Smart plugs aren’t a new concept and have been flooding the market for quite a while now. However up until now most of the smart plugs we have come across are bulky and you’re bound to loose 2 ports if close together. This is why we were excited when D-Link announced their mydlink Mini Wi-Fi smart plug, the DSP-W118.

With a small foot print, the DSP-W118 is not much bigger than an ordinary plug top. It works directly off your existing WI-Fi connection and doesn’t require any additional hub/bridge to interface with it.

Specifications

HIGHLIGHTS

Works with Your Wi-Fi – No additional hub required
Automatic Scheduling and Timers – Easily create on/off schedules for your devices
Voice Control – Works with the Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and IFTTT to turn on and off your device using just your voice.
Easy Setup– Use mydlink app to connect it to your smart home network
Smart Automation with other mydlink devices – Set automation rules that interact with your other mydlink devices

Warranty :	1-Year Limited Warranty
Dimensions (Size) :	58 x 58 x 44/ 64 mm (including prongs)
mydlink enabled :	Yes
Wireless Technology :	N300 (300Mbps)
Passthrough Port :	Yes
Wireless Bands :	Single Band

Closer look

The mydlink Mini Wi-Fi smart plug is shipped in the standard elegant packaging we’re used to see from D-Link. The package highlights all the products’ features and capabilities to make your purchasing decision that much easier.

Opening up the box, you’re offered a neatly packed mydlink mini Wi-Fi plug and a setup guide.

There’s a power button on top of the plug if you wanted to turn off/on the device manually. A status indicator turns on when the plug is operational

Installation

Once you plug the smart Wi-FI plug into a operational plug point, all that’s required to do is scan the QR code provided via the mydlink mobile app and follow the prompts. The process is too easy and doesn’t warrant any technical knowledge to setup.

Performance and usage

The DSP-W118 is capable of WiFi speeds of up to 300Mbps. We didn’t encounter any performance lags and soon as commands are issued through the mobile app, the plug would respond.

The beauty of smart plugs is that, once you have is linked to your Wi-Fi connection, as long as your internet connection is up and running, you can control the smart plug from anywhere in the world. There’s a number of handy use cases benefiting as a result of this.

I had the opportunity to put the DSP-W118 to its real test when we went on a family holiday overseas. It was important for me to resemble normal occupancy of my home during our time of absence so that any would be thieves think twice before using my home as a potential target. By going into the mydlink app, I simply scheduled the time period I would want my bedside table to turn on through the week and let it run as per the schedule.

If you had multiple smart plugs you can potentially expand your options to give dumb devices a smart life. Potentially you could connect these smart plugs to your heater, Television, Air con (as long as max load doesn’t exceed 2300W), kettle or pretty much any other device you can think of.

Imagine walking into a nice warm room during winter just after work where you can remotely turn on your heater at the flick of a button on your mobile. It’s this kind of convenience modern technology offers and the mydlink mini Wi-Fi smart plug does it flawlessly. The use cases for its usage is limited to your imagination really.

We have been using the scheduling feature quite extensively to turn on table lamps and heaters at specific times. For well over a month now, the DSP-W118 never faulted once and performed exactly as expected.

Conclusion

At a price tag of just $39.95, the mydlink mini Wi-Fi smart plug DSP-W118 is an absolute bargain. It gives many dumb electric devices some form of smart capability that makes your life a lot easier. If you’re the kind that generally forgets to turn appliances off before going to work, then the DSP-W118 will be a godsend. No more worrying, simply open up your mydlink app and turn off the appliance remotely. It’s as simple as that. The unit can be integrated with Google Assistant and Alexa giving you additional freedom to control the device. Integration again is very straight forward and works right away.

The key drivers for me is the DSP-W118’s small form factor which doesn’t render adjacent slots useless and the fact that the unit has worked without skipping a beat for well over 2 months now, which is a testament to D-Link’s product quality. If you’re in the market for smart plugs, look no further; the mydlink mini Wi-Fi smart plug will not disappoint.