Kasa Matter Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring review

Ever since Matter, the new open-source interoperability standard for smart home devices, was launched at the beginning of the year, many brands have been hurrying to add new Matter-compatible devices to their product lineups.

The latest brand to embrace Matter is Kasa, which recently launched a revamped version of the Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim with Energy Monitoring (available at Amazon for $29.99) , complete with Matter integration. This is the best smart plug we've tested thanks to its slim design, energy monitoring capabilities, and support for Matter, giving the competition a run for the money.

About the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug with Energy Monitoring

• Model: KP125M
• Dimensions: 2.6 x 1.5 x 1.6 inches
• Color: White
• Power Requirements: AC 100 -120 V~, 50/60 Hz
• Max Load: 15 A, 1800 W
• Wireless Type: 2.4 GHz
• Operating Temperature: 0–40 ºC
• Operating Humidity: 10–90% RH, Non-condensing
• Works With: Matter, Apple HomeKit, Amzon Echo, Google Home, SmartThings

The Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim with Energy Monitoring is the latest smart plug from Kasa, which is owned by the well-known smart home brand TP-Link.

The plug is fairly standard in terms of design—it has a rectangular shape that’s roughly the width of a wall outlet plate, and there’s a power button on one end of the device.

The plug is small enough that you can fit two of them in a standard wall outlet, and when it’s paired with your smartphone, it can turn an electronic device on and off remotely, either through the app or via voice commands to a compatible digital assistant.

What we like

It’s easy to operate and very responsive

I own a few different Kasa devices, so I already had the app on my phone and an account set up. Because these steps were already taken care of, setting up the smart plug was as easy as tapping “Add new device” within the app and plugging the unit into an outlet.

I was able to get the plug paired with my phone on the first try, and it automatically synced up to my Alexa account, which I love. (Some devices make you jump back and forth between the apps and enter your passwords, which can be frustrating.) Overall, setup took me just a couple minutes, and it was easy enough that anyone could do it.

This smart plug was just as straightforward to operate, too. I hooked it up to a lamp in my bedroom, and I love being able to turn it on/off using voice commands given to Alexa. The plug responds instantly, making it easy to control the lamp when I enter or leave the room, and I’ve never experienced any issues with connectivity.

The Kasa app also offers a variety of useful features with the plug, including scheduling, away mode, and even a countdown timer that will automatically shut the light off after a set period of time.

Personally, I like to turn on “Away” mode if we’re going to be out of the house at night, as it will turn the light on and off randomly to make it look like someone is home.

It tracks energy usage

One of the ways that the KP125M smart plug stands apart from the Tapo Smart Plug Mini—another Matter-certified device from TP-Link—is that it offers energy monitoring.

There’s a tab within the Kasa app that keeps track of how long the device is used for each day, as well as how much energy it consumes. It can even estimate how much the device will cost you each month if you input your utility company’s price per kWh.

I wanted to see how much it was costing me to operate the lamp in my bedroom, so I checked my most recent electric bill and found my provider charges around $0.18 per kWh. After inputting this information into the app, it showed me how much the lamp costs to operate per day, and after almost two weeks of use, my operation cost for this lamp is only around $0.01!

Obviously, this isn’t a device that uses a lot of energy, but I can see this feature being extremely useful with devices that do consume a lot of electricity, such as a TV or large appliance.

It works with Matter

If you’re wondering how the KP125M smart plug differs from the brand’s KP125, the answer comes down to one word: Matter. Matter is a new open-source interoperability standard that’s quickly being adopted by all the biggest smart home brands.

The goal of Matter is to make it easier to incorporate new smart devices into your smart home ecosystem, no matter which one you use.

Thanks to its Matter-compatibility, the KP125M smart plug can be used with all certified smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. The KP125, on the other hand, only works with the three biggest ecosystems: Apple Home, Amazon Echo, and Google Home.

While I opted to set up the smart plug through the Kasa app, you can also do it using the Matter QR code on the side of the device.

When I scanned it, the code automatically took me into the Apple Home app and walked me through the process of setting up the plug in that ecosystem. With the plug set up this way, I can control it through the Alexa app, the Apple Home app, or the Kasa app.

What we don’t like

It’s only available in multipacks

Overall, the new Kasa Smart Plug seems to be a well-designed and highly functional addition to any smart home. After close to two weeks of testing, I don’t have any complaints about its design or performance. The only thing that might be a dealbreaker for some people is that the product is currently only available in multipacks.

Right now, you can either purchase the Kasa Matter smart plug in packs of two or four. I also think they are fairly pricey as smart plugs go. There are a lot of great smart plugs that only cost $10 to $15 per plug, but most of them aren’t Matter compatible.

Should you buy the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug?

Yes, it’s a great choice, even if you’re not looking for a Matter-certified device.

All things considered, the new Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim with Energy Monitoring is one of the best smart plugs I’ve tested, and I’d happily buy one (or, in this case, two) for my own home.

Why’s it so great? The smart plug is extremely easy to set up and operate, offers a host of useful features (including energy monitoring), and can be integrated with every major smart home ecosystem. During testing, it worked flawlessly with Amazon Alexa and Apple Home, and while it is a little more expensive than some non-Matter gadgets, I think its comprehensive set of features is worth the extra cost.

Bottom line? Even if you don’t care about Matter, this smart plug is still a top choice.

Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug with Energy Monitoring

The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug with Energy Monitoring has a compact design that blends into your power outlet, without blocking adjacent sockets.

$34 at Amazon