Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Review: Matter Goes to the Great Outdoors

By now, you've most likely heard about all the many ways that Matter can simplify your smart home. But up until recently, Matter was limited to inside our homes, leaving key areas out in the cold—quite literally.

That changes with the Tapo P400M Outdoor Smart Plug—which I've been testing for the past few weeks. Tapo's plug brings the power of Matter to seasonal decor, lighting, and more to the great outdoors.

Let's take a look at what makes the Tapo P400M one of the best pieces of Matter-compatible garden equipment that you can buy today.

Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Unboxing and Design

As you might expect with its wallet-friendly price of $24.99, unboxing the P400M yields the essentials and nothing more. Inside the box, you'll find a short and to-the-point quick start guide, a small pack of hardware, and of course, the smart plug itself.

The P400M features an all-black design that incorporates a mixture of plastic and rubber materials throughout. Unlike traditional indoor smart outlets—like the Eve Energy— that slot directly into an open receptacle, the P400M has a short foot-long cord separate from its main body, allowing it to be plugged into tighter spaces.

Along the bottom of the plug are two slightly recessed independently controllable smart outlets, each protected by small rubber flaps for weather-resistance. The outlets are arranged horizontally with generous spacing in between, perfect for accommodating two extension cords, lights, or devices with smaller plug heads.

On the front of the plug are two on-device hardware buttons used for toggling each outlet. Both buttons sport LED indicator lights that relay power and connectivity status such as green for powered on or alternating flashing colors when in pairing mode.

The back of the unit is home to regulatory information and the all-important Matter setup code. And finally, while the plug is wall-mountable, the frame does not house an anchor port, instead relying on a provided wire clamp to secure it to flat surfaces.

Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Specs and Connectivity

Despite having two individual outlets, the P400M is surprisingly light and compact, measuring 3.1 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches, and weighing just 0.24 pounds. Both 120-volt outlets are rated at 15 amps and are capable of handling up to 1800-watt electrical loads or 1/2hp motors.

As previously mentioned, the entire package is protected from dust and low-pressure water intrusion thanks to an IP65 weather resistance rating. This rating also allows the plug to operate safely year-round in typical outdoor settings with temperatures ranging from -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit and between 10 and 90% relative humidity.

Inside the P400M is a set of dual Wi-Fi antennas as well as a short-range Bluetooth radio used only during the pairing process. According to TP-Link, the dual Wi-Fi antenna design enables long-range connectivity up to 300 feet away in open areas and up to 164 feet through multiple concrete walls.

With Matter and Wi-Fi onboard, the P400M is compatible with all the major smart home ecosystems right out of the box without the need for additional hardware. This includes Amazon's Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home—which is what I used to set the plug up in my home.

Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Setup

Pairing the P400M to Apple Home went about as smoothly as possible. After scanning the Matter pairing code, providing a name, and assigning a location, the plug was ready to be used in automation, scenes, and general app controls.

By default, the P400M is displayed as a single device in the Apple Home app which may be a little confusing for some at first. Only upon tapping the device will you find individual toggles for both outlets, but you can change this behavior and separate them into two distinct entities within the app through device settings.

Sharing the Tapo Outdoor Smart Plug to Google Home via Matter's Multi-Admin capabilities was also a straightforward experience. After generating an additional pairing code, the Google Home app found the plug immediately after launch by displaying it in a slick pop-up card.

Completing the Google Home pairing process was similar to Apple Home: tap Set up, add a name, and then assign it to an existing room. Where Google Home differs though is that it automatically displays both outlets as individual devices directly after pairing—which I vastly preferred.

Although I typically avoid most vendor apps unless they provide extra capabilities not found through Matter, I also opted to add the P400M to the TP-Link Tapo app for additional testing. Once again, the plug was discovered right away and only required a few taps to begin the pairing process.

The main reason for trying the Tapo app was to ensure that it was up-to-date with the latest security and bug fixes since it connects directly to the internet over Wi-Fi. While you can update some Matter devices in the Apple Home app, the P400M does not appear to support this incredibly handy feature as of yet so you'll have to keep the Tapo around.

As I suspected, there was indeed a firmware update available, which only took a few moments to apply while pairing.After updating, the Tapo app displayed each outlet separately making them easy to track down.

Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Performance and Automation

Regardless of app or platform, the Tapo Outdoor Smart Plug excelled at executing commands. Toggling power to each outlet carried out within a second or less each time, and the P400M even handled commands in rapid succession without issue—something that most plugs struggle with.

Reliability is also a huge plus for the Tapo smart plug, as I have yet to come across any issues of unresponsiveness after a month or so of testing. In my setup, I am using the P400M in a screened-in porch area around 20-30 feet away from the closest router with several brick walls in between so needless to say, I am happy with how it is holding up.

I am also happy with the amount of automation options that the P400M provides. I currently use one-half of the P400M to toggle devices based on the status of the lights in my porch area, so I never have to worry about leaving everything on.

I have also used time-based automation on occasion with the P400M to toggle an outlet at sunrise and sunset. Both the Apple Home and Google Home apps offer this capability, with each running without fail every time.

Another thing that I like about the P400M and the Tapo app in particular is that they offer the ability to turn off the on-device LED lights. Sure, it's a relatively minor thing, but it is far too common for apps to forgo this simple setting.

My only gripe with the Tapo Outdoor Smart Plug is the lack of energy monitoring capabilities. I would love to see just how much my outdoor decorations during the holidays are costing me to keep up and running but I certainly understand the omission due to its incredibly low price point.

Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug: Automating the Great Outdoors

The Tapo P400M fills a much-needed gap in the modern smart home by bringing Matter to the great outdoors. Whether it's managing seasonal decor, toggling porch lights, or powering pumps, the Tapo P400M gives you the ability to automate every aspect of your outdoor life.

Of course, there's always room for improvement—like adding power monitoring. But with rock-solid reliability, fast response times, and affordable price, TP-link really nailed it with its first outdoor Matter plug.