The Smart Plug Mini by Eufy is a compact plug that transforms any “dumb” electronic device into a smart one. Lights, appliances, game consoles – if you can think of it, the Eufy Smart Plug Mini can make it smart. It allows you to control the device via the app or voice control, but more on that later.
Eufy isn’t exactly a household name – yet – but they have some awesome smart products for the home that range from lighting, smart plugs, and speakers, to robovacs and even a blender. Now, I’m not sure if that blender can truly be considered home automation, as at first glance it doesn’t appear to have smart capabilities (though it is BPA-free, which is a different kind of smart).
In this review of the Eufy Smart Plug Mini, I will give a brief overview of the product and its capabilities, discuss highlights and show you what’s in the box. Following that, I will go through the installation process, take a look at the app, and then wrap it all up in a summary, complete with pros and cons. Let’s get started!
Installation
Installation was straightforward and easy – or it would have been, had I not been connected to my 5G network. A lot of smart products can’t get down with 5G and would rather boogie with 2G. Such is the case with the Smart Plug Mini. As a general rule of thumb, I always connect my products to the 2G network, but this time, I forgot.
Once I got everything on the right network, installation went smoothly. I have provided screenshots of the process, but will briefly discuss each step for you less-visual learners. Step One: Open the app (duh).
When you open the app, called EufyHome, you’ll be greeted with a pop-up window that prompts you to either allow or disallow notifications from the app. I chose to allow this, but you may have different ideas. If you change your mind, you can always turn this setting on or off.
Next, you must accept the End User Agreement in order to use the product. That includes Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Data Policy, which require you to turn over your first born, donate a kidney, and – just kidding. It’s all pretty regular stuff, just the legal bases they need to cover. Read them if you want, just know you are the only one who did.
The next three screens you’ll see are there to get you hyped about what’s to come, with a nice teal button on the last screen encouraging you to “Experience Now.” After that, it’s time to Sign Up, or Log In, if you already have Eufy products.
The next window prompts you to add a device via the Edit button in the upper right corner, which then takes you to a screen with photos so you can easily select your product. Select – you guessed it – the Smart Plug Mini. Next, you have to connect your smartphone to your home Wi-Fi network (2G, people), and power on the device by pressing the button its right side.
The light should slowly blink amber and blue, but if it doesn’t, simply press and hold that button for 5 seconds. Hit next, then follow the instructions on that screen. It involves connecting your phone to the Eufy Smart Plug Mini’s network. Once it connects, you’ll be able to name your light. We later renamed ours “Cactus Light.”
After that’s all set up, the app takes you on a tour of itself. Nice.
The App
The app tour is super straightforward and quick. It starts by showing you where to access the controls for your new device and the button to turn it on or off. Then it takes you to the control page, where you are shown the network status, the day’s energy usage and total accumulative runtime. Then it shows you the options for Schedules, Timer, and Away Mode, each of which has its own separate page. Those are so easy to figure out that I’ll let you do that on your own.
Linking the Smart Plug Mini with Alexa
This sucked. The Skill on the Alexa app kept presenting me with a blank screen, so I had to troubleshoot. Here’s the short and short of it: Don’t use the Alexa app, go to the Alexa Skills website, find the EufyHome Skill, then connect using your web browser. It was super easy that way.
Now, all we have to do is shout to Alexa to “Turn off/on the Cactus Light,” and she does it. I rather enjoy the ability to do that without my phone, as I don’t always have it with me. I also don’t always feel like doing the extra two to three steps to turn the light off via the app. Alexa is a real time saver.
The Eufy Smart Plug Mini also works with the Google Assistant, but I don’t have a hub for that – yet. Eventually, I’ll have all the major personal assistants in our home – currently, we use Alexa and Siri. I imagine set up for the Google Assistant is quite similar (though hopefully without the hiccup).
Summary
I truly like the Eufy Smart Plug Mini! It saved us from the frustration of having to manually plug in the Urban Outfitters LED Cactus Light to turn it on, and unplug to turn it off. That would’ve gotten old, fast. I particularly enjoy that the smart plug is compatible with Alexa and that I don’t even have to open the app unless I want to set schedules and whatnot.
The energy monitoring feature will be quite interesting as well, once some time passes. The light is LED so it shouldn’t suck too much energy. Then again, you never know! I will also enjoy Away Mode, since we are planning on having many nighttime swims at our friend’s house this summer.
There’s also the added perk of it being a conversation starter for when we have guests over. “Alexa, turn on the Cactus Light,” is sure to raise a few eyebrows when the LED light illuminates, hands free. I’d recommend the Eufy Smart Plug Mini to anyone who wants an easy-to-install smart plug, especially those who have an Alexa-enabled device in the home!
Pros
- Works With Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant
- Wi-Fi Enabled – Control your Smart Plug Mini from anywhere
- Designed to Keep Second Outlet Available for Use
- No Hub Required
- Super Smart – Set Schedules, Countdown Timer, Away Mode, Energy Monitoring
- Transforms “Dumb” Products into Smart Ones
- Excellent Warranty – 18 Months
Cons
- Not Compatible with Apple HomeKit – Bummer, I’d like to be able to control it with my Apple Watch
- Linking with Alexa was a Pain – EufyHome Skill on the Alexa app needs work, but I was able to get the Skill enabled via a web browser
