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Smart plugs aren't the most complicated smart home device - they really just turn stuff off and on - but they do make life a little easier. Since using smart plugs, I've grown accustomed to having the living room lamps click on just before sunset and go off when I say goodnight to Alexa or the Google Assistant/Gemini (Siri can turn off a few of my lights, but isn't compatible with all of them). Most smart home device makers have a plug or two in their lineups, but finding one that's compatible with your chosen ecosystem, that's easy to set up and reliably connects can involve a little trial and error. That's why we tried more than a dozen models to find the best smart plugs you can buy right now.. Best smart plugs for 2026 The best outdoor smart plugs for 2026 Most people will likely use outdoor plugs for two things: patio lighting and holiday string lights. The devices are designed for the outdoors with a weatherproof protection rating of IP64 or higher, which means they're impervious to dust and can handle splashing water from rain and sprinklers. They have a longer Wi-Fi range than indoor plugs, for obvious reasons, and many have dual outlets, with individual control over each one. Setup is the same as for indoor plugs: you'll use your phone to help the plug find your Wi-Fi using its companion app. The only tricky part is getting your phone within Bluetooth range of the plug (which it uses to initialize setup) and in Wi-Fi range at the same time. I had to awkwardly stand at a triangulated point in the middle of my driveway to get things communicating properly. Once set up, the plugs will communicate using your router for voice and app control and your phone needn't be anywhere near the plug. Best uses for a smart plug Before you buy one, it helps to know how a smart plug works best. They are designed for things that have an on/off switch, making them great for doing things like turning regular ol' lamps into smart lights. If you want a fan to move some air around before you get home, a smart plug can help. You can load a basic coffee maker with grounds and water the night before and wake up to a fresh pot in the morning. And instead of an air purifier running all day, you could set it to just run when you're away. But gadgets that need to be programmed further, or require a stand-by mode, aren't ideal. If you want to control built-in lights, you'll need a smart light switch, which are more involved than smart plugs as they can involve in-wall installation. Smart bulbs are also an option for automation, and we have an entire guide devoted to those. Some smart plugs can even monitor how much energy they use and display those figures within their companion app. That might not be much use on its own, as lamps with LED light bulbs consume very little energy, but it could help you keep tabs on your overall energy consumption. What to consider when buying a smart plug Setup and use Adding a smart plug to your home is relatively simple. You'll use the manufacturer's app to initially connect, after which you can add the plug to a compatible smart home ecosystem so you can use voice control and other features. Both the brand's app and your smart home app will let you name the plug, set schedules and program routines" which provide automation for multiple smart devices at once. But as you can guess, a manufacturer's app only lets you control products from that brand. If you want whole-home automation, operating, say, a plug from TP-Link's Kasa, a smart bulb from Philips Hue, a smart thermostat from Honeywell and a camera from Arlo without switching apps, you'll need to use a smart home platform, which means you'll need to consider compatibility. Compatibility Smart home devices connect through wireless protocols, often using more than one to communicate with your phone, smart speaker, router and in some cases, one another. The majority of smart plugs use Wi-Fi, but some have recently incorporated Matter, a relatively new wireless standard intended to solve integration issues between different brands and manufacturers, while also improving security and reliability. More of these smart plugs are coming to market and, for now, most Matter devices work via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a low-power mesh network called Thread. Matter requires a controller that stays at home, like a hub or smart speaker, to manage things when you're out and about. As for Bluetooth, most plugs, including all Matter plugs, use the short-range protocol to get the device set up for the first time. Some can continue to run on Bluetooth in the absence of another option, but the connection isn't as reliable and you won't be able to control the plug when you're away from home, or perhaps even just on the other side of the apartment. Because Matter is relatively new, it may be easier to consider the manufacturer's system you'd use the most. There are four major branded" smart home platforms: Amazon's Alexa, Google Home, Apple's HomeKit and Samsung's SmartThings. The first two work with the widest range of brands and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices. HomeKit