When you think of smart homes, what comes to mind? Normally, you’re thinking of smart TV’s, speakers, lights, and other smart gadgets. But did you know that you can turn your ordinary home appliances into a smart devices with just using a smart plug? So today we’re featuring two of the most affordable smart plugs in the market, the Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini, to help you decide on which one to purchase for your home.
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Amazon Smart Plug vs TP-Link Comparison Chart
Design
The Amazon Smart Plug is bigger and heavier than TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini.
The Amazon Smart Plug and TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini have a lot of similarities when it comes to design. Both units are like rectangular white blocks with their logos printed on top and power buttons on its sides. Each has a small LED light that indicates connectivity but it’s located on the front part for the Amazon Smart Plug and on the opposite side of the power button for the Kasa.
Dimensions are an important factor when looking for smart plugs and the designers of the Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini obviously took this seriously. But while the Kasa is relatively smaller, you can still plug in two Amazon Smart Plugs at the same time in any standard dual power outlet. Still, it would be better if Amazon updates the design to make it less bulky and less sticking out from the wall.
Aesthetics-wise, both the Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini will look pretty on any wall as their color blends seamlessly with any standard white power outlet.
Smart Home Integration
TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini can integrate with more smart home devices compared to the Amazon Smart Plug.
Part of the convenience of having a smart plug is its voice-control capability Thus, it’s important to know the smart devices that can connect with your smart plug. Take note, not all smart plugs can work with certain platforms. Worse, it will only be compatible with one.
In our opinion, this is the biggest disadvantage for the Amazon Smart Plug. While the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant (and soon Apple HomeKit) devices, the Amazon Smart Plug can only work with Alexa devices such as the Amazon Echo. But of course, it’s understandable because these are in-house Amazon products.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini do not need a smart hub and are managed with their respective smartphone apps. Also, both smart plugs connect only to a 2.4 GHz, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi network.
Power Capacity
The Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini has a maximum power capacity of 15 amperes.
Knowing your smart plug’s power capacity is important so you’ll also know what appliance you can and cannot plug on it. For instance, desk lamps and small smart devices like the Google Nest will only need around 1 amp. On the other hand, TV sets will need a minimum of 3 amps and the power requirement will increase as the screen size gets bigger. Meanwhile, airconditioning units need at least 15 to 20 amps.
Both the Amazon Smart Plug and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini have a maximum 15 ampere capacity. You can use either of the two smart plugs for lamps, electric fans, water heaters coffee makers, and other small appliances that do not have a smart timer or auto shutdown feature. You may be able to use these smart plugs for small window-type airconditioners, just check if it uses 10 amps or lower just to be on the safe side.
Honestly, it would have been great if these smart plugs have an energy monitoring feature as the Wemo Mini Smart Plug. Monitoring and getting a report of appliances’ energy usage will be a big help for homeowners who want to cut down on electricity bills.
Ease of Use
Amazon Smart Plug’s best feature is the Wi-Fi Simple Setup but TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini has a scheduling and Away features.
In terms of set-up simplicity, the Amazon Smart Plug is the clear winner thanks to Amazon’s Wi-Fi Simple Setup. This feature basically makes any smart device easier to connect with Alexa. All you’ll have to do is plug the Amazon Smart Plug in the outlet and open the Alexa app on your phone. Once the Alexa app says “New Plug Found,” you can turn the plug on by commanding Alexa to turn it on.
Setting up the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is also quick but requires registration to the Kasa smart app. If you’re already using other Kasa smart devices, then you may skip this and just log on to the app. Plug the smart plug and it will enter into pairing mode (the LED will bling amber and blue). Once it’s paired with the Kasa app, you’re ready to go.
The Kasa smartphone app is also used to access the smart plug’s other features and these are ones that the Amazon plug doesn’t have. For instance, you can set schedules for your plug and even create scenes that will activate on a schedule. There’s also an Away mode that you can use to switch on/off a lamp or TV while you’re away so people would think there’s still someone in the house.
Verdict
Both smart plugs are affordable but TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is obviously smarter than the Amazon Smart Plug.
As it appears, the Amazon Smart Plug is made for use with Alexa-powered devices. It’s affordable, no doubt, and it gets the job done. If your home is using Alexa, then probably, this smart plug is for you. Otherwise, go for the Kasa or other better smart plug options.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is our recommended smart plug because of the intuitive add-on features housed in the Kasa app. The price difference between the Amazon Smart Plug and the Kasa is so little considering these additional features. You can’t use it with HomeKit yet but so is the Amazon Smart Plug. And since the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini can also be controlled with Alexa, there’s no other reason why you’ll stick with the Amazon Smart Plug other than the its Simple Wi-Fi Setup feature.
FAQs
No, both smart plugs can only work on a 2 GHz Wi-Fi network.
You can control the Amazon Smart Plug by voice through the Amazon Echo but, if you do not have one, it will still work well as long as it’s paired with your Alexa app.
With Amazon Wi-Fi Simple Set-up, all you need to do is ask Alexa to discover your smart plug and it will be set up instantly.
No, the Amazon Smart Plug and TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini are designed for indoor use only.
Last update on 2022-08-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API