Eve Energy (Matter) Smart Plug
If you already have a Thread border router, this is the plug to buy and the trade-offs are mostly about money. If you do not, buy the hub first or buy a different plug, because the Matter version has no Bluetooth fallback and will not run without one.
Our editorial rating, not aggregated user reviews
Reviewers who own one are close to unanimous that this is the best-built, best-behaved smart plug they have used. Responses over Thread are effectively instant, it runs entirely on your own network with no Eve account and nothing to phone home to, and its power metering is the most detailed in the category. The rubric still caps it below excellent, because it carries a flaw that rules it out for a whole group of buyers rather than merely annoying them: the Matter firmware is Thread-only, having dropped the Bluetooth fallback the older HomeKit version had, so without a Thread border router in the house (a HomePod mini, a Thread-capable Echo, or an equivalent hub) the plug does not work at all. Do not assume an Apple TV counts: Apple lists Thread under the 128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet model of the Apple TV 4K only, so the cheaper 64GB Wi-Fi box will not connect this plug. For anyone who does not already own a border router, the true cost is the plug plus a hub. Reviewers also split on reliability, and honestly so: MacRumors, reviewing the first Matter firmware, saw it drop off the network every day or two and Eve acknowledged the fault, while later long-term reviews report months without a single reset. We read that as a bug that was fixed rather than a design fault, but it is why the score is not higher still.
Pros
- Genuinely local. No Eve account, no cloud, nothing to sign up for, and Thread devices do not talk to the internet directly
- The most detailed power metering of any mainstream plug, with historical graphs and running-cost estimates
- Reviewers consistently describe response over Thread as instant, and long-term owners report months without a dropout
- Once mains-powered, it acts as a Thread router node and strengthens the mesh for your other Thread devices
- Matter out of the box, so it works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant without a vendor bridge
- Physical button on the device, so it still switches when the network is down
Cons
- Requires a Thread border router. The Matter firmware is Thread-only and dropped the Bluetooth fallback, so with no hub the plug does nothing
- A real premium over Wi-Fi plugs that do the same on/off job for a fraction of the price
- Bulky outside North America. Reviewers call the UK and EU bodies chunky, and they commonly block the adjacent socket
- Mains plugs are physically regional. UK 3-pin, US 2-pin and Schuko are different products at different voltages, so buy from your own region's store and never from an import listing
- The full energy history and cost view lives in Eve's own app. Alexa and Google surface far less of it
- Cost tracking is single-rate only, so it cannot model a time-of-use tariff
- Migrating an older HomeKit unit to Matter is one-way, and it issues a new setup code you must keep
- Reviewers disagree on early reliability. The first Matter firmware dropped off the network daily for MacRumors, which Eve confirmed as a known fault
- This is the single-plug listing. Eve sells 2-packs and 3-packs under near-identical names, so check the quantity before ordering
Specifications
- Protocols
- Matter over Thread (no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi)
- Hub required
- Yes. A Thread border router, not included
- Works with
- Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant
- Power metering
- Yes, with historical data and cost estimates
- Max load (UK)
- 13 A / 2900 W
- Max load (Europe)
- 11 A / 2500 W
- Max load (US/Canada)
- 15 A / 1800 W at 120 V
- Dimensions (UK)
- 72 x 72 x 71 mm
- Dimensions (Europe)
- 56 x 56 x 79 mm
- Dimensions (US/Canada)
- 70 x 39 x 60 mm
- Plug type
- Varies by region: Type G (UK), Type E/F (Europe), Type B (US/Canada)
- Operating temperature
- 0-35 C, indoor use only
- Cloud account
- None required