not only limits app access to Apple devices, but it's also compatible with fewer plugs. You can also turn to open-source software like Home Assistant or go with the larger functionality of IFTTT if you want to, say, have your lights turn off when your Uber arrives. For the purposes of our testing, we stuck with the four big players. Nearly every plug we looked at clearly stated which platforms it works with, both on the packaging and retail product pages. Of course, there's no rule that says you have to stick with one home assistant. You might have an Echo Dot in the basement, a HomePod in the living room and a Google Nest Mini in the kitchen, each controlling any compatible devices. My kid has a great time telling Alexa to turn on a light then asking Google's Gemini to turn it back off. Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget Hubs and smart plugs All of our top picks recommended here don't require a hub and connect directly to your home's Wi-Fi router. That means if you already have wireless internet and a smartphone or tablet, you can quite literally plug and play. The exception is Apple's HomeKit. If you want to pair up a compatible plug with that platform, you'll need a HomePod speaker, Apple TV or an iPad that stays in your home to enable remote control when you're away. Some smart plugs require a hub regardless of which platform you use. For our guide, we focused on the simplicity (and lower cost) of options that work on their own, but hub-dependent devices may make sense in certain situations. Some companies, like Aqara and Lutron for example, make a vast range of smart home products, adding automatic shades, window sensors, smart locks and air quality monitors to the more traditional cameras and plugs. If you're going all-in on one brand and plan to get a plethora of connected devices, a hub can keep your Wi-Fi network from getting too crowded and provide a more seamless setup with reliable connectivity. Zigbee devices use their own protocol (different from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and also requires a hub. Sharing Once a plug is set up with your platform and voice assistant of choice, anyone can control the plug just by talking. If someone else wants to control things with their phone, things get more complicated. Google makes it easiest, allowing you to invite another person just by tapping the + button within the Home app. Whomever you invite will have full access to your connected devices - including cameras - so this is only for people you trust the most. HomeKit makes it similarly easy to grant app access to someone else, but as with most things Apple, it only works for other iOS users. Amazon only allows you to share access to your Echo, not your connected home devices. Many smart plug manufacturers allow you to share control through their app by inviting another person via email. But this only grants access to devices of that brand. Hopefully as Matter expands, multi-admin features will become more widespread. If you get a new Wi-Fi network Most people will wirelessly connect their smart plugs to their home's Wi-Fi router. Matter, Z-Wave, Thread and other smart home protocols can work over local networks, but for most setups, the signals telling your plugs what to do will be dispatched through your router. If you happen to get a new one (like I did when it became clear my very basic gateway could not handle the number of smart home devices being tested) you'll need to take a few steps to get everything reconnected. Depending on the brand, the steps may simply involve using the plug's companion app to update your credentials (network name and password). Or it will require deleting the device in the companion app, doing a factory reset (typically by pressing the onboard button for 10 seconds) and setting up the plug like it's brand new. GE Sync and Emporia plugs allow for a credentials update via their apps, others, like TP-Link Kasa and Meross plugs require deletion and a factory reset to get along with your new network. Amazon's smart plug updates automatically after updating the associated Echo device. How we tested the best smart plugs Before I decided which smart plugs to test, we considered brands Engadget staffers have had the best experiences with, both in review capacity and personally. We also checked out other online reviews. I then looked at factors like price, compatibility and relative popularity. Then, I tested about a dozen plugs using their companion apps and the four major smart home ecosystems. With lamps, lights, heaters, fans and more plugged into them, I set schedules, create routines, use voice control and generally live with the devices to evaluate them. I and continue to test good candidates as new models hit the market. Other smart plugs we tested Eve Energy Strip The Eve Energy Strip only works with HomeKit and it's a bit more expensive than our pick for a smart strip. But it's an exceedingly attractive device complete with an aluminum frame and easy-to-read LED buttons. Those act as both indicators and manual switches for each of the three, individually controlled and