Here's What People Have to Say about the ConnectSense Smart Outlet
We know that getting started with creating a smart home can be a daunting task. That's why we’ve designed the Smart Outlet to be easy to use and include a setup process that only takes a couple minutes to complete. There are also some great features for controlling the product like Siri Voice control and support for Apple HomeKit. In addition, we remain committed to adding new and exciting features to the product going forward.
While we don’t expect users to have any issues with the Smart Outlet, we have a friendly and knowledgeable support team that is ready and willing to help. We also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of our products as well as a 1-year warranty!
Finding information on products is not always easy, so we decided to make it easier by putting everything in one place. We have highlighted some of our favorite reviews from customers on Amazon and the press below. Feel free to provide feedback on the Smart Outlet and share it with us through a review or by contacting us; we love to hear from customers and are always looking for feedback on our products!
Consumer Reviews:
Great Scott! – 5/5 Stars
This is a HUGE upgrade from those little outlet timers we used to use! I ordered my Smart Outlet and it was delivered within two days which is great because I was super excited to play with it! It came in a neat package so I posed it with some Pellegrino and took a photo. The device fits perfectly into our outlets and its simple design blends in perfectly with any home. The fact that it works with Apple HomeKit is a major bonus! I plugged the Smart Outlet in and within minutes, I downloaded Connect Sense's app and added my device. Don't laugh, but there was great satisfaction in scanning the device number with my phone's camera to add it (as opposed to manually entering the numbers)!
The Future is Here! - 5/5 Stars
I LOVE both of my ConnectSense smart outlets! I have wowed many friends by using Siri to adjust my lights, but more than that it's just practical. I use one outlet in my main living area to control two separate lamps (also my primary phone charger via USB) and the other in our master bathroom to control/monitor power to my wife's hair dryer and hair straightening iron. For the living area I set a rule to turn on the living room lamps at sunset and they go on without me even thinking about it. I haven't used the timer functionality yet, but I will give that a run in the next few days when I go out of town. The customizability and ability to set rules based on solar events, time, and on/off status really set this *dual* outlet apart from some of the other options I looked at. I hope that Apple + ConnectSense are able to build on this functionality in the future (e.g. geo-based rules when my phone nears home or connects to Wi-Fi, day of week scheduling, and countdown timer to turn an outlet on/off 'x' hours after it was turned on.) Like another one of the reviewers, it did drop the Wi-Fi a few times, but that was easily resolved for me by unplugging/replugging the outlet. It also looks like that's being corrected by forthcoming firmware update.
Helps you control and monitor the power in your home – 5/5 Stars
One of the things I dislike during the holidays is turning the Christmas tree lights on and off. After the tree is decorated and presents are stashed underneath, it can become very difficult to plug and unplug the tree lights. I can’t tell you how many times I stumbled over my own feet trying to turn on the lights. This is one reason I love the insurance of smart outlets into the connected home space. While I’ve had the opportunity to test out a couple of different kinds of smart outlets, I am particularly fond of the ConnectSense Smart Outlet. It works with Apple HomeKit and has a very simple installation process. The ConnectSense Smart Outlet makes it possible for you to control certain non-smart devices with Siri. For example, say you have a lamp that is not WiFi capable and neither is its bulb. You could plug the ConnectSense Smart Outlet into the wall and then the lamp into Smart Outlet. You could then control the power signal to the object from your phone, or through Siri. This type of option is particularly useful for Christmas-time when you want to do things like turn your lights on and off. Saying, “Siri, turn off the Christmas tree,” to your phone is very liberating.
Press Reviews:
Mashable - Apple may be working on an app to control home products, report says
In an article about Apple potentially releasing a Home app to provide HomeKit users with more control over devices, ConnectSense received special mention for being one of the best products in the first batch of HomeKit-enabled products.
Grid Connect's ConnectSense Smart Outlet ($79), which will run on Apple's HomeKit platform, turns existing products in the house like lamps, older game consoles and dishwashers into smart appliances.
iLounge- Review: Grid Connect ConnectSense Smart Outlet
The ConnectSense Smart Outlet was ranked higher than other competing HomeKit outlets, such iDevices’ Switch, in iLounge’s series of HomeKit product reviews. The Smart Outlet was highly recommended and received an “A-” grade due to its seamless integration with HomeKit as well as its user-friendliness.
The ConnectSense Smart Outlet works well and does a great job of providing all of the necessary HomeKit functionality with some nice bonuses and a solid app at a very reasonable price. Not only are you getting two outlets for $80 — the same price you’d pay for two iHome SmartPlugs — but you’re also getting controllable status LEDs and a 2.4A USB charging port in the mix.
