ANTELA Smart Plug + Energy Monitoring (4 Pack) Review

This 4-pack of 13A smart plugs is designed for the UK market, featuring standard 3-pin compatibility and a compact profile. Unlike basic smart plugs, these include internal metering to track the electricity consumption of whatever is plugged into them. They connect directly to your home Wi-Fi network (2.4GHz band) and are managed via the Smart Life or Tuya apps, which are widely considered the industry standard for budget smart home ecosystems.

In testing, these plugs respond quickly to app commands and voice triggers via Alexa and Google Home. The energy monitoring feature provides real-time wattage and historical data, which is useful for checking if a fridge is cycling correctly or if a TV is drawing too much in standby. However, users may find the app interface a bit cluttered, and like many budget plugs, they can sometimes 'drop' from the network if your router is forced to handle too many simultaneous connections.

Realistic savings depend entirely on how you use the scheduling and monitoring features. By identifying a device that draws 10W on standby and using a schedule to turn it off for 20 hours a day, you could save roughly £8–£10 per year per plug at current UK electricity rates (c. 24.5p/kWh). The primary value lies in 'behavioural change'—using the data to realise which appliances are expensive to run and adjusting your habits accordingly.

Installation requires the Smart Life app and a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal. If you have a modern dual-band router, you may need to temporarily disable the 5GHz band to ensure a successful initial pairing.

Negligible. Each smart plug consumes approximately 0.5W–1W in standby mode to maintain its Wi-Fi connection, costing less than £2 per year to run.