nicely spaced plugs. Setup happens through the HomeKit app but after that, you can control the plug (and curiously, many other smart home devices active in your HomeKit profile) through the Eve Energy app. Here, you'll be able to create schedules and automations as well as monitor the plug's energy usage. Meross Matter plug (MSS115) I wasn't able to test the Meross Matter plug fully. It requires Wi-Fi splitting, a process that's certainly possible for the average consumer, but more involved than it should be, considering the more than dozen other plugs I've tested don't require such a step. The plug itself also blocked the other outlet. Meross has an updated version of the Matter device on the way, one that looks to solve both issues and we'll update this guide accordingly once we've had a chance to test it. Roku Smart Plug Roku's smart home gear is basically Wyze equipment with an app and packaging that are more purple. The Roku smart plug performed just fine with both compatible voice assistants (Alexa and Gemini). The companion app doesn't offer scheduling that revolves around the timing of the sunset in your area, but the plugs go for less than $10 each and if you've got a Roku TV or streaming device set up and want to keep everything on-brand, it could be a fit. Aquara Smart Plug The Aqara plug requires an Aqara hub. In tests, the connectivity was solid and the companion app allowed for useful if/then automations that can rope in other Aqara devices like locks, window shades, cameras and more. The plug also worked well with voice assistants from Amazon, Google and Apple. As a stand-alone plug, however, it's tough to recommend the nearly $100 combo to anyone who isn't planning to get a complete Aqara smart home setup. Smart plug FAQs What are the disadvantages of a smart plug? While they're great when everything is working properly, smart plugs can be frustrating, adding a layer of complication to the simple act of turning on a light, if something goes wrong. For example: If your Wi-Fi goes out, your smart plug won't work. If the smart plug loses its connection to your router, it won't work. If you change your Wi-Fi password or provider, you'll have to re-program your smart plugs. If you forget what you named a particular plug during setup, you may be faced with an irritating conversation with your voice assistant. The best way to avoid some of those problems is to get a plug that works reliably, which is one of the features we considered for this guide. How much power does a smart plug draw? Smart plugs don't draw much more power than whatever you're plugging into them. True, they remain on standby to await instructions from your smart assistant or other controller, so they're always using a small amount of power. But if, for example, you set a light to automatically turn off at night, and that light would otherwise stay on unnecessarily, the smart plug will save far more energy than the watt or two extra that it draws. Do smart plugs use Bluetooth? Some smart plugs use Bluetooth to connect to your phone during setup. After that, most connect to your home's Wi-Fi network. What appliances should not be plugged into a smart plug? Common sense will help you determine what not to plug in. Obviously anything dangerous like power tools should not be plugged into a smart plug. Appliances that require supervision, such as space heaters and curling irons, shouldn't be set to turn on automatically if no one will be around. You also shouldn't bother with anything that needs further programming. Simple on/off appliances like lamps and fans work best.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-smart-plug-131542429.html?src=rss

After kicking off CES 2026 with its "First Look" event, Samsung is ready to announce the first of what should be several new Galaxy smartphones this year. The company is officially hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 at 1PM ET, where it'll introduce the Galaxy S26 series and updates to Galaxy AI.Leaks that have trickled out ahead of the event suggest that the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra will feature a new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, and could come with more RAM and storage. Only the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to include major hardware changes, though, with an updated camera system, and possibly proper support for Qi2 charging. Alongside new smartphones, Samsung is also expected to introduce the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro, which will reportedly feature a new design, support for head gestures and an Ultra Wideband chip so they're easier to find using Google Find Hub.As in previous years, Samsung has an optional deal for anyone who wants to lock in a discount before the company's new smartphones and accessories are announced. If you reserve Samsung's new devices now, you can receive a $30 credit and be entered to win a $5,000 Samsung.com gift card. When you do pre-order, the company also claims that it'll offer up to an additional $900 in savings if you trade-in a device or $150 off even without a trade-in if you pre-order through Samsung.com.Engadget will have coverage of everything Samsung announces at Galaxy Unpacked right here, but if you want to watch along, you can catch the company's livestream of the event on Samsung's YouTube channel, the Samsung Newsroom page or at Samsung.com.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-galaxy-s26-unpacked-event-is-on-february-25-230000375.html?src=rss

