TP-Link Tapo P110M Review
A great-value, Matter smart plug
Verdict
The TP-Link Tapo P110M gets just about everything right: it’s small enough not to block other plugs; it has energy monitoring; Matter support lets it work with almost every smart home system; and it’s exceptionally good value. If you need a single smart plug, there’s little reason to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Great value
- Energy monitoring
- Matter compatible
Cons
- Manual power button is on the side
Key Features
- Matter compatibleWorks with Matter, so you can directly control this device from any compatible smart home system, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.
Introduction
When choosing a smart plug, you normally have to choose between price and features. Not so with the TP-Link Tapo P110M.
This handy plug has energy monitoring built-in, plus Matter support so it will work with pretty much any smart home system you’ve got. And, it’s incredible value at its retail price, and even better when found frequently for less.
Design
- Small body
- Manual switch on one side
Measuring 73 x 52 x 31mm, the TP-Link Tapo P110M is about as small as smart plugs come, which is good. It means that if you add this to a double socket, you won’t block the second one. You can’t ask for more than that.
Although you’ll probably primarily control the smart plug through an app, there’s a manual override button on the left-hand side, which toggles the plug on and off. That’s handy to have, but I’d prefer it if the button was on top.
As it stands, with the button on one side, the TP-Link Tapo P110M works better in the left-hand side of a double socket, otherwise the button can be hard to reach.
Features and Performance
- Connects via Wi-Fi
- Advanced features through TP-Link Tapo app
- Works with Matter
It makes sense to connect the TP-Link Tapo P110M to the Tapo app first, and get it connected to Wi-Fi (2.4GHz networks supported). Via the Tapo app, you get simple on/off control, plus more advanced features, including energy monitoring.
The main page shows (for Today or This Month) how much power is currently being used, the run time of any connected device, and how much energy has been consumed. Tap Show More and you can see the same statistics, only plotted by the Day, Month or Year; and all data can be downloaded and exported. If you want to keep an eye on how much energy a device is using, then it’s handy to have all of this to hand.
It is a shame that you can’t do more with the information. For example, it would be nice to trigger a notification should power consumption fall below a certain threshold. That’s useful when using the plug with a battery charger, as you know, for example, when your power tools are ready to go.
There are also tools for scheduling and a timer, plus an Away mode, which will turn the plug on and off randomly to simulate when someone’s at home. Plug a lamp or radio into the TP-Link Tapo P110M and this mode can give a bit of extra security.
Matter support means that the TP-Link Tapo P110M will work with any Matter-compliant smart home system, including Apple Home, SmartThings, Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
As the control is direct, you can add the TP-Link Tapo P110M to a smart home system without going through the cloud service. That makes things a lot more reliable and expands the scope of the plug.
I hooked mine up to Apple Home and then used Flick buttons to give me simple on/off control. Overall, regardless of using the Tapo app, or a third-party one, I found the TP-Link Tapo P110M quick to respond to commands and reliable.
Control via a third-party system means that control varies: SmartThings provides timers, for example, but Apple Home doesn’t. And, no third-party system can view the TP-Link Tapo P110M’s energy monitoring statistics.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You want a smart plug with excellent compatibility
At a low price, matter support and energy monitoring make this a top choice for most people.
You need a power strip
A power strip makes more sense if you need smart control over multiple devices in the same location.
Final Thoughts
The TP-Link Tapo P110M gets everything right: it’s small, it supports Matter, it gives you energy monitoring and it’s brilliant value.
If you need more than one smart plug, the four-way Meross Smart Fast Charging Power Strip MSP843P might be better, but the TP-Link Tapo P110M is the best single smart plug. Need something for a specialist purpose? Check out my guide to the best smart plugs.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every smart light we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for at least a week
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each light is to automate
You might like…
FAQs
As the plug is Matter compatible, it will work with any compatible smart home system, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
