Eve Energy (Matter) – Smart Plug, App and Voice Control, 100% Privacy, Matter Over Thread, Works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings

Reliable, but there are some things you need to know
Edit – 5-10-2024: Will be purchasing more of these. Very happy with the product and the Matter over Thread protocol—-Edit – 2-22-2024: Home Assistant has upgraded their Matter Server to include energy readings now.My review has been updated from 4* to 5* without hesitation.In the last four months of owning this, it stopped connecting to Home Assistant once. Instead of going through the whole recommissioning process all I had to do was delete it from Home Assistant and add it back, which took all of 30 seconds.Will absolutely be buying more of these when on sale. I would like to have one that isn’t permanent so I can basically get an idea of what the heaviest users of electricity are and find vampire loads. With demand electricity pricing coming to my area, I’d like to be able to find these and reduce loads even further.——-ORIGINAL REVIEW:Bottom line first: Would I buy another of these? Yes, but it’s hard to justify until Matter adds energy monitoring to its standard. I think it’s the combination of Thread+Matter+UL+Features that make it an easy choice for me.The Good:– Once you get it on a hub, it’s extremely easy to connect it to another service. This was the first Matter device I’d used so I didn’t know how this worked. (See notes at the bottom for how I connected it to other services.) I’m extremely happy with how this works. No more moving devices or complicated manual bridging.– Instantaneous switching on HomeKit and Home Assistant. Alexa is a bit slow for my liking, which is why I gave it 3/5 star rating for Alexa integration. Not sure if this is because I commissioned on HomeKit first and then added to Alexa.– Thread. This is the service I’m going with from this point forward. I’ve been happy with this as I’ve been adding more Thread devices, but this seals the deal. I’ve had issues with every one of my WiFi devices even across different routers. It’s just not reliable enough nor is it really where you want to put devices like this. No setting static IPs, no worrying about router placement, no worrying if the internet/cloud is down. Thread is its own local mesh network.– You can use these to automate rebooting routers if your network goes down. Since Thread is its own network, you can setup a ping automation that sends a signal (LOCALLY!) to turn off the router’s plug and turn it back on again in a few seconds. It’s not ideal, but if you’re away from home it’s nice to have a backup.– After commissioning it in my office, I unplugged it and moved it upstairs. It almost immediately reconnected. Maybe 3-5 seconds? With WiFi devices, this would take 15-30 seconds.The Ok:–(READ IMPORTANT UPDATE ABOVE) I wasn’t aware (my fault, not Eve’s) that Matter doesn’t support energy monitoring… yet. Supposedly it’s maybe coming in 2024. I guess we’ll see. So, if you want to connect this to Home Assistant to monitor energy, you’re going to be very disappointed (as of Nov 2023) with this fairly expensive switch. You can still monitor energy use in the wonderful Eve app.– At $40, it’s expensive as a platform. I think part of this is the cost of getting UL-certified and the quality of the product. Is it worth it? Maybe. I won’t put a power-controlling device that isn’t UL or FM-certified in my house.The Ugly:– The initial setup, as others have mentioned, did not go well. It took me several tries to get it to connect through HomeKit. I have no idea what I ended up doing, but it just worked after a few tries. It’s hard to know if this is a HomeKit thing, an Eve thing, or a Matter thing. Either way, yikes.A few important notes:–If you want to connect this to Home Assistant, you MUST enable IPv6 in the networking section of Home Assistant. I tried and tried to add it but I forgot to RTFM first. Once I enabled IPv6, it picked up _immediately_.–I had to connect this through HomeKit first. And I think that’s the right way to do it the more I think about it. It’s setup to be a broker that allows you to connect it to other services. First HomeKit, then Home Assistant, then Alexa.– To connect to HomeKit, you open up the device, click “Turn On Pairing Mode” and copy the code it provides. My understanding is that this code is good for a minute, maybe a few. You then pair it as you would with any other service and when it asks for the code, you need to paste in this newly generated code. You’ll get a notification that it was added to another service from HomeKit and you’re good to go!Once you have connected it to another service, you can click into the device and select “Connected Services” to see which services are allowed to use this device. I’ve been able to connect this plug to  –(READ IMPORTANT UPDATE ABOVE) For those of you with HomeKit Eve Energy, I would NOT update its firmware to Matter if you use it with Home Assistant. Wait for the energy monitoring standard to come out for Matter.

Next-Level Smart Plug with Unbeatable Privacy!
The future of smart homes has always seemed bright, but with Eve Energy’s (Matter) Smart Plug, it feels like we’re already there! Here’s my experience with this exceptional product:1. Easy Setup: Integration into my smart home ecosystem was seamless. The Matter Over Thread protocol ensures that this device remains ahead of the curve, providing smooth connectivity with all my other smart devices.2. App & Voice Control: Eve Energy’s intuitive app interface made it simple to control my devices, set schedules, and monitor energy usage. The cherry on top? Voice control! Being able to control my devices hands-free has elevated my smart home experience to another level.3. Privacy First: In today’s age of constant data breaches and concerns over digital privacy, Eve Energy stands out with its commitment to 100% user privacy. I can confidently use the plug, knowing my data remains my own.4. Durable and Stylish: Not only does this plug function beautifully, but it also looks the part. It’s sleek, compact, and adds a touch of sophistication to any outlet, instead of being a bulky eyesore.5. Matter Over Thread: The inclusion of Matter Over Thread is a testament to Eve Energy’s commitment to future-proofing. The superior responsiveness, range, and low latency make a noticeable difference in day-to-day operations.6. Energy Monitoring: One unexpected benefit was the ability to monitor energy usage. It’s been an eye-opener, and I’ve started to become more conscious of my consumption patterns and even saved a bit on my energy bills.To sum it up, the Eve Energy (Matter) Smart Plug isn’t just another smart plug; it’s THE smart plug for those who want the best of technology without compromising on privacy and performance. If you’re on the fence about upgrading or diving into the smart home world, let this be your first step. You won’t regret it! 💡🔌

Excellent product. Very simple set up. Works great with HomeKit and it doesn’t fight with my dual band router. I went with this plug because most smart plugs require 2.4 ghz WiFi and don’t connect easily to my router. This plug eliminates that issue altogether. It has virtually no lag and stays connected. I plan to purchase at least one more.

I already have two smart bulbs, so I purchased this Eve smart plug just to see how it worked and set up with my Apple accessories. It pretty much sets itself up. I did download the Eve Energy app, but I think you only need HomeKit unless you want to monitor energy consumption. The Eve app doesn’t require any email activation or personal info.👍 I was mostly curious about the Eve Energy smart plug’s function as a timer. I plugged my apple watch charger into it and used the Apple HomeKit to start charging at 5:00 am and turn off at 5:40 am. It works perfectly…easy peasy lemon squeezy . I can control all my lights and Eve Energy smart plug manually from my iPads, iPhone and watch, or vocally by pressing the “Siri” button or any device set up to listen for “hey siri”. My HomePods will also control the smart plug. I know this Eve smart plug is one of the more expensive ones on the market, but works seamlessly in an Apple envoirnment.

This item will not work with a portable air conditioner as it trips when inrush current is pulled by a compressor.It’s a product that needs to be rethought. If you want to see how much energy your cell phone charger is using – then it might work for you. If you want to actually track the energy usage of large energy loads – it won’t work.Waste of resources.However, if you want to control a device like a light – it seems to work quite well.