Eve Energy Smart Plug

The Eve Energy Smart Plug is the best smart plug we’ve tested for short-term rentals.

After roughly a year of using Eve Energy plugs in our rental properties, they’ve been essentially flawless. They pair easily with SmartThings, respond extremely quickly, stay connected, report power consumption, and have noticeably better construction than the other smart plugs we’ve tested.

The experience with Eve Energy is actually what pushed us to start testing more of Eve’s product family, including the Eve Light Switch and Eve Energy Outlet.

It’s that good.

There is one important limitation from a short-term-rental perspective: it’s still a plug-in device.

A guest can unplug it, move it, or plug something else into the outlet. That means we wouldn’t use any plug-in smart device for an automation where losing power could create a serious operational or safety problem.

For everything else, Eve Energy is currently our first choice.

Why Smart Plugs Are Useful in a Short-Term Rental

Smart plugs are one of the easiest ways to automate equipment that wasn’t designed to be smart.

We’ve used them for applications such as:

• Landscape lighting
• Lamps
• Dehumidifiers
• Fans
• Holiday or accent lighting
• Equipment that occasionally needs to be power-cycled
• Other plug-in devices that can safely resume operation when power is restored

That gives a property manager remote control without replacing the appliance itself.

For a rental, smart plugs become especially useful when they’re tied into broader automations.

A landscape lighting transformer can turn on automatically before guests arrive. A piece of equipment can be shut off during vacancy. A frozen or unresponsive device can sometimes be remotely power-cycled without sending someone to the property. (Tip: Be very careful if you’re using a smart device to power cycle your router or modem).

Those are practical automations rather than smart-home gimmicks.

As with any smart plug, verify that the connected equipment is appropriate for switched operation and stays within the plug’s electrical ratings. If you’re looking to do an entire smart home setup, read our article on the Best Smart Home Devices for Airbnb.

Nearly a Year of Flawless STR Testing

We’ve been using Eve Energy plugs in actual short-term-rental properties for roughly a year.

So far, our experience has been excellent.

They stay online.

Commands work.

They reconnect properly.

We haven’t had to repeatedly reset them, re-pair them, or troubleshoot unexplained connectivity problems.

That sounds simple, but reliability is what separates smart-home equipment that helps a rental owner from equipment that creates another maintenance job.

A smart plug installed hundreds of miles away shouldn’t require attention.

The Eve Energy hasn’t.

Matter Over Thread Works Extremely Well

The current Eve Energy communicates using Matter over Thread.

That’s a big reason we like it.

We’ve spent years using Z-Wave and Zigbee devices throughout rental properties, and both protocols still have important places in our automation stack.

But the response time we’ve experienced with our Thread-based Eve plugs has been exceptionally fast.

In our own installations, commands often feel noticeably quicker than the Z-Wave smart plugs we’ve used previously.

We’re not suggesting that every Thread device will always outperform every Z-Wave device. Network design, hubs, routing, and individual hardware all matter.

We’re simply describing what we’ve experienced with Eve Energy.

It’s extremely responsive.

The Plug Helps Build the Thread Network

There’s another benefit to using Eve Energy throughout a property.

Because the plug is continuously powered, it can operate as a router node within the Thread network.

That means the plug isn’t only using your Thread network—it can also help extend it.

Eve specifically identifies mains-powered devices such as Eve Energy and Eve Light Switch as Full Thread Devices capable of relaying traffic for other Thread devices.

That’s useful as we add more Matter-over-Thread sensors, switches, outlets, and other devices to rental properties.

Instead of installing dedicated network repeaters, some of the devices we’re already using can strengthen the network themselves.

For us, that’s another reason smart plugs are a particularly useful way to expand a Thread installation.

SmartThings Integration Has Been Excellent

We’ve primarily tested Eve Energy with SmartThings.

Setup has been straightforward, and the plugs have remained extremely responsive once added.

One feature that makes Eve Energy more useful than a basic on/off smart plug is its built-in power monitoring.

SmartThings supports energy monitoring from Eve Energy, allowing us to see how much power the connected equipment is consuming. Samsung and Eve specifically partnered to bring Eve Energy’s power measurements into SmartThings Energy.

That information can be useful for more than curiosity.

Power consumption can sometimes tell you whether equipment is actually operating rather than simply whether the plug is turned on.

That gives us another piece of information when remotely managing a property.

Outstanding Build Quality

This is where Eve Energy really separates itself from many inexpensive smart plugs.

The construction is excellent.

The housing feels solid, the outlet and plug fit well, and the entire device feels substantially more refined than many lower-cost smart plugs we’ve handled.

That’s difficult to quantify on a specification sheet, but it becomes obvious when you’re comparing devices side by side.

We’ve tested plenty of smart-home products that technically perform the same function.

