HomeKit, Apple’s home automation service, has made it easier to operate your Smart Home Plug from your iPhone or iPad. Eve is one company that manufactures HomeKit-compatible smart devices, with a reputation for producing high-quality smart home gadgets. With Eve accessories, you can control and automate devices, monitor your indoor and outdoor environment, as well as control and automate your home appliances.
Among Eve’s well-known products is the Eve Energy smart plug. It’s a simple, easy-to-use plug that you can connect into the wall, set up in seconds, and then plug in your desired light or appliance. With a tap on your iPhone/iPad or a Siri command, you may turn on or off the electricity, set up scenes and automations, and monitor your energy consumption. However, if you’ll be away from home, you’ll need a HomePod Mini, HomePod, or Apple TV 4K to control your devices.
PROS
- Easy and Simple to Set Up
The Eve Energy smart plug, like other HomeKit-enabled devices, is incredibly simple to set up using either the Eve app or the Apple Home app. Simply choose Add Accessory and scan the QR code which can also be found in the quick start guide and on the smart plug’s side. The app will take care of the rest, connecting the device to your Wi-Fi network.
In Eve Energy’s detail view, you’ll find key controls such as the power on/off button and the schedule editor. It also includes a range of reporting and measurement functions that show you when Eve Energy was last switched on/off, how much power is currently being consumed, as well as projected electricity costs. Furthermore, you can view additional parameters in the detail view, including voltage and current, and change the order by tapping Edit.
If you need to operate numerous appliances at once or just want them to be active while you’re at home, using automations to turn them on or off is the best way to go. This is where a smart home hub like Apple’s HomeKit comes in.
When you have multiple HomeKit-enabled products, you can set up scenes to control them all at once or automate them so they activate automatically. For example, you can program a “Good night” scene through HomeKit that locks your doors, closes the garage, turns out the lights, lowers the temperature, and activates the night light in one motion.
Instead of using Wi-Fi, Eve Energy’s latest version uses Thread smart home technology to connect the plug to the internet, which enhances the connection’s reliability and eliminates smart home device failures. Rather than using individual Wi-Fi connections to connect to the internet, Thread-enabled devices form a mesh network that all such devices may use. If a device loses its connection, other Thread-enabled devices can share it, preventing the device from becoming unresponsive.
As you add more Thread-enabled devices in your home, the mesh network gets stronger. Hence, third-party hubs or services such as Alexa, IFTTT, or Siri are no longer required to connect different devices together.
CONS
- No Alexa or Google Assistant support
Eve Energy smart plugs only support HomeKit, so if you prefer a device that works with Alexa or Google Assistant, this one is not for you.
- Requires a HomePod or Apple TV for control when away from home
Another downside is when you’re not at home, you’ll need an Apple TV 4K or a HomePod Mini to operate the Eve Energy smart plug. Furthermore, unlike certain TP-Link plugs, such as the KP-105, there is no Away mode, which turns the plug on or off at random intervals to assist mimic occupancy while you’re away.
Final Thoughts
As of now, the Thread-enabled Eve Energy is one of the most feature-rich smart plugs in the market and it’ll be much more appealing when the Thread ecosystem grows and the smart-home platform-unifying Matter makes its debut to seamlessly connect Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, and other smart home hubs. Until then, Eve Energy will only appeal to Apple customers.