HomeKit Weekly: Shelly Gen4 Plug brings Wi-Fi 6, Matter, and Thread to one smart outlet

Choosing a smart plug often feels like a gamble on which protocol will win the battle. Belkin recently ended support for its Wemo line as well. Apparently Shelly has decided to stop gambling and go all in. I’ve been testing the Shelly Plug US Gen4, and it’s great! It supports Matter, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and, in a rare move for a smart home device, Wi-Fi 6. It also includes accurate power metering, a feature I think is nice for a modern smart plug.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home gadgets, automation tips and tricks, and everything related to Apple’s smart home framework.

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 and Matter

Usually, when you buy a smart plug, you have to choose between Zigbee and Wi-Fi. The Gen4 lets you do both, and it does it better than the competition. Out of the box, it supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which is a really nice addition. Although the pipe dream may be for Wi-Fi 7, it is better than Wi-Fi 5.

What does that matter? Many smart plugs work on older Wi-Fi standards, which can create interesting network complexity. Wi-Fi 6, although not the latest standard, can handle a large number of IoT devices without slowing down your Wi-Fi. It’s fast, reliable, and stays connected even in “noisy” RF environments. I really wish it supported 5 GHz, though

In addition, it supports Matter. This means you can scan the code and add it directly to Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa without a proprietary bridge (you’ll want an Apple TV or HomePod as an Apple Home hub for remote access). If you’re a Home Assistant power user, you can even flash this unit to act as a Zigbee device. With Matter and Wi-Fi 6, the only thing you’re talking about is Tread support.

The killer factor

My favorite feature is the power meter, but there is a catch for Apple users. While the plug collects impressive data, the Apple Home app can’t display power usage charts in a meaningful way.

Shelly solved this in two really clever ways. An LED ring on the face of the plug changes color based on the amount of power being drawn. It glows Green to load the light and switches to Red when you plug in the space heater running at full blast. You can see at a glance if something is drawing power. For a deeper dive, the Shelly Smart Control iPhone app shows you how much energy your lamp, coffee maker, etc. are using.

Because it knows how much power is used on what’s connected to it, you can set some more intelligent security defaults. You set a “forgotten appliance” rule that turns off the plug if it receives high power (such as an iron or hair straightener) for more than 30 minutes.

Finish it

The Shelly Plug US Gen4 may be the new gold standard for what a smart plug should be. It doesn’t force you into a single ecosystem for the sake of Matter, and support for Wi-Fi 6 ensures that it won’t become obsolete next year as Wi-Fi changes. My only complaint is the lack of 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

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