A few weeks ago, I received a Meross Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector as part of my Deluxe New Years Mystery Box ($69). The box itself was barely worth the price I paid and seemed more like a way for Meross to offload old inventory than anything else — however, it did include a Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector.
Features
The Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector comes in five flavors, one with three outlets and four USB (type A) ports for US, UK, and Japanese plug types, and another with four outlets and four USB ports in US and UK plug types only. This review is for the three outlets US variety.
In addition, this is not just a regular power strip made smart, but it is also a surge protector, which most regular smart outlets — singular outlets anyway — do not have.
Setup
As with many HomeKit products — and every Meross product I've tried — you can set up the product either in the manufacturer's app or directly in HomeKit by scanning the HomeKit code. Unfortunately, the first dozen times I tried this, it simply didn't work, even with repeated resets, and I eventually gave up, disappointed.
However, a few days later, I tried again. Starting with reset, it worked the first time: go figure! Your mileage may vary.
HomeKit Integration
By default, the power strip shows up as a single tile, which when tapped shows each outlet as a switch, with all four USB ports on a single switch:
However, if you prefer, tap on the little gear and select Show as Separate Tiles to show each switch separately:
The Home app will show each outlet as a single tile and the USB ports as another tile. If you don't do that, you can still name each outlet and address them individually via Siri, leaving you with a cleaner dashboard in the Home app if that's your thing.
Performance
I have many Meross Smart Outlets, which are good enough for the price while not perfect. The main issue with them is reliability — they only respond about 80% of the time. However, replacing one with this powerstrip and reliability has been excellent. It has a 100% reliability rate in the short time I've been using it, and it also seems much faster to respond.
The Good
- Combined A/C and USB outlets in a single unit
- Each A/C outlet is individually controllable
- Great for a "charging station" setup
- Reliable and Fast
The Bad
- Old-style USB-A, rather than USB-C
- All USB outlets are controlled as one unit
- Some initial problems with setup, but they resolved themselves
Final Thoughts
This power strip isn't exciting by any means, but it is functional and performs as I'd hope. I hope we'll see an updated version soon with at least a mix of USB-C and USB-A ports. My only major gripe is that the USB ports are all-or-nothing when it comes to switching them on or off — definitely limiting any plans you might have of automatic a very specific charging schedule for multiple USB-powered devices. Also, given the $3 price difference, I would've personally chosen the four outlet variety, although it is almost a full 2 inches (5cm) longer. If you're looking for a smart surge protector, definitely give the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector a look!
