Okay, confession time: I’m a bit of a smart home gadget addict. I’ve got lights that change color with my mood, a fridge that yells at me when I’m out of milk, and enough smart plugs to make my apartment look like a tech convention. So, when the Eve Energy (Matter) smart plug landed on my desk, I was curious, but also a little skeptical. Another smart plug? What could this one possibly do differently?
Well, turns out, quite a bit.
Right off the bat, the Eve Energy won me over with its sleek, understated design. It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but it blends into the background nicely. Setting it up was seriously easy – a welcome change from some of the other smart home devices I’ve wrestled with. I’m an Apple HomeKit user, so I just scanned the QR code, and boom, it was connected. I hear it’s just as painless with Alexa and Google Home, too.
But here’s where the Eve Energy really shines: privacy. In this day and age, it feels like everyone’s trying to get their hands on your data. Eve takes a different approach, and I love them for it. There’s no cloud account required, no registration, nada. Everything stays local, which means I can control my devices without worrying about my data being beamed off to who-knows-where. That’s a huge win in my book.
And then there’s the whole Matter and Thread thing. Now, I know that might sound like tech jargon, but trust me, it’s important. Matter is basically trying to create a universal language for smart home devices, so everything can play nicely together. Thread, on the other hand, is a super-reliable mesh network that’s way more stable than your average Wi-Fi connection. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in responsiveness with the Eve Energy – it’s quick and snappy, even when my Wi-Fi is acting up. Plus, it acts as a Thread router, which extends the range of my network. Score!
So, how do I actually use this thing? Well, I’ve got it plugged into a lamp in my living room and a space heater in my office. It’s seriously convenient to be able to turn things on and off from my phone, especially on those days when I’m running late and forget to switch off the lights. And the energy monitoring feature? Super cool. I can see exactly how much juice each device is sucking up, which is helping me to be a little more mindful of my energy consumption.
Okay, time for the downsides. The Eve Energy is a bit pricier than some of the other smart plugs out there. Also, if you’re an Android user, you’re out of luck – there’s no dedicated app. And while I haven’t had any problems with connectivity, I’ve seen some rumblings online about others experiencing issues.
All in all, though, I’m seriously impressed with the Eve Energy (Matter) smart plug. It’s easy to use, it’s private, and it’s future-proof, thanks to Matter and Thread. If you’re looking for a smart plug that ticks all the right boxes, this one is definitely worth checking out.
My rating? A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.