Smart home attainability company ConnectSense has now unveiled a new product appropriately dubbed the Smart In-Wall Outlet that it hopes will make users’ lives easier when it comes to building out a smart and connected home. As its name suggests, ConnectSense In-Wall Outlet is an outlet that replaces or is placed instead of a traditional outlet. The key difference here is that this outlet connects to the internet.
The purpose of the outlet is to give users complete control over their electricity usage. It also offers up control over any household items that may be plugged into it.
What makes ConnectSense In-Wall a “smart” plug?
As with many of the best smart home products, Connect Sense In-Wall Outlet is a phone- and web-connected gadget. While this is one product it may be best left to experts to install, it’s intuitive to actually use and control. The outlet uses straightforward NFC connectivity to connect to either iOS or Android via the ConnectSense app.
Once connected, users gain another level of insight into exactly what power a given outlet is using. The company says that monitoring is accurate within .1-percent accuracy. It also indicates that just having access to that data can save money by up reducing energy usage by up to 20-40 percent.
That’s taken further by the fact that ConnectSense’s Smart In-Wall Outlet actually gives users power over that power too. For instance, the company indicates that each plug is individually controllable. So users can turn off the power completely while not in use. That also means that anything plugged in with a binary function, such as a lamp, can be controlled simply by controlling the power.
Another practical use case here is safety. Users can, for example, turn off power to outlets that a small child might have access too. That could prove useful around the holidays since children might visit a smart home where the power can otherwise be on all the time. In that instance, it can be used as an alternative to annoying or inconvenient plastic outlet covers and plugs.
Better still, ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet can be controlled from anywhere and via voice thanks to its hub- and subscription-free compatibility with Wi-Fi at 2.4GHz. Voice controls and AI compatibility include Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Assistant.
Specs
If you’re looking for a rundown of basic specifications for this in-wall outlet, here they are — as presented by ConnectSense.
| In-Wall Outlets | 2 – individually controlled |
| Capacitive Touch | On-Off function |
| Commercial Rating | 125V/20A 15A and 20A options available |
| Sustain | Up to 6000V / 10KAmp impulse |
| Power Monitoring Accuracy | .1% accuracy |
| Certification | UL 498B Certified Wi-Fi 802.11bgn |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz), NFC (for pairing) |
| Security | Plug detection |
Cost and availability
ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet should support just about any appliance a user can think to use it with. It’s also not going to cost an arm and a leg. The company says it will sell the ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet retails for $79 or $99. That’s for a 15A and 20A option, respectively.
The device can be purchased right now at either the official ConnectSense website or at Amazon. There’s no word yet on whether it will only be available in white or if it will come in another color too, which would help buyers coordinate with their interior design.