Get ye to Windows Update, because there's a good chance you've got new Secure Boot certificates to install. Microsoft just announced that it will be refreshing those certificates, which were originally introduced when Secure Boot debuted in 2011, as a security precaution. Secure Boot was a way for Microsoft to protect systems from running unsigned and potentially malicious code before Windows launched. It went on to be an installation requirement for Windows 11, as well as anti-cheat software used in Valorant, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6/7 and Battlefield 6.Without the new Secure Boot certificates, Microsoft says your system will still function normally, but it will enter "a degraded security state that limits its ability to receive future boot-level protections." Basically, you won't be protected from malware and viruses targeting vulnerabilities in older versions of Windows. As expected, Microsoft also notes that unsupported versions of Windows won't be receiving the new Secure Boot certificates. They're only coming to Windows 11 systems, as well as Windows 10 PCs subscribed to Microsoft's Extended Security Updates.Microsoft says many users will be able to pick up the updated Secure Boot certificates by visiting Windows Update, but a few may need additional firmware updates from their system (or motherboard's) OEM. You'll also be able to track the status of your security certificates in the Windows Security app in the coming months.""As cryptographic security evolves, certificates and keys must be periodically refreshed to maintain strong protection," Nuno Costa, Partner Director of Windows Servicing and Delivery, wrote in a blog post today. "Retiring old certificates and introducing new ones is a standard industry practice that helps prevent aging credentials from becoming a weak point and keeps platforms aligned with modern security expectations."Costa says Microsoft has been working with OEMs like Dell and HP to ensure a smooth transition to the new Secure Boot certificates. Many new systems built in 2024 already have the updated certs, while "almost all" devices shipped last year have them as well. Microsoft has also been alerting IT customers to this transition since last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-will-start-refreshing-secure-boot-certificates-in-march-for-windows-11-and-windows-10-esu-users-170000777.html?src=rss

I'm a longtime lover of pen and paper, so E Ink tablets have been intriguing to me ever since they started becoming more widely available. After having hundreds of half-filled notebooks over the years, I, at some point, turned to digital tools instead because it was just easier to store everything on my phone or laptop so I always had my most important information at my fingertips.

Since Apple finally put its mysterious and long-suffering Project Titan out to pasture, we've wondered what a Jony Ive-designed Apple Car might have looked like. Today, we might have a clue. This, though, is no Apple Car. It's the Ferrari Luce ("light" in Italian), the actual name for the EV formerly known as Elettrica, and I'm fresh from getting a walkthrough of the thing from Sir Ive himself. At a glance things look like you might have expected, but there are a few surprises here.While Ferrari has sold hybrids in some form or another since 2013's LaFerrari, Luce (nee Elettrica) will be the company's first all-electric machine. We got our first look underneath back in October, when we saw the chassis, battery pack and other details that pointed to this being a larger, more family-friendly machine than your average Ferrari. Last week, I got a look at the next major component, the interior, which comes courtesy of LoveFrom.LoveFrom is the house that Jony Ive founded after leaving Apple in 2019. The obsessive design firm, which currently numbers about 60 employees, was acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion last year. LoveFrom has thus far taken on a medley of projects, like the $60,000 Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, but the Luce could be among the company's biggest projects so far - at least in terms of literal dimensions.If you're familiar with the designs that Apple produced under Ive's tenure, particularly in the era beginning with the iPhone 4, you'll feel right at home here. The overall aesthetic is one dominated by squircles and circles, all with absolute, minute perfection and symmetry.Ferrari Luce interior designed by LoveFromFerrariAt first blush, it's a bit clinical, but dig deeper, start poking and prodding, and you'll see there's a real sense of charm here. Fun little details and genuinely satisfying tactility begin to reveal themselves. The key, for example, has a yellow panel with an E Ink background. Push the