The Cygnett Smart Plug is a cheap Wifi plug that is Available in Australia. It works without needing a hub and is one of the few Homekit compatible smart plugs. I bought the Cygnett smart plug to test it out with my smart home setup. Here is my full review:
What I like about the Cygnett Smart Plug
Homekit Compatible Smart Plug
The Cygnett smart plug is one of the few Homekit Smart Plugs available in Australia. As this smart plug works with HomeKit you can use Siri and the Apple Home app to control the plug.
You can also take advantage of Apple’s powerful automation features. You can turn the plug on and off when a person arrives home or leaves the house. It can even be setup to turn off when everyone from your household has left. All of this is done with privacy in mind which is one of HomeKits biggest selling points.
Works with Google Assistant and Alexa
This smart plug works with Google Assistant and Alexa so you’ll be able to use those voice assistants to turn the smart plug on and off.
Offset Design
The Cygnett Smart plug is designed for Australian powerpoint. When plugged into the right side of a double outlet it won’t block the other side for standard power cords. In testing I’ve found many other smart plugs block the other outlet, so this is a good feature.
Power Monitoring
If you’re looking to see how much power an appliance is consuming, this can done through the Cygnett App.
Cheaper Smart Plug
The Cygnett Smart Plug is signifcantly cheaper then the Eve and Hue smart plugs. It’s often available on sale for under $20 in Australia.
No Hub Needed
While I do prefer using smart home products that use a hub or bridge, I know many people prefer the simplicity of devices that connect straight to the Wifi. This can have pros and cons. The pros are it’s cheap to add this smart plug to your house and setup is generally very straightforward. The downside is I find smart devices that connect directly to wifi to be more unreliable.
Issues with the Cygnett Smart Wifi Plug
Can be a bit slow to respond
I’ve found that the Cygnett smart plug can be a bit slow to respond. I tested it against a Hue smart plug that was connected with a Hue Bridge. The Hue smart plug turned on without a noticeable delay where as the Cygnett smart plug had a very noticeable lag. The lag isn’t as bad as some devices I’ve tested and for many people it won’t be an issue.
Only works on 2.4ghz Wifi
Your Wifi router has two bands 2.4ghz and 5ghz. Higher end smart devices tend to support both bands as it creates a more reliable connection if they can switch between the two. Cheaper smart home products usually only support the 2.4ghz band. This can cause issues on some routers. I’ve written more on this below and how to fix those issues.
No Thread Support
Thread is a smart home networking standard that is growing in popularity. It’s a mesh network, so instead of each smart home device connecting directly to the router, they can connect to each other. This creates a more reliable smart home setup and Thread should also be much faster to turn on and off devices.
The Cygnett Smart Plug doesn’t support thread and I doubt we will see Thread support anytime soon. I’m not sure if it has the required hardware needed to make this change.
What to know before you buy
Won’t Work on All Appliances
Smart Plugs are generally rated to 10amps. Some appliances tend to draw more power and will cause smart plugs to cut out. They’ll work fine for lights and fans but appliances like coffee machines and some heaters won’t work with these smart plugs.
Fixing Connection Issues with the Cygnett Smart Plug
If you’re having trouble connecting the smart plug I’ve got a couple of tips:
- Use HomeKit – Instead of trying to setup the plug with the Cygnett app try adding it directly to HomeKit. This way you can avoid using the Cygnett app which I’ve found to be quite buggy. The great thing about HomeKit devices is you can scan the HomeKit code using the Apple Home app and you don’t need to install any extra apps or sign up for any additional services.
- Turn off 5ghz – If you can’t get the smart plug to connect to your Wifi, try turning off the 5ghz band. Alternatively you can create seperate names for your 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks. I know on many modern routers (especially mesh routers) this isn’t even possible so you might need to look into an alternative plug. It’s cheaper to replace a plug than an expensive router.
The Best Cygnett Smart Plug Alternatives
These are some of the best Cygnett smart plug alternatives available in Australia:
Eve Energy Smart Plug
If you’re looking for a HomeKit compatible smart plug that also supports Thread, then the Eve Energy is a good option. Like the Cygnett it also has energy monitoring.
Meross Smart Plug
Meross makes two smart plugs. One with HomeKit support and another without. The one without also has energy monitoring. Meross tend to make fairly reliable smart home products that are very competitively priced.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug
The TP-Link Kasa doesn’t support HomeKit but it does work with Alexa and Google Home. It’s a reasonable smart plug that is fairly reliable. It also works without needing a hub. The design of the Kasa is quite slim so it should allow you to use both power outlets.
Philips Hue Smart Plug
If you’re currently using Philips Hue lights with a Hue bridge I would recommend going with the Hue Smart Plug. It works with the Hue Bridge and in my testing is one of the most reliable and fastest smart plugs. If you don’t have the Hue Bridge it will still work as a Bluetooth smart plug but I would only get it if you already have a bridge.
