Ring Outdoor Smart Plug Review, Pros & Cons and Specs 2022

THE BOTTOM LINE for Ring Outdoor Smart Plug

The Ring Outdoor Smart Plug lets you control devices, lights, pool pumps, and anything else you use outside with the Ring app and Alexa Voice commands, but it requires a hub.

Ring Outdoor Smart Plug PROS

Dual outlets

Independent outlet control

Alexa voice support

Ring Outdoor Smart Plug CONS

Requires bridge for smart features

Lacks energy reporting

Doesn't support Google Assistant, HomeKit, or IFTTT

RING OUTDOOR SMART PLUG SPECS

Size 4.9 by 3.1 by 2.9 inches

Amazon Alexa Yes

Apple HomeKit No

Apple Siri No

Energy Reporting No

Google Assistant No

IFTTT No

With the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug (29.99) it's easy to use your phone to control pool pumps, lighting, appliances, and anything outside. This weather-resistant plug-in offers two outlets that can be independently controlled from each other using the Color Mobile app or Alexa Voice commands, and it works with other Color Home smart devices. That said, it needs a ring bridge to connect to your network, and unlike the choice of our editors in this category, the $ 10.99 Wise Plug Outdoor, it doesn't support Energy Reporting or Google Assistant.

Bring your bridge.

The Ring Outdoor Plug costs 29.99 when purchased on its own, but requires a Ring Bridge to connect to your home network and control it via the Ring Mobile app and Alexa Voice commands. If you don't already have a bridge (which also needs to help Ring Smart Lights group together and other Ring devices interact with each other), then you need an Outdoor Smart Plug + Ring Bridge. The bundle can be purchased for. 49.99.

The plug-in black IP66 uses a weather resistant enclosure measuring 4.92 by 3.14 by 1.96 inches (HWD). Below it are two three-pronged outlets with rubber protective caps, and at the top are two mounting holes along with a 7-inch three-pronged cord. The front of the plug has a round LED indicator that is solid blue when the plug is connected and glows blue during setup. On both sides of the LED are buttons that turn on and off their respective outlets (left and right), and glow white when the outlet is on. The plug comes with a quick start guide and mounting screws.

As mentioned, the color bridge is the same device used to control the color smart lighting system. You can only install one bridge per household, but it will control up to 50 devices, including motion sensors, lights and outdoor plugs. It is a small white box measuring 2.34 x 2.46 x 0.79 inches and uses RF radio to connect to the plug and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your network. It has a mini USB power port on the side and a pair of signal strength indicators on the face.

You can control the plug-in with the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) that is used to control every other Ring device, and link it to other Ring products like Color Video Doorbell or Ring Floodlight Cam. And it can react to motion triggers. It can also be turned on and off using Alexa Voice commands and will work with other Alexa-compatible devices using Alexa routines, but it does not support Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or IFTTT. does. Furthermore, it does not offer reports of energy usage that you find with other outdoor plug-ins such as Wise plug-outs and iDevices outdoor switches.

The plugin is added to the Lights group in the app and can be displayed as two individual outlets that can be controlled independently of each other or as a single plugin that connects both outlets at the same time. Controls To access the plug-in, tap the Lights panel at the top of the screen, along with the Neighbor, Date, and other accessories panels. Here you will see two outlets (in this case outlet A and outlet B) listed separately, each with a light bulb on / off button that turns blue when the outlet is on and white when it is off. ? Tap Outlet to open the screen where you can view event history, create on / off schedules, check device health (signal strength, online status, firmware version), and out Late can be added to the group of color devices.

Install and use the Ring Outdoor Smart Plugin

Easy to install color outdoor plugin. I already had a color account, but if you don't have one, you'll need to download the app and create one. I tapped on a device setup in the main menu, selected the outdoor smart plug, and scanned the QR code on the plug. I selected Color Bridge as my connection device, scanned the bridge's QR code, and confirmed that the blue LED was flashing. I then selected my Wi-Fi SSID and waited a few seconds for the bridge to connect to my Wi-Fi network, and the setup returned to a device screen where I re-selected the outdoor smart plug.

Following the on-screen instructions, I inserted the Outdoor Smart plug into the GFCI outlet, tapped Continue, and waited a few seconds for the app to recognize. After a quick firmware update, I gave each outlet a name and the installation was complete. This device was automatically added to my Alexa device list and appeared as two separate outlets in the list of color lights.

The ring outdoor plug worked for testing purposes. He responded quickly to on / off commands using the mobile app and Alexa Voice commands, and he followed my on / off schedules without any problems. When the Eufy Cam E outdoor camera detected motion, I made an Alexa routine to turn on an outlet, and it works every time.

A good plug if you are already using Ring.

The. 29.99 Ring Outdoor Smart Plugin makes sense for users who already have the Ring Ecosystem up and running, but it becomes an expensive choice if you want to buy a bridge. The Dual Outlet Plug has performed well in our tests and is easy to install, and unlike the Belkin WiMo Wi-Fi Smart Outdoor Plug, it offers free outlet control. That said, it lacks the energy reporting and support for Google Assistant Voice Commands and IFTTT integration that you get with our Editor's Choice winner, Wise Plug Outdoor, which also costs just under 10.99.