Smart-Plug

Smart plugs are one of those things that seem unnecessary until you have one, and then you find yourself buying three more. A lamp that turns on automatically when your morning alarm goes off. A monitor that powers down completely when you leave. A space heater that shuts off if no one’s been in the room for an hour. The use cases are many, but the execution varies wildly — some smart plugs drop their Wi-Fi connection twice a week, others hum audibly, and a few run so hot you worry about leaving them plugged in while you’re away. ...

Smart home devices for the office are hit or miss. Some solve real problems — lights that turn off automatically when you forget, timers that cut distractions without touching your phone. Others just add friction you did not ask for, like a voice assistant that mishears your request and plays the wrong song. We spent a month outfitting a home office with smart devices and kept the ones that actually improved the workday. Here are seven that passed the test. ...