Smart WiFi Single Socket (White)

A smart wall socket with USB that replaces the one already in the wall, in white. One universal outlet taking UK, European and American pins, two USB charging ports, and Wi-Fi built into the back of it.

• A smart wall socket with USB is wired in, not plugged in
• What being in the wall actually buys you
• Two USB ports, and they are not the same
• It still works when the internet is down
• Ratings, and the black version

A smart wall socket with USB is wired in, not plugged in

A smart wall socket with USB is a socket, not an adaptor. It goes into the wall box in place of your existing socket, and it needs an electrician and a live and neutral supply.

We supply the socket; the fitting is your electrician's job. If you want something you can plug in this afternoon and move to another room next week, that is a plug-in Wi-Fi smart plug instead.

What being in the wall actually buys you

Nothing sticks out. Nothing covers the outlet next to it. And the phone charger stops occupying a socket, because the USB ports are part of the wall.

In a bedroom with two outlets behind a bed, an adaptor plus a charger uses both and leaves you nothing. This gives you a switched socket and two charging ports from the same opening, which is the difference between a tidy bedside and a nest of white plastic.

Two USB ports, and they are not the same

One is Quick Charge 3.0 at 9V 2A, the other a standard 5V 1.2A.

Put the phone that supports fast charging on the first and anything else on the second. The socket and the USB ports also switch separately in the app, so you can cut the socket at night and leave a phone charging, or the reverse.

It still works when the internet is down

There is a button on the face. Press it and the socket switches, with no phone, no app and no network involved.

That matters more here than on a plug-in device, because a wired-in socket is not something you can swap out in a hurry. A wall socket that only responds to an app is a wall socket that fails when the line goes down.

Ratings, and the black version

Rated 13A at 240V, RoHS and CE marked. It runs the Tuya or Smart Life app on your own Wi-Fi with no hub, and works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT. Wi-Fi is 2.4GHz only, so split your bands if the router publishes one name.

This is the white finish. The identical socket in a darker face is the black version. If you want two independently switched outlets rather than one, that is the twin socket. Pair it from a 2.4GHz connection using Smart Life, which is on Google Play.