Individually Controlled Smart Power Strip with Energy Monitoring
Pros: This is the type that actually changes how your desk behaves. Turn the printer off at night but keep the router on, put the monitors and speakers on a work-hours schedule, and say one voice command to shut the whole desk down. Energy monitoring also settles arguments with facts: you can see which device quietly draws power all day. Cons: It is the longest and priciest type, the app setup takes longer because you name every outlet, and per-outlet monitoring is not on every model — some only report the whole strip. If you only ever want all-on or all-off, you are paying for control you will not use.
Check price on AmazonBest for: a full desk setup you want on a schedule, outlet by outlet.
Compact 3-Outlet Smart Power Strip
Pros: All the smart scheduling of the big strips, sized for a laptop, one monitor, and a lamp. Easier to hide, easier to travel with between home and office, and you are not paying for outlets that will stay empty. Cons: Desks grow. If a printer, speakers, and a second monitor are in your near future, you will outgrow three outlets fast and end up daisy-chaining — which you should never do with power strips. Honest count of what you plug in today, plus one spare, is the safe way to size this.
Check price on AmazonBest for: laptop desks, small workspaces, and tidy minimal setups.
Smart Power Strip with USB Charging Ports
Pros: One strip handles your desk gear and charges your phone, earbuds, and watch, so two or three separate chargers and their bricks disappear from the desk. Especially handy on a standing desk where everything moves together on one cord. Cons: The USB side is usually basic: shared power that slows down when several devices charge at once, and rarely fast-charging for a laptop. Treat the USB ports as convenient top-ups for small gear, not a replacement for your laptop's own charger, unless the listing clearly states a high USB-C wattage.
Check price on AmazonBest for: clearing charger bricks off the desk while keeping smart outlet control.
Matter and HomeKit Smart Power Strip
Pros: If your home runs on Apple Home and Siri, this is the type that shows up in the Home app alongside everything else, in the same scenes and automations. Matter support also makes a strip a safer long-term buy if you might switch phone or voice-assistant platforms later. Cons: This category is smaller and usually costs more per outlet, and feature depth varies — energy monitoring, for example, may not carry through to every app. Check exactly which features appear in your app of choice before buying, rather than assuming the maker's app and Apple Home show the same things.
Check price on AmazonBest for: Apple Home households and anyone standardising on Matter.
Budget Smart Power Strip
Pros: For a TV corner, a printer shelf, or a first smart strip to try the idea, a budget model covers the job most people actually use: voice on/off, a nightly schedule so standby gear is not live all night, and basic surge protection for less money. Cons: Expect grouped rather than per-outlet control, no energy monitoring, and a plainer app. Budget is never a reason to accept a strip with no surge rating printed or no safety certification — if the listing will not state either, skip it at any price.
Check price on AmazonBest for: simple all-off-at-night setups and trying smart power for the first time.
Smart power strip questions
Is a smart power strip the same as a surge protector?
Not automatically. Smart describes the app, voice, and scheduling control; surge protection is a separate feature measured in joules on the listing. Plenty of smart strips include it, but check the number rather than assuming — and replace any strip after a major surge event, because surge components wear out protecting your gear. For a fuller plain-English walk-through, see our surge protector guide linked below.
Will a smart power strip actually save electricity?
It can, by cutting standby draw on a schedule — monitors, speakers, printers, and chargers that sip power 24/7 even when "off." The saving depends on what you plug in: energy-monitoring models (#1) show you the real numbers for your own desk instead of a guess. The strip itself uses a small amount of power to stay connected to Wi-Fi, so the win comes from switching several idle devices, not one tiny one.
What should I never plug into a smart power strip?
Anything that makes heat or has a motor that must never be switched remotely: space heaters, kettles, toasters, hair tools, and similar high-heat appliances, plus anything medical or safety-critical. Also respect the strip's total load rating (printed on the listing and the strip itself), plug the strip directly into a wall outlet, and never plug one power strip into another.
Does a smart power strip need Wi-Fi to work?
Schedules, voice control, and app control need the strip connected — most models use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, so check your router offers that band (most do). The physical switch on the strip still works without internet, and many models keep running schedules already stored on the device if your internet drops. If your desk is far from the router and Wi-Fi is weak there, fix that first or the smart features will frustrate you.