Meross Matter Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring (4 Pack) Review

The Meross Matter Smart Plug is a compact 13A Wi-Fi socket designed to bridge the gap between different smart home ecosystems like Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home. By using the Matter standard, it avoids the typical 'walled garden' issues of older smart tech. Packaged as a 4-pack, it offers a cost-effective way to control and monitor multiple high-drain appliances across the home. Its slim profile is particularly useful for UK double sockets, often allowing two plugs to sit side-by-side without obstruction.

In daily use, these plugs respond quickly to voice commands and automated schedules. The energy monitoring feature provides real-time and historical data through the Meross app, though users should note that deep data analysis often requires using the manufacturer's own app even when linked to Apple or Google. Connection stability is generally good, provided your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal reaches the socket; however, like most Wi-Fi plugs, they may occasionally requires a power cycle if the router rebooted.

Energy savings depend entirely on how you use the data provided. By using the scheduling feature to turn off devices like coffee machines or media centres overnight, a household could save between £10 and £30 per year depending on the 'standby' pull of the replaced items. The real value is educational—identifying that an old fridge or plasma TV is costing significantly more than expected, prompting a more efficient upgrade that could save hundreds over its lifetime.

Setup is remarkably straightforward thanks to Matter Simple Setup (MSS). You simply scan the QR code using your preferred smart home app. Note that a Matter-compatible hub (like a HomePod, Echo Show, or Nest Hub) is required to use Matter features specifically.

The plug itself consumes less than 1W of power while in standby, costing roughly £2.00 to £2.50 per year per plug at current UK electricity rates.