We analyze the Meross smart power strip for HomeKit

We tested an accessory for HomeKit that will allow you to control multiple devices independently with automations, scenes from the Home app or via Siri, while protecting your devices from power surges.

If smart plugs are useful to automate a device and control it through your home automation system, a power strip combines these same functions but for several devices. Today we tested the Meross HomeKit-compatible smart power strip, which includes three plugs that can be controlled independently and four USB ports also controllable but together. It also has protection against overvoltages, which will avoid more than one bad time due to power surges.

Features

Wi-Fi 2.4GHz
three european plugs
Four USB ports (2.4A per port, 4A total)
4 power LEDs (one for each plug, one for the four USB ports)
1 general on/off switch
1,8 meter long cable with European plug
Overvoltage protection
Compatible with HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

Configuration

The configuration of the smart power strip can be done through the Meross application (link) or directly from the Home app by scanning the QR code on the base. It is recommended to do it from the Meross app to be able to access possible firmware updates that there may be, since these at the moment cannot be done directly from the Casa app. It is a very simple direct process in which you have to follow the steps indicated from the application.

Once configured, it will appear directly in the Casa application as a single device but with the possibility of ungrouping them and the three plugs and USB ports appear as four different elements. We can also change the names and type of device (plug, light or fan) from the device settings in Home, so that Siri knows what type of device it is and if we have a lamp connected to one of the plugs, when saying "turn off all the lights" include that lamp in addition to the rest of the lights that we have added. The video explains the entire process, which is quite direct and takes just a few seconds.

Operation

If to configure the device I recommended you to use the Meross app, to control it I recommend you always use the Casa app. It is much more comfortable to have the plugs ungrouped to be able to control each one independently, saving us steps. Device response is fast, and from the moment you give the command on your iPhone (or any Apple device with the Home application) until it is executed, only a few tenths of a second pass. The connection via Wi-Fi also allows the range of the device to be greater than if it used the Bluetooth connection.

compatibility with home opens the doors to automations and environments, which allows you to control devices according to the time of day, entrances to the house, exits, etc., or control several devices included in the same environment at the same time, to obtain the perfect lighting while you watch a movie, play games or read. You also have the option to control everything through Siri on your iPhone, Apple Watch and HomePod, with the convenience of voice commands. The connection of the power strip is very stable, in all these days that I have been using it I have not had problems with misconfigurations or disconnections.

Editor's opinion

The Meross smart power strip is a practical system for dogmatizing several devices with a single accessory. In addition to protection against power surges, it has the advantage that the four USB ports it includes are also controlled by HomeKit, something that few models offer. Priced at €38,99 on Amazon (link) for little more than the cost of a single plug you have everything that this power strip offers.