Choosing a smart plug often feels like a gamble on which protocol will win. Belkin has ended support for its Wemo series. Shelly seems to have given up on gambling and decided to include everything. I tested the Shelly Plug US Gen4 and it’s fantastic! It offers support for Matter, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and rare for a smart home device, Wi-Fi 6. Additionally, it features precise power measurement, which is a great feature for a modern smart plug.

HomeKit Weekly is a series covering everything related to smart home accessories, automation tips, and Apple’s smart home framework.

Connection: Wi-Fi 6 and Matter

Typically, when you buy a smart plug, you have to choose between Zigbee and Wi-Fi. The Gen4 allows you to do both and does it better than its competitors. Right out of the box, it offers support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which is a really nice addition. While Wi-Fi 7 is a dream, it’s better than Wi-Fi 5.

So why is this important? Most smart plugs operate on older Wi-Fi standards, which can lead to some interesting network complications. While not the latest standard, Wi-Fi 6 can manage dozens of IoT devices without slowing down your Wi-Fi. It maintains connections even in faster, more reliable, and “noisy” RF environments. However, I really wish it had 5 GHz support.

On top of that, it also has Matter support. This means you can scan the code and add it directly to Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa without needing a special bridge (you will need an Apple TV or HomePod for remote access to Apple Home). If you are a power user of Home Assistant, you can update this unit to work as a Zigbee device. With Matter and Wi-Fi 6, the only missing feature is Thread support.

Highlighted Feature

My favorite feature is power measurement, but there is a downside for Apple users. While the plug collects great data, Apple’s Home app does not display energy usage graphs meaningfully.

Shelly solved this with two really clever methods. The LED ring on the face of the plug changes color based on the amount of power drawn. It glows green under a light load and turns red when a high-power device like an electric heater is plugged in. You can instantly see whether something is drawing power or not. For an in-depth review, the Shelly Smart Control iPhone app shows exactly how much energy your lamp, coffee maker, etc. is using.

Since it knows how much power is being used, you can set up very smart security automations. If it detects high power draw for more than 30 minutes (like an iron or hair straightener), you can create a “forgotten device” rule that turns off the plug.

Review

The Shelly Plug US Gen4 could be the new gold standard for smart plugs. Thanks to Matter, it doesn’t force you into a single ecosystem, and Wi-Fi 6 support guarantees that it won’t become obsolete in the next year as Wi-Fi evolves. My only complaint is the lack of 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

You can purchase the Shelly Plug US Gen4 from Amazon or directly from the Shelly store.