Eve Energy 2 Pack - Smart Plug & Power Meter with Built-in Schedules, Switch a Connected lamp or Device on & Off, Voice Control, no Bridge, Bluetooth Low Energy, Apple HomeKit, Bluetooth, Thread

It is easy to setup. I already have it for several months and it never disconnect even once. It has been very reliable. Most importantly, it connects directly to HomeKit without the need to create an account or use a non-Apple app (you can choose to use the EVE app but it’s optional).

I purchased 4. 1 refuses to connect to HomeKit and 1 emits a high pitched noise when not turned on pretty disappointing.

I started out with decent smart plugs out there that were around half the cost, but I am slowly replacing them all with these Eve plugs when I can afford to. They support Thread out of the box, will get a software update in December 2022 to make them some of the first devices compatible with the newly-released Matter standard, and are some of the most responsive devices in my Apple Home (HomeKit) setup. The Eve app provides a great detail view of your devices on the Thread network, and offers more color favorites one can save for Hue devices than Apple Home. The power meter is nice, especially on the plug we have an oil heater connected to. My only complaint would be the button to switch them on manually—which is the little light in the upper right corner—is a bit small. I would be nice to have a larger target to press, or at least a little more obvious its a manual switch when guests are trying to power it on.

Nice and easy to set up. The things that stood out the most to me was being able to track the actual energy consumption and being future proof, supporting thread. Will make it much easier to integrate and also manage my network locally

There is a lot of information suggesting that Eve Energy plugs with Thread support can be used with Matter (which would let them be used with Google Home or Alexa). However these plugs dont support Matter, and cant be updated to support Matter without a HomeKit hub. Dont make the same mistake I did: if you dont use HomeKit, do not buy these.

This is a great product and seamlessly connected to the Apple Home App in 2 mins! Do not purchase the Meross product as it’s total garbage. I’ve returned all of them and spent the extra money with the Eve brand. Absolutely no regrets and an excellent experience setting the Eve up!

I ordered a 2-pack and it took awhile to get them. That was no fault of Amazon, they were in high demand and were back ordered. I eagerly awaited for them to arrive because they are the first Smart home devices that I know of that support the new connection protocol called Matter. For those that aren’t familiar these plugs work on thread, not WiFi. Thread and matter are far superior to WiFi and going forward that is all I will buy. It is faster than WiFi, each powered device functions as a “router” for other thread devices, and I could go on. Also these eve outlets are great because they have a built in power meter which is handy so you can keep track of energy consumption on whatever is plugged into it. Aside from being the most expensive smart plugs I’ve seen there is nothing not to like. However, I have to express my initial disappointment. When I finally got the 2-pack the very first one out of the box was completely dead. It wouldn’t power on or do anything. The 2nd one worked fine. I called Amazon’s tech support and was floored to hear that I had to wait 48 hours after I received them before I could initiate a return. What? That made no sense to me, but I let it go initially. Then I thought I would email Eve directly to see if maybe there was some way of resetting it or something. They were, to put it as nicely as I can, less than helpful. At first they seemingly didn’t read my long, well thought out email and only said that they had no control over Amazon’s return policy. I didn’t think they did, and that’s not why I contacted them in the first place. I contacted them to express my disappointment that the most expensive smart outlet I had ever bought was DOA upon receipt. I emailed back and re-expressed my concern and I was astounded at their reply. They essentially said in so many words, “ stuff happens” it’s not a perfect world. Not, “oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about this, please let us know if Amazon doesn’t satisfy you”. If I treated my customers that way I wouldn’t have a job long. In Amazon’s defense I called back the next day and this time I got someone who was clearly in the USA and not a foreign call center. The woman that helped me was phenomenal and she took care of it in an expedient manner. She completely made me change my mind about the service after the sale aspect of this transaction. I have since received the replacements and both worked perfectly right out of the box. They definitely have some nice features and are certainly the most feature rich plugs I have. I will say that the Wemo brand Homekit thread plug is less expensive and works just as well, although it doesn’t have a power meter. All things considered I give the plugs 5/5 stars, the Eve app is great as well. I was very disappointed in Eve’s technical support and still am, and initially my experience with Amazon tech support was disappointing as well, although the 2nd person I dealt with more than redeemed it for me. She was phenomenal. All in all, they’re relatively expensive, but they are definitely nice. If you’re wanting a very similar plug for significantly less money (although with fewer bells and whistles) I would check out the Thread enabled Homekit Wemo smart plug.

TL/DR: Do they work? Most of the time. Are they easy to program? Sort of. Do I recommend? Yes, with the reservations listed below. The product is sleek and appears to be solidly made. I appreciate the green lighted button on the front that you can use bypass the app when (not if) you need to. The size and shape is also great; big enough to securely hold the plug, but not so big that it gets in the way of using the other outlet. If there was some way to make the plug with the holes on the side, it would be easier to use in tight places like behind furniture. To use it behind a side desk table, I had to cut a 6 x10 inch hole in the back of it. A side plug hole would be much more flexible (and would have saved me from hacking-up a piece of furniture). There are a couple of other things they could have done better. One is placement of the QR code. After plugging it into power, my phone’s camera couldn’t see the code, which was on the other side of the plug. It’s often dark behind furniture and the code is printed in a very light gray color, so it was hard for the phone’s camera to find it. Having the code printed on both sides of the plug would be great. Typing the code in myself wasn’t THAT big of a deal, but then it didn’t connect with my phone after several frustrating tries. So I decided to send them back. However, I tried once more the next day, and it worked. The manufacturer made beautiful, high quality Apple-like packaging, but they followed the habit of many companies nowadays of making the directions only 2-3 pages long with inadequate graphics, and in very faint print. There’s too little info in the booklet or on their website to help explain how to install and connect it, at least for “old people” like me. A few times, as others have noted, the product seems to lose connection with the app too. I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but, given enough time, it’s been able to fix itself (so far). I worry about setting up an automation to work the lights while away on vacation. What if the plug stops working and can’t fix itself? Then the automation wouldn’t work and I wouldn’t even be able to command it remotely. Would the light just stay on, or would it not come on at all? Another issue I have is having two different apps that control the switch - the Eve app and Apple’s HomeKit app. HomeKit has more functionality (potentially at least) because you can program a Siri Shortcut. I found the Eve app nicer though, because their on/off button is a simple toggle. You open the app and push the button once and the switch is either on or off. With the HomeKit app you have to open the app, tap the button for the switch, then move a slider switch up or down. Unless there’s some reason HomeKit has to do it that way, that’s just another step. I’ve exhausted efforts to find a way to make a Siri Shortcut to create a simple toggle switch. Of course, I realize that all I have to do is say: Hey Siri, turn on the Office Desk Lamp, and she does it right away. But, if I say Hey Siri, turn on the “desk light in the office” instead of “office desk lamp”, she says she can’t find it. She doesn’t seem to know that lamp and light CAN be interchangeable terms. She could at least ask for clarification - “did you mean desk LAMP?” Much of this may be construed as whining, but I feel like the product isn’t yet “ready for prime time”. Real consumer testing (not by the “boffins” who made the product) and opinion panels could help bring out products that ARE ready for prime time. Diatribe over.

These are expensive but they work really well. I dont particularly like IOT devices made in China having access to my network so Ill gladly pay the premium for a German device with solid privacy controls. You dont have to do much to set it up other than taking a photo of the QR code.

These plugs function very well, but emit a high pitched noise that has kept me from being able to use them in any spot in my house that I might spend more than a few seconds at a time. I think I can make use of the 2 I bought but I definitely won’t be buying more.