'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Leviton launches new smart home devices, including first Matter outdoor plug
Looking for ways to save money on utility bills can lead you to create an entire smart home setup -- one that can automatically turn lights off when you forget before bed, set up automations for when smart plugs come on or off, and even fully monitor your home energy consumption. Companies like Leviton are committed to offering these solutions.
Also: 5 things I learned while building my smart home
Leviton launched the second-generation Decora Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug-in Switch and a new residential energy management system, including a Whole-Home Energy Monitor and new Smart Circuit Breakers for its Leviton Load Center.
Leviton Decora smart Wi-Fi outdoor plug-in switch
Designed for outdoor use with water and extreme temperature resistance (-20 degrees F to 122 degrees F), the 2nd-generation Decora Outdoor Plug-in Switch is the first outdoor smart plug to support Matter, the newest smart home connectivity standard.
A smart outdoor plug is perfect for backyard string lights, holiday lights, decorations, music players, and outdoor devices like fans or pumps. The Matter connectivity, which sets the Decora Outdoor Plug-in Switch apart from others, enables you to use it with your preferred home automation system as long as you have a Matter controller.
Matter controllers include hubs and smart speakers certified to work with Matter, like most Amazon Echo speakers, the Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini, Google Nest Hub, Samsung SmartThings Station, and many others.
Also: Everything you need to start building a smart home
Some extra functionalities include a built-in light sensor to pair with automations, like running the plug from dusk until dawn, and compatibility with Leviton's Anywhere Switch, which you can install wirelessly in your home to control the plug.
Priced at $55, the Leviton Decora smart Wi-Fi outdoor plug is available for sale on Amazon and Home Depot.
Leviton's new smart home energy management solution
Leviton also expands its home energy management solutions by adding a whole-home Energy Monitor and second-generation Smart Circuit Breakers.
The combination allows users to turn the circuit breakers on or off remotely, schedule activity based on reduced energy rate periods, and set up automatic shedding of non-essential loads, all from their phones via the My Leviton app.
"Leviton continues to equip homeowners with the necessary insights to control their expenses and environmental impact, focused on meeting tomorrow's electrical needs via a single app for lighting, load control, and EV charging," said Justin Berghoff, senior director of business development and product management for Leviton. "As a natural progression of Leviton's expertise, we're excited to give homeowners more power to manage their energy usage and an improved breakdown of total production/consumption via the My Leviton app."
Also: SwitchBot's Curtain 3 robot to launch this week, and Curtain 2 is now 25% off
The My Leviton app unifies control for these devices and other Leviton offerings, like the Decora Smart Wi-Fi Lighting line and Evr-Green electric vehicle charges.
Customers with an existing Leviton Load Center can easily install the Leviton Whole Home Energy Monitor and remove standard circuit breakers from the panel to replace them with the new 2nd-generation Smart Circuit Breakers. Homeowners can do this, or certified electricians and panels can have a combination of basic and smart circuit breakers in the Leviton Load Center.