Electronic House - Grid Connect ConnectSense Smart Outlet
In this review, Lisa Montgomery is enthralled by the simplicity within the elegant ConnectSense Smart Outlet. She is very impressed with the user-friendliness of the outlet as well as its ability to interact with other HomeKit devices. It is described as an affordable way to automate a home.
Often, it’s the simple stuff that makes the most sense. Case in point: The ConnectSense Smart Outlet from Grid Connect. On the surface, the Wi-Fi device, which plugs into a standard electrical outlet looks very vanilla—featuring just a couple of wall sockets and a USB charging port. The port itself frees up the outlets for other purposes, which is cool. But what makes the ConnectSense something to get excited about is its ability to respond to voice commands.
c|net - Grid Connect ConnectSense Smart Outlet review
The Smart Outlet landed an overall positive review in an article written by Andrew Gebhart. He was very enthusiastic about the usability and performance of the device. The fully-functional outlet does exactly what it was designed to do. The part that stands out is the ConnectSense app, which is extremely useful for HomeKit regardless of if the outlet is being used or not.
The ConnectSense app deserves particular praise, as it lets you control all of your HomeKit devices, not just Grid Connect's, and makes it easy to group them into HomeKit's organizational buckets such as rooms and zones. I dismissed the app when discussing all HomeKit apps back in November, but the Grid Connect team obviously worked on it a lot since then.
King 5 - Eco-Friendly Gadgets for Your Home and Car
Technology reporter Brain Westbrook reported on the amazing capabilities of the ConnectSense Smart Outlet. It was listed as an economically friendly way to manage an environment. In his review, he discusses the power of the Smart Outlet and its compatibility with Apple HomeKit, making it perfect for iOS users.
ConnectSense is another simple to install, easy-to-use, accessory. Plug the smart outlet into your standard outlet for the ability to control your devices from anywhere. No need to buy "smart" appliances, with the Smart Outlet, you can tell Siri to turn on a device from anywhere.
Live Smart - ConnectSense Smart Outlet lets any device work with Apple HomeKit
Live Smart is a website devoted to providing readers with quality content based on popular smart technology. In this article, ConnectSense’s Smart Outlet is considered a perfect device for transitioning to a smart home because it enables users to use any regular device. The Smart Outlet gives any home owner complete control over their home environment.
While the idea of a fully-fledged smart home is our idea of heaven, not everyone is ready to make the financial leap to a gang of brand new shiny smart gadgets. But ConnectSense wants to give us all a taste of the action with this clever little smart outlet… There’s also some fun to be had with ConnectSense’s own app, which gives you remote access to the power usage of any devices plugged into the outlet. You can control and monitor both of the ports on the outlet separately, which gives you complete freedom with whatever two devices you decide to plug in.
For more information about ConnectSense products, here are some more press reviews that are worth checking out:
Appliance Design – ConnectSense Smart Outlet
Computer World - CES 2016: 8 interesting HomeKit accessories
Digital Trends – Growing List of Devices Compatible with Apple HomeKit
EIWA Wrestling – Eco-Accommodating Contraptions for your Home and Auto
Electronic House - ConnectSense Wi-Fi Smart Outlet Works with Apple HomeKit
Famadillo - ConnectSense Outlet
GadgetSin – ConnectSense Smart Plug Supports Apple HomeKit Technology
GottaBeMobile - How to Turn Almost Anything into a Smart Appliance
HerezWhat - Smart Phones Smart Lamps Now its Smart Home
iMore - Perfect HomeKit Gifts for Everyone You Know!
Luxury Magazine - Tech Goes Green: 10 Gadgets that Save Power and Water While Making Life More Comfortable (Page 176)
MacRumors - ConnectSense Review: The Smart Outlet Offers Two HomeKit-Enabled Sockets and a USB Port
MacSources - ConnectSense Outlet Review
MacVoices - MacVoices #16064: CES - ConnectSense Brings Apple HomeKit Compatibility To Home Automation
MyInforms - How to Turn Almost Anything into a Smart Appliance
NBC 5 Chicago - Weekend Web: Wi-Fi Controlled Outlet
On CE – The HomeKit-Enabled ConnectSense Sensors
Parenting Bytes - Screenagers
PhoneDog – Best Tech of February 2016!
ShakerBuzz – Cool New Tech (Feb. 2016 Edition)
Sound and Vision – ConnectSense’s HomeKit-Enabled Smart Outlet is Smart and Sensible
Tech50+ - Dads & Grads – Part II – Gifts for the 50+ Dad
TeQreation - Simple Yet Effective Smart Home Solution for #iOS by ConnectSense
The Bleeding Edge - Bleeding Edge TV 573: ConnectSense Smart Outlet with HomeKit Review
WiFi Calling & Messaging - Father's Day Gift Idea: ConnectSense WiFi-Enabled Smart Outlet to Easily Automate Your Home