Eve Energy Outlet Review: Automation You Can't See

As much as I love the Eve Energy smart plug, it certainly isn't the prettiest of devices to have scattered around the home. Not only does Eve's original Matter-compatible smart plug protrude from the wall making placement behind furniture difficult, but it can also just be a plain old eyesore—especially when a bulky appliance power adapter is plugged into it.

Thankfully, Eve has a smart solution for this design/functionality dilemma: the Eve Energy Outlet. This clever device hides its smart capabilities neatly out of sight by tucking everything into a wall, but at $49.99, is it truly worth the additional cost over the original? Let's take a look.

Eve Energy Outlet Unboxing and Design

Unboxing the Eve Energy Outlet yields just about everything that one would need for installation right in the box: mounting hardware, wire nuts, a getting-started guide, and a screwless wall plate. Everything is neatly packaged with the wall plate already installed, and there is plenty of wraps and stickers throughout to protect the outlet's glossy white plastic exterior.

Like most Matter-compatible in-wall smart outlets, the Eve Energy Outlet opts for a stacked Decora-style rectangular layout. Eve's offering measures 2.93 x 4.7 x 1.7 inches making it much thicker than older "dumb" outlets, but still small enough to fit into most standard electrical boxes.

In between each outlet is a pair of recessed LED status indicator lights that also act as physical on-device buttons. The outlet itself is devoid of visible branding giving it a clean, uncluttered look, but the same can't be said for the included wall plate which features the company logo prominently underneath the bottom receptacle.

Finally, around the back of the outlet are three pre-attached wires making DIY installation a breeze—if you have the correct wiring in your electrical boxes. Like the majority of smart light switches, the Eve Energy Outlet requires a Neutral wire in addition to Load and Ground, which unfortunately may rule its usage in older homes out.

Eve Energy Outlet Specs and Connectivity

As of now, the Eve Energy Outlet is only available in the U.S. and Canada so as you might expect, it features specs that are typical for North American outlets. This includes support for 120V, 15 amp AC loads up to 1,800 watts for lighting and appliances, or 1/2 HP for motors.

The Eve Energy Outlet is designed for indoor usage, with operating temperatures ranging from 32-104 degrees Fahrenheit and 20-90% Relative Humidity. During normal operation, the Eve Energy Outlet consumes just less than 1 watt, and it features UL certification, for extra peace of mind when it comes to safety.

For smart home connectivity, Eve's in-wall outlet utilizes the Thread wireless protocol for communicating with the various Matter platforms. With Thread, the Eve Energy Outlet doesn't require a vendor-specific hub, but you will need a Border Router—like an Apple TV or Nest WiFi Pro 6E—set up in your home.

The inclusion of Thread allows for performance and reliability comparable to Wi-Fi, but without the need for an account or cloud service—everything happens locally. Plus, since the outlet is hardwired and always powered, the Eve Energy Outlet will act as a router/repeater for other devices through its built-in mesh networking technology.

Eve Energy Outlet Setup and Matter Multi-Admin

Pairing the Eve Energy Outlet to my smart home was about as straightforward as it could get. After installation—which only took about 10 minutes—I scanned the Matter QR code located on the inside of the wall plate to start the process, and after a few moments, it was connected to my existing Thread network.

Initially, the Eve Energy Outlet appeared as a single accessory in the Apple Home app with toggles for each available on the same screen. While the default approach makes accessing both quicker, I opted to use the Show as Separate Tiles option to better fit my needs but I will note that this doesn't allow for assigning each to different rooms for those that are curious.

Of course, with multiple smart home platforms in my home, I had to try out Matter's Multi-Admin capabilities with Google Home and Alexa. After preparing the outlet by using the Turn on Pairing Mode and Copy Code options in Apple Home, I only needed to paste the provided code into each platform to add it.

Another usual part of my tests involves checking for optional settings and potential updates in the accompanying vendor apps. Compared to other vendors—like TP-Link's Tapo brand—I love how the Eve for HomeKit & Matter iOS app doesn't make you go through a brand new setup process, it just appears after granting it access to your Apple Home configuration.

Surprisingly, there were no firmware updates available, and apart from energy monitoring data—which we will talk about later—there weren't a whole lot of additional settings to be found. Available options included toggles the onboard LED indicators, a Child Lock setting to disable the on-device buttons, and the ability to adjust the Transmit Power for the device's Thread radio.

Eve Energy Outlet Performance, Reliability, and Controls

As expected given my previous experiences with the company's Matter/Thread-enabled products—like the Eve Door & Window—the Eve Energy Outlet has been nothing short of excellent when it comes to performance. The Eve Energy Outlet has responded to every app and voice command I have thrown at it over the past few weeks within a second or two, and it consistently triggers the assigned actions through any automation that I have included it in.

Reliability-wise, the Eve Energy Outlet has been great—aside from one early hiccup. The day after the initial setup, my house experienced a brief power outage resulting in the outlet going into a "No Response" state in the Apple Home app that couldn't be fixed by rebooting home hubs and Border Routers.

During troubleshooting, I noticed that the outlet was showing as being available to pair again, which meant that Apple Home had somehow forgotten about it. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen before with other devices, so I believe that it is more of an Apple Home/Matter issue rather than the outlet, but it is something to keep in mind if you are interested in adding one to your home.

My only other real complaints with the Eve Energy Outlet are all related to its energy monitoring capabilities—which aren't exposed to Matter currently. While I like how Eve's iOS app puts monitoring data in easy-to-understand charts and logs, Android users are simply left out in the cold as the app isn't available on the Google Play Store despite repeated promises of it "coming soon" over the course of the past couple of years.

I also don't like how energy monitoring is based on both outlets with no way to separate the two. So instead of seeing consumption for a fan plugged into one outlet and a light in the other, you'll only see the total for the two reflected in the Eve app—a baffling decision to say the least.

Should You Buy the Eve Energy Outlet?

Available for just $10 more than the company's original Matter smart plug and with an extra receptacle to boot, the Eve Energy Outlet is a definite winner. Eve's outlet is incredibly responsive and reliable, doesn't require an account or cloud connectivity for operation, and features a speedy frustration-free setup all thanks to Thread.

And, although its energy monitoring capabilities have some limitations, the good news is that the feature is coming to Matter 1.3-enabled platforms in the near future. It is all up to Eve as to whether or not each outlet can be separated though, but even with these minor quirks, the Eve Energy Outlet is a must-buy for those who want to bring Matter to older appliances without the bulk.