I am going to level with you guys for a second – When I first saw The Teckin SP20 Smart Plug, I was very concerned with the low price, to say the least. The price was lower than most similar devices in its category. Then I found out they give you two plugs for roughly the same prices as one. I couldn’t believe it! I started scrolling through the description trying to find fault with it, did I need a hub for an additional $99, did it nuke your router connection every other day on purpose…something that justified the price of less than $20.

In my quest for more knowledge and reason, I skimmed across some of the features and they’re similar to the more prominent names in the industry so nothing new… little further… hold on what’s this about power monitoring… for how much now! That’s not even an option at this price point, except for now it is. In this little device, you will find an awesome feature of being able to see how much power your appliances, lights, toaster oven, electric heater, use during its daily routine. This feature is actually the only reason I got these plugs and why I am writing this review.

The App – Smart Life

Teckin Smart Life App is a breeze with setting up and initial registration. You will definitely need to create and register an account to benefit from all available features. I opted to register by email instead of using my phone number, which sends a verification code to email to complete registration and verification. I have a weird thing about giving out my personal number when signing up for services and accounts. I figure it’s easier to burn an email account than my personal number. I would like to make note that some text in the app and included instruction booklet will show that this app was translated from another language to English, it’s nothing too bad just some broken meanings and lost characters may be noticeable but still easy to read.

The Setup

Next up is the option to choose where my newly acquired plug is going to be used. They offer all the main rooms pre-configured for easy choosing or you can make your own. This can be skipped and is not required to actually control the switches, just a good way to group multiple devices for easy identification and control. I have two switches, so I created two locations – Bedroom for my nightstand light and the Laundry Room for the washer machine.

Now we are going to add the new smart plugs to an account and connect it to a router. Be sure you have your router’s 2.4GHz band password ready. Now the “Welcome Home” screen is the next screen that shows. This screen is where devices can be added and where I will be adding my two new plugs. Selecting my plug device from the available list, it appears they have a pretty extensive catalog with different socket styles for different countries. After finding my plug style, next is the actual setup with syncing everything to your router.

Their provided steps for syncing was easy to follow and very quick to sync and complete with an active progress screen. It appears their walk-through setup instructions have the same level of attention whether connecting a plug or any other device offered in their catalog of devices, so be comfortable knowing that broken English is not an issue with this app and setup. After the required setup is complete and the devices are named and grouped, it’s time to move into the features of the Smart Life App.

Smart Life App Features

I have to say the Smart Life App is very responsive with a unique user interface. It’s has a different layout than most interfaces I am familiar with while still being intuitive enough for navigating to its features. The “Welcome Home” screen is what I would refer to as the Home screen and all my navigation will originate from that location. I will be using an iPhone for this but I am sure other OS users will have similar control and features.

The Power Monitor

The power monitor function is really the number one reason I purchased this smart plug. It’s truly is what separates this plug from the rest in its price range and above. I know that some other brands offer a power monitor and that’s okay. At a lower price, I benefit from having two plugs with this function for the less than the price of one. The monitor screen is fairly accurate and I am very pleased with its performance and layout.

Home – Top Right

At the Top and to the right of the Home Screen, you will find a microphone icon and a plus symbol. The microphone is actually a really neat function called voice assistant that’s provided in the app. It allows you to control the device with your voice similar to other voice assistant devices. There is also an option to add this function to your phone’s Home Screen for easier control without having to navigate through the app. The control words like “turn bedroom light on” are similar to Echo and Google Home, it’s a great idea with a decent execution. Another option that I haven’t really seen at this price point.

Home – Bottom

At the bottom of the app, you will find the Home, Smart, and Me buttons. These three buttons are the main control of your Tekin device through the app. The Home button will always bring you back to the home screen where I find my devices and their quick controls – easy enough.

Smart is where things happen. Here is where you can make a detailed schedule for lights and switches and other devices. Then you can automate that schedule to be active with a button press or an action such as time of day. There are plenty of configuration options here, beyond what I can fit in this review. I do want to point out the Timer has a slider control that shows a numerical value and a Chinese character. That character, in fact, means “seconds”, I confirmed this with a quick time test of 10 seconds. This is not a big deal, just a point to make note of where the price kind of shows with translation.

Me is where I can find my account setup and controls and other related options. There’s a decent and thorough support and help center on this screen. The FAQ has some quick fix support and the bottom has more alternatives to get the help you need. There is also a network checker, but it appears the results are not shown and only used for by tech support to troubleshoot connectivity issues. The issue report section is very detailed and even has some options for images to assist with describing the situation. I, fortunately, did not have to submit any tickets for help so far, but it’s good to know as a consumer that they have a decent and organized area to handle customers concerns and issues.

The Wrap Up

I have to say that this device is a great addition to any smart home ranging from the ones who want to try out something with little invested and all the way to the those who want to expand their set up with other options. The Teckin SP20 Smart Plug has a ridiculously great entry price with a robust user interface that has more than enough control options to get you started and on your way to automating your home and life. I personally think Teckin did a wonderful job with this device and I look forward to the other devices they have to offer with optimism and I am confident my new devices will last and power my smart home for years to come!