key into the magnetized receiver in the center console, and the yellow on the key dims, moving across to glow through the top of the glass shifter. It's meant to symbolize a sort of transference of life.The shifter isn't the only thing that's glass. There are 40-odd pieces of Corning Gorilla Glass scattered throughout the cockpit, everything from the shifter surround to the slightly convex lenses in the gauge cluster. What isn't glass is aluminum, much of it anodized in your choice of three colors: gray, dark gray and rose gold.Yes, all that sure does sound like I'm writing about a new iPhone and not the latest Ferrari. But where Apple has been pruning every physical control it possibly can from its devices lately, LoveFrom will insert some great tactility in the Luce. The shifter moves through its detents satisfyingly, the air vents open and close with a clear snick and the paddles behind the steering wheel pop with a great feel.My favorite feature is the windshield wiper control, a little dial in the upper-right of the steering wheel face. It features a tiny lens that magnifies the current setting. It's actually magnifying one of four custom OLED panels, 200 ppi units from Samsung, cut and shaped to deliver LoveFrom's ornate style.Ferrari Luce interior designed by LoveFromThe gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, or binnacle as it's more formally called here, is two OLED displays stacked on top of each other, with a physical needle sandwiched between serving as a pseudo-tachometer for this car without an engine. The gauges change and morph as you move from one mode to the next.The center display is a 10.12-inch OLED perforated with plenty of holes to allow some pleasingly chunky toggle switches through, plus a glass volume knob. The little clock in the upper-right can turn into a stopwatch or a compass, with its needles swinging about depending on the mode. The whole central control panel pivots and swivels. Just grab the big handle below and drag it where you want it.The attention to detail on everything is astonishing. Even the rails that hold the seats to the floor are gently shaped and anodized to match the rest of the interior.Ive was on hand to unveil the interior, clearly a little nervous about showing all this for the first time. After five years of working confidentially on this topic, Ive said he was "enormously excited" and "completely terrified" to provide our first real glimpse at the Luce.Marc Newson, who founded LoveFrom with Ive, said: "Jony and I share a really, really deep interest in automotive things and vehicles. Actually, I'd go so far as to say that that is probably a hobby of both of ours."Both Ive and Newson own many vintage machines, and Ive said that modern cars "are missing some things that we love about our old Ferraris." Things like tactility. "It was very clear to us that we needed to figure out as many ways as possible to viscerally and physically connect to the interface," Ive said.Ferrari Luce interior designed by LoveFromSo, while the Luce does have that pivoting touchscreen, it's far from the vehicle's primary interface. Ive said he hopes that physical connection and all the clever touches create a uniquely charming vehicle.Ive told me that the LoveFrom team has genuinely enjoyed working with Ferrari. "It's been really lovely," he said, and he praised Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna's dedication to this project and where it might lead down the road. "Benedetto is an amazing engineer," he said, "he's really interested in what can be learned more broadly."The biggest challenge might have been working within the automotive industry. Here, design, form and function are key, but safety is of the utmost importance. "It's very hard," Ive told me. "I've never worked in an area that's so regulated. Some of it's great, because you understand why, and people's safety is certainly important, but some of it drives you nuts."It's far and away the most exciting and fresh interior I've seen outside of the ultra-rare machines like the $4 million Bugatti Tourbillon. But it's so clinically precise and refined that it lacks the rough and raw feel that typifies many classic Ferraris. Whether that's a good or a bad thing will be debated endlessly, and I look forward to reading your comments, but I do figure it'll go a long way to delivering the kind of new clientele that Ferrari must be targeting with the Luce.Ferrari Luce interior designed by LoveFromUltimately, whether anyone will want one is hugely dependent on how good the rest of the car looks and how much it will cost. Those are questions we still can't answer, at least not until May, when CEO Vigna says we can expect the Luce's full reveal.For Ive, though, it seemed like that won't be the end of the road for this automotive journey. "At the end of a project, there are two products. There's what you've made, and there's what you've learned. I've always been fascinated by what you've learned," he told me. "And honestly, we've learned so much."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/inside-ferraris-luce-ev-the-jony-ive-interior-is-here-130000211.html?src=rss