I came across these ISelector mini home automation smart plugs when I saw a SlickDeal advertising 4 of these things for $30. It sounded like a good deal for some smart plugs I could throw outside to use on the patio and store away with the Christmas lights without worrying about the cost. I mean this deal was a quarter of the cost of any of my Wemo plugs.
Iselector is a company that brands Chinese made products with their name. It is pretty common to see this on Amazon. The manufacurer is actually a company called Xenon Industrial. There are several companies selling the exact same plugs:
It’s kind of funny, but when you see this, just buy which ever seller is the cheapest. Some of these guys will price higher knowing that some buyers don’t buy the cheapest product. All of the brands seem to use the same apps (Jinvoo Smart/Smart Life) to control the hardware.
I got them set up and spent a few days using them so here is my feedback.
The good?
- Obviously the price (especially if you can get them as cheap as I did).
- The form factor is great.
- Took about 20 minutes total to set up 4 plugs.
- They work with Amazon Alexa (Jinvoo Smart app).
- They work with Google Assistant (Smart Life app) – I didn’t verify this.
- They were easy to set up. Even easier than Wemo switches.
- Great switches for simple home automation systems that don’t require any integration.
- Jinvoo is a decent app. It has some minor issue, but overall I like its simplicity and that it still gets updates.
The bad?
- If Jinvoo or Smart Life shuts their servers down these plugs probably won’t work.
- Possible security issues, you do give access to your network.
- Amazon Echo integration requires installing a skill.
- No IFTTT integration.
- No Wink integration.
- SmartThings integration.
The ugly?
- Actually, I think these are pretty good looking. I dig their asymmetry and came in handy for plug I’m using outside.
My final verdict is that these will be great for 99% of people dabbling in home automation with their Black Friday Amazon Echo or Google Home dealies. For the 1% of peeps out there that are going to take their home automation to the next level, these will not be their jam.
