. Again, it’s just another reason to bypass the TCP Smart app and go straight to Smart Life. TCP Smart does provide its own skills for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, although the app clearly instructs you to select the Smart Life skills in both cases and then login with your TCP account details. Pick the Smart Life app instead, and everything sits in one place. Say, for example, you have both Hey! and TCP smart devices in your home and you use their default apps, you’ll only be able to use one brand or the other with IFTTT. To use IFTTT, you have to enable the Smart Life service, which then provides the option to select the brand you want to use: Smart Life, TCP Smart, Amarey Smart, GeoSmartPro, Homeflow and Hey! This makes even more sense if you want to use services such as IFTTT. While it’s okay to use the TCP app, compatibility with the Smart Life app allows you to combine control of smart devices from multiple manufacturers in one place. This is similar to Hey! products – the Hey! Smart Power Bar, for example – that also use Smart Life. Firing it up for the first time brought a sense of déjà vu, since it’s very much based on the Smart Life app however, it’s been skinned to only allow you to add TCP products. Once connected to a socket and turned on, set up is via the TCP Smart app. As such, I recommend placing the Smart WiFi Plug on the left, if possible. However, its position makes it fiddly to reach if this plug is sitting in the right-hand side of a double wall socket, next to another plug. Neat and powerful app with plenty of automation and routinesĪs is the case with most smart plugs, the TCP Smart WiFi Plug features a manual switch on the left that you can use to turn the plug on and off without diving into the app.Fully compatible with the Smart Life app, giving you a wider choice of products to use.TCP Smart WiFi Plug features and performance – There’s a dedicated app but the plug is arguably better used with the Smart Life app However, a four-pack of the Smart WiFi Plug from B&Q is priced at just £32, which works out at £6 a plug – that’s what I call value. A small cube measuring 110 x 56 x 63mm, the smart plug easily fits into a double-wall socket without obstructing the other socket.Ī single TCP Smart WiFi plug costs £15, next to the TP-Link Kasa KP105, for example, which can be picked up for £12. In my opinion, one of the most important considerations with a smart plug is its size – and in this regard the TCP Smart WiFi Plug is ideal. Good value, particularly if you buy the four-pack.TCP Smart WiFi Plug design – Its small size means it won’t prove a hindrance on a double socket It’s important to point out that product is compatible with the Smart Life app, letting it work with a wider variety of devices made by other manufacturers. With the TCP WiFi Smart Plug, you get a small plug with an app that offers lots of features, although the product is much better value if you buy more than one plug. TCP products are all over the DIY shops, offering a cheaper alternative to many of the big-name brands.
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