Can smart plugs be used outside?

While they may not be as exciting as robot vacuums or smart speakers, smart plugs are a great addition to any smart home. These nifty devices allow you to remotely control anything connected to them, like the lights around your home or your trusty coffee maker. And if you’re thinking about using smart plugs to control your holiday lights or other exterior decorations, you’ll be glad to know that some smart plugs can be used outside. However, not all smart plugs are up to the task, and using the wrong ones outdoors could pose serious safety risks. Before you run out on your porch and start installing smart plugs, here’s what you need to know about using smart plugs outside. There are tons of smart plugs on the market, but not all of them are suitable for the great outdoors. In fact, many of the best smart plugs (such as Amazon Smart Plugs and Wyze Smart Plugs) aren’t designed to be used anywhere but inside your home. A quick look at the description for the Amazon Smart Plug says it is intended for “indoor use only.” When looking for an outdoor smart plug, it’s important to seek out products that were built to handle inclement weather, including rain, snow, and extreme temperatures. Smart plugs that can be used outside typically carry an IP64 weather rating or better — meaning you can put them outside without encountering any serious safety issues. The Wyze Plug Outdoor, for example, works much like the standard Wyze Smart Plug, but is larger and offers an IP64 rating. It includes rubberized covers, an ambient light sensor, and a thick frame that’s much more durable than the plastic one found on the Wyze Smart Plug. To figure out if a smart plug can be used outside, simply look at the product’s description if you’re shopping online. These usually let you know if the item is weatherproof and rated out for exterior use. Much of the same information can be found directly on its packaging if you’re shopping at a brick-and-mortar store. You can also check its name. Most outdoor smart plugs put “outdoor” or “outside” right in their name, making it easy to figure out where they can be placed. If you need some help picking the right one, be sure to check out our roundup of the best outdoor smart plugs. This includes products from Kasa, Wemo, and Geeni, all of which are designed to work outdoors without any hiccups. Many of them are also frequently on sale, giving you an easy way to stock up on outdoor smart plugs without breaking your budget. The Blink Video Doorbell is a popular choice for frugal shoppers, and its next-generation successor is looking to follow in its footsteps. Available today, the new Blink Video Doorbell offers a remarkable two-year battery life, an improved field of view, a reworked design, and the low price of just $70. If you’ve ever been shopping for an affordable video doorbell, you’ve probably stumbled upon the old Blink Video Doorbell. Available for just $60, it was a great alternative to premium devices from Nest and Ring. Blink is looking to build on that success with the new Video Doorbell. Its price has crept up $10, but it also picked up some nice new features. The biggest improvement is its field of view — it’s been enhanced to a 150-degree head-to-toe perspective, compared to the 135-degree horizontal view of its predecessor. While the Roborock Saros Z70 didn’t exactly live up to the hype, there’s no denying its robotic arm is still a cool piece of technology. Capable of picking up small objects in its path, moving them to a new location, then continuing its cleaning process, the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm might be the coolest feature we’ve ever seen in a robot vacuum. But how exactly does it work? And what are the robotic arm’s limitations? Here’s a closer look at how to use the robotic arm of the Roborock Saros Z70 and ways you can improve its performance.
Limitations of the Roborock Saros Z70’s robotic arm Nanoleaf is one of the biggest names in smart lights, offering a variety of bulbs, panels, and even a unique skylight with support for over 16 million colors. That lineup is expanding today with the launch of the Nanoleaf Rope Light and Nanoleaf Solar Garden Light — two striking new products that look like an excellent way to bring a pop of color into your home. The Nanoleaf Solar Garden Light is arguably the most exciting of the two, as the company hasn’t ventured into the outdoor space too often. Sold as a two-pack for $50, the Garden Light is Nanoleaf’s first-ever solar-powered lighting solution. Built with an IP65 weatherproof rating, eight LED branches that splay out from a central stem, a built-in daylight sensor to toggle the lights on and off, and support for a variety of RGB colors plus tunable whites, it should make a fun companion for most outdoor spaces.