As everyone approaches Thanksgiving, I'm already starting to see retail stores slowly bringing out Christmas merchandise, and there's one thing you'll want to have on hand early — a smart outdoor plug. For outdoor Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, etc. — smart plugs that can withstand moisture and cold weather are a must. Leviton has a great option for decorating your outdoor space with the Matter-enabled smart plug that works great with HomeKit.
Abode Home Security System
HomeKit Weekly is a series dedicated to smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and all things Apple smart home infrastructure.
Why can't you use indoor plugs outdoors?
You might be thinking, “A smart plug is a smart plug, right? Why can’t I use my indoor smart plug outdoors?” Well, it’s not that simple. They’ll technically work, but they probably won’t last an entire season. Indoor smart plugs don’t have the same weather protection as their outdoor counterparts. This includes resistance to rain, snow, and even UV rays from the sun if they’re outdoors. These aren’t just “nice to have” features; they are necessary for the safe operation and manufacture of the product last year.
Equipment Information
The Leviton Outdoor Smart Plug with Matter features robust weather protection rated for a wide operating temperature range (-20 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit) and an IP65 rating to protect against dirt, dust, moisture, rain, sprinklers, hoses, snow, and UV corrosion.
Leviton Outdoor Smart Plug with Matter Equipment Automation
One of the things I liked about the Leviton Outdoor Smart Plug with Matter in my testing is that it provides some hardware automation that I’ve never seen in HomeKit products before. Out of the box, it has a built-in light sensor that can automatically turn on lamps, lights, etc. in the evening and turn them off during the day without having to program a schedule or create any automation. While I have no problem using HomeKit automation, it’s a perfect complement to a smart plug. I’d like to see more vendors work on these types of automations in the future. It can be disabled in the My Leviton app, though. This gives me some ideas for future hardware automation that should be built into other products.
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Adding a Matter Device to HomeKit
A lot of what made HomeKit easy to use is at the core of Matter. Matter allows a HomeKit user to, if you ever want to upgrade to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, know that all of your Matter devices can be easily reused. QR code-based registration of Matter devices is very similar to HomeKit-only devices. Leviton places the Matter code on the bottom of the device, but also includes it in the manual. Especially for outdoor devices, I appreciate having a backup code in case the weather eventually ruins the original.
One thing HomeKit has gotten a lot better at over the years is recommending some automation during setup. As you can see from the photo above, the first two automations are perfect for outdoor lighting. I want it to turn on at sunset and turn off at 11:00 PM.
Leviton Outdoor Smart Plug with Matter Conclusion
Leviton has made a great product with their outdoor smart plug. I like that it supports Matter out of the box without the need for a firmware update, and I like the built-in hardware automation. It's a well-made device that I'll definitely be using on our porch this Christmas to power our Christmas decorations.
You can buy the Leviton Outdoor Smart Plug with Matter on Amazon or Home Depot.