They don’t all feel like they’re designed to survive years of use.

The Eve Energy does.

That exceptional construction quality is one of the reasons we began exploring the rest of Eve’s product lineup after testing the plug.

The Biggest STR Limitation: Guests Can Unplug It

This isn’t really an Eve problem.

It’s a smart-plug problem.

Anything plugged into a normal wall outlet can be unplugged.

Guests may move furniture, unplug a device so they can charge a phone, relocate equipment, or simply wonder why a strange box is plugged into the wall.

For non-critical equipment, that may be a minor inconvenience.

For mission-critical automation, it can be unacceptable.

We therefore would not rely on a removable smart plug for equipment that absolutely must remain powered or controlled.

If losing the automation could create property damage, prevent guest access, disable essential networking equipment, or otherwise cause a serious operational issue, use a hardwired solution or another method that guests cannot easily disconnect.

The Eve Energy is excellent.

It’s still removable.

Excellent for Equipment You May Need to Power-Cycle

One of our favorite rental applications for smart plugs is remote power cycling.

Sometimes a piece of electronics doesn’t need a technician.

It just needs to be unplugged and plugged back in.

When you’re managing your own house, that’s easy.

When you’re managing a rental remotely, it’s annoying.

Putting suitable equipment behind an Eve Energy plug gives you the ability to cut power, wait, and restore it remotely.

That can turn an unnecessary service visit into a 30-second remote fix.

Not every device should be operated this way, so we only use it where power cycling is appropriate for the connected equipment.

But for the right application, it’s extremely useful.

Eve Energy vs. IKEA GRILLPLATS

The most interesting competitor we’ve tested recently is the IKEA GRILLPLATS smart plug.

These products are surprisingly similar.

Both use Matter over Thread.

Both provide power monitoring.

Both can become part of the Thread network.

And so far, we like both of them.

The biggest difference is straightforward:

IKEA is dramatically cheaper.

The GRILLPLATS is positioned as an extremely inexpensive Matter-over-Thread smart plug, while Eve Energy is very clearly a premium product. IKEA currently lists the GRILLPLATS as Matter over Thread with energy monitoring and compatibility with platforms including Samsung SmartThings.

If price is the primary consideration, the IKEA plug is difficult to ignore.

Where Eve wins for us is construction quality.

The Eve Energy simply feels like a more substantial, better-built device.

For a smart plug we expect to leave installed in a rental for years, we’re willing to pay more for that.

That doesn’t automatically make Eve the right answer for every application.

If you’re installing a large number of smart plugs throughout multiple properties, the cost difference can become substantial.

But today, if you ask which smart plug we trust most based on our testing, we’re choosing Eve Energy.

A Mature Thread Product

Eve Energy also isn’t a brand-new experiment.

Eve introduced Thread connectivity to the U.S./Canada Eve Energy line in 2021, and the current Matter-enabled version arrived in 2023.

That matters to us.

We’re generally more cautious about installing very new smart-home technology in rentals because early products can have firmware problems, compatibility issues, or immature platform support.

Eve Energy has now had several years of Thread development behind it.

Combined with our own roughly one year of STR testing, we’re increasingly comfortable treating it as established hardware rather than an experimental Matter device.

What We Like

Almost everything.

The setup experience is excellent.

Thread response has been exceptionally fast.

SmartThings integration works well.

Energy monitoring is built in.

The plug helps strengthen the Thread mesh.

And after approximately a year of use in our rental environments, reliability has been flawless.

Most importantly, the physical construction feels superior to every other smart plug we’ve tested.

That’s what you’re paying for.

What We Don’t Like

The price is the obvious problem.

There are now Matter-over-Thread smart plugs available for a fraction of what Eve Energy typically costs, with the IKEA GRILLPLATS being the most obvious example.

That’s going to make Eve harder to justify for owners who need ten or twenty plugs.

The other limitation is inherent to the form factor.

Guests can unplug it.

That means we would never confuse “very reliable smart plug” with “appropriate for every critical automation.”

If the equipment absolutely needs to stay connected, use something that cannot easily be removed.

Who Should Buy the Eve Energy Smart Plug?

We recommend Eve Energy for rental owners who:

• Want a premium Matter-over-Thread smart plug
• Use SmartThings or another compatible Matter platform
• Value exceptional build quality
• Want built-in power monitoring
• Want permanently powered devices that strengthen the Thread mesh
• Need very responsive remote control
• Want to automate lamps, lighting, dehumidifiers, or other suitable plug-in equipment
• Are willing to pay more for hardware quality

If you’re purchasing large quantities and price is the primary concern, the IKEA GRILLPLATS deserves serious consideration.

If we’re choosing purely on the device we trust and like the most, we’re buying Eve.