meross Outdoor Smart Plug, Outdoor Wi-Fi Outlet with 2 Grounded Outlets, Remote Control, Timer, Waterproof, Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, 2.4Ghz only, FCC Certified, Non-HK

I was getting tired of resetting the outdoor timer for our porch lights to match shifting daylight hours especially fall and spring, not to mention every power outage (frequent for us in winter). I’ve had great success with Meross smart plugs in the past and it had good reviews on tech sites. Unfortunately you can’t really trust Amazon reviews. What can I say? I plugged it in to an easy-access indoor outlet and lamp, scanned the code with my iPhone, labeled it, and it connected to HomeKit. Moved it to the porch lights, created automation to turn on at sunset and turn off later. Now if my kids are out late, I can just override the turn off and leave the lights on until their iPhone is home. I also randomly change smart lights when we travel (we have an AppleTV and a few HomePod minis, any of which give us secure access away from home). Easy to link, easy to use, rugged… I plan to get another next Black Friday week for Christmas lights! Meross is by far the most reliable and easiest brand of smart plugs…and I don’t do a thing after power outages or time changes. Worth every penny!

It works like it’s supposed to

Lasted an entire winter in Chicago. Good test case as far as Im concerned.

Setup was a breeze and it just works - both as a timer and as an Alexa powered device. I set it up on a spare bedroom lamp and named it Lamp, which seemed logical at the time, but now when I see how easy it was too set up and how well it works, I may purchase a couple of more for other lights around the house. So, consider what you name it when you set it up.

Good

This handy device is just what the doctor ordered for our outdoor Christmas lights. In the past we have used a timer with a dusk sensor. The problem was when a cars headlights hit the sensor it would shut off the Christmas lights, thinking it was daytime. We also had a problem with our outdoor lights, and our spotlights, fooling the sensor. This device, being connected to the internet, knows when sunset is, so it bases its schedule on that rather than a light sensor. It has worked like a champ. Setup was fairly simple if you follow the directions carefully (I didnt at first). I havent tested Google Assistant nor Alexa functionality so I cant comment on that. Weve had it outside for several weeks and it has performed flawlessly.

I purchased this to use on outdoor porch for a strand of lights that ran the perimeter. Although the porch is exposed to elements the plug was against the wall under a four foot overhang. Its incredibly convenient to have Alexa turn the lights on/off and it can easily be controlled by phone app when Im away in order to give appearance of someone home. Although my product stopped working outside the 30 days to return it was within the one year warranty. Fiona in customer service could not have been easier to work with. It was all online through email but she and her team completely took care of me and expedited a new unit at no cost to me under their one year warranty. Sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get help, not with Meross, job well done!!!

Easy to install and set up with Alexa or Google. I link being able to set program for patio lights vs the main system that only had sunset for a certain time duration. The negative is having a strong enough WiFi signal. If you have to buy a WiFi extender, not sure it would be worth it. Have to wait for rain before I try out the water proofing.

The first unit I bought didn’t work reliably with homekit, so I sent it back for a replacement. The second unit got really hot and it’s housing melted. I probably had too much plugged into it, not sure as I didn’t add up the wattages of all the Christmas lights, but it has a tag stating not to go over 400w. It should have had a reset switch that trips to prevent drawing too much power and subsequently potential fires. This melted outside when it was in the single digits Fahrenheit.

I really like Meross. This is probably the 5th or 6th product that I’ve purchased from this brand. Like every other purchase, this smart outdoor outlet is easily set up in a minute or two, and integrates seamlessly with my other Meross products via the app. (no problems with the app either, yay!) I used this for my Christmas lights and blow up Olaf yard deco so I don’t have to go in and out every evening and unplug before I go to bed. Giving 4 stars out of 5 because the rubber socket cover gets in the way when you have two cords plugged in at once so I had to rip it off.