When you upgrade to a smart home, you want to make sure you're the only one in control of your devices, starting with the most secure smart plugs. These plugs all need to support some form of extra authentication to sign in to the management app, so even if your password leaks, you're the only one with access. While most of these devices are controlled primarily through a smart home assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, most of the time, they still need to be set up in another app, and two-factor authentication helps to make sure you're the only one with access.
Proper security for your smart home tech
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Just one app
There are many brands to choose from but sticking with Amazon for your smart plug allows you to stick with the Alexa app for setup and control. Alexa works with two-factor authentication, including support for your preferred authentication app like Google Authenticator. The Amazon Smart Plug is compact and easy to set up and works over Wi-Fi, so you don't need a hub.
For your hue
If you've already bought into the huge Philips Hue ecosystem and have a hub handy, you'll know that you can set up two-factor authentication for your account. You can add the Philips' Hue Smart Plug to a Hue Bridge for the complete feature set, but you can also control it out of the box via Bluetooth.
Monitor your energy usage
The Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 is is set up with the Kasa app or other TP-Link apps with two-factor authentication available. This smart plug is easy to control with the app, your voice, or the button on the side. This model also monitors your usage so you can keep track of which items are sucking back the most electricity in your home.
Stay in control, even outdoors
This Kasa outdoor plug has a dimmer built in for your outdoor lighting with an IP64 weather-resistant rating. This plug is set up like any other Kasa tech and can be controlled with the app or your voice. There's no hub required and you can even control it with the button on the top, including dimming.
Three outlets with USB
Amazon Basics is back with a smart power strip that is set up quickly and easily in the Alexa app. Each plug has its own button for manual control and there are even two USB-A ports so you can charge up your mobile tech without occupying an outlet. The wall plug is at a 45-degree angle making it easy to plug in more strips.
Ready for Matter
Wouldn't it be nice if all smart home tech worked together? Matter looks to make that a reality and the Tapo Smart Plug Mini P125M is ready for Matter on day one. You can still use one of TP-Link's apps to set it up, but it should also integrate easily with a number of other smart home ecosystems.
Keep your network secure
There are a lot of steps you can take to help keep your home network and the devices connected to it secure, but one of the first is upgrading to two-factor authentication. While a standard password can be made sufficiently complex not to be guessed, what happens if your password were to leak? Two-factor authentication adds another step in the process, and biometrics and authenticator apps on your Android phone, are among the best methods for two-factor authentication.
If you're worried about others snooping on you via your smart home tech, upgrade to a router with intrusion prevention, such as a Netgear router with a Netgear Armor subscription. Many of the best wireless routers feature extra security such as Asus AiProtection Pro and Home Shield. You can also set up an IoT network that separates your smart home tech from the rest of your network so there's less of a change out of data smart home tech can be used as an attack vector.
If you're looking for something both secure and simple, Amazon's Smart Plug is easily set up in the Alexa app, which features extra security steps for your entire Amazon account. If you haven't set up two-factor authentication on your Amazon account, it's a great time to get started. This plug is only built for indoor power delivery but is compact enough that it won't get in the way of other plugs in your outlets and can even be placed right next to another Smart Plug.
