Roku Outdoor Smart Plug SE Review

Best known for its media streaming devices, Roku has now expanded into the smart home arena. One of its first releases in this space, the $14.99 dual-outlet Outdoor Smart Plug, is a cinch to install, works with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, and reports on your energy usage, all of which make it a strong value. That said, the Wyze Plug Outdoor ($17.99) remains our Editors' Choice winner because it offers better third-party device support via IFTTT for around the same price.

If this Roku plug looks familiar, that's because it's nearly identical to the Wyze Plug Outdoor. The only noticeable difference between the two is that the Roku model has a 5-inch power cord and the Wyze one has a 4-inch cord. Otherwise, the Roku plug has a black finish, measures 3.9 by 2.8 by 1.3 inches (HWD), and sports an IP64 weatherproof rating, which means it can withstand dust ingress and water splashes from all directions. Internal Bluetooth and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radios enable connectivity.

A short power cord with a three-prong plug extends out the back, while the front houses a pair of three-prong sockets that work independently of one another. You control them via two power switches on the top of the device and small LED indicators glow white when they have power. A rubber cover protects them from the elements when they aren't in use. An additional status LED slowly blinks blue when the plug is connecting to Wi-Fi, quickly blinks blue when pairing mode is active, and remains solid blue when the plug is working properly.

You can control the plug with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, but it doesn't work with Apple HomeKit or IFTTT, the latter of which the Wyze Plug Outdoor supports. The good news is that it does interact with Roku's other cameras and doorbells, as well as supports the Roku Voice feature via the company's media streaming remotes (such as the Voice Remote Pro).

All the Roku smart home devices use the same app (available for Android and iOS), and each plug gets a panel on the main screen along with a power switch. Tap either to access a screen with a larger power button that turns purple when the outlet is on or gray when it is off.

At the bottom of the screen are Timer, Vacation Mode, and Usage buttons. The Timer button lets you program the outlet to turn on or off after a certain period. Choose Vacation Mode to configure the plug to randomly turn any connected devices on and off, a useful feature if you want to make it look like there's someone home even if there's not. Finally, tap the Usage button to view daily, weekly, and monthly power usage reports with measurements in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

The gear icon in the upper right corner takes you to the Plug Settings section where you can edit the name of the outlet, set usage reminders for when the plug reaches a kWh threshold, create on and off schedules, and configure a Dusk to Dawn option that turns the plug on at dusk and off at dawn. Here, you can also set up the plug to interact with other Roku devices. Furthermore, you can configure the device to turn on or off based on your location (geofencing) and create a shortcut that lets you power on several Roku devices with a single tap. Other settings let you view device information (IP and MAC addresses, firmware version, and signal strength) and explore help topics.

It didn't take very long to install the Roku Outdoor Smart Plug in testing. To start, I downloaded the mobile app, created an account, and tapped Add New Device on the main screen. Then, I chose Light and Power, selected the Outdoor Smart Plug from the list, and plugged the device into a GFCI outlet. The onboard LED began to quickly blink blue, indicating that the plug was in pairing mode, so I tapped Next and enabled Bluetooth connectivity. The app detected the device shortly after I signed into my Wi-Fi network and then prompted me to add a name for each. To complete the installation, I installed a firmware update.

The Roku Outdoor Smart Plug worked well in testing. It responded instantly to voice and app commands to turn each outlet on and off and followed my schedules to a tee. The Vacation Mode functioned without issue, while usage reports were in line with readings from a Kill-A-Watt meter.

Integrations with other Roku devices also worked well, including a rule I created for one of the outlets to turn on when a Roku Indoor Camera 360 detected motion. Similarly, an Alexa routine I set up for an outlet to power on when a Ring Floodlight detected motion worked without a hitch.

If you need a durable, dual-outlet plug for your backyard that you can control manually, with your phone, or with your voice, the Roku Outdoor Smart Plug is a good choice. It's affordable, works with Roku's expanding lineup of smart home devices, and provides helpful power usage reports. It's especially easy to recommend if you use other Roku devices, though it doesn't support third-party devices via IFTTT like the Wyze Plug Outdoor. That leads us to recommend the Wyze model more highly, but Roku's plug is a compelling alternative for Roku-centric households.

Roku's Outdoor Smart Plug SE makes it easy to control appliances and other electronics with your phone or voice and conveniently tracks how much power they use.

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