Any surge protector will eventually wear out and fail to protect the devices plugged into it, but this one has no mechanism to warn you when that inevitability occurs.
At a glance Expert's Rating Pros 3 individually controlled smart outlets (+3 dumb outlets) 3 fast-charging USB outlets Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and IFTTT Cons Gives no warning when it can no longer provide surge protection Surge protection limited to 205 joules Our Verdict Don't buy this multi-outlet for its surge protection feature, as it won't warn you when it can no longer deliver it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender (model P306) Retailer Price $34.99 View Deal Product Price TP-Link's Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender has some great features, as well as one critical shortcoming that prevents us from recommending it. Tapo doesn't make big promises for this product in terms of its surge protection, but it does list a key feature on the box: the ability to warn you when it can no longer provide surge protection. Amazon's Spring Sale is now until March 31, 2025! We're rounding up the best deals across all sorts of tech, including storage, laptops, hubs & more. If you're considering buying Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender for that feature, don't. Here's why. The Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender isn't all bad news—provided you're not buying it for surge protection. Most surge protectors use sacrificial MOVs (metal oxide varistors) to absorb excess voltage from power surges, and this one is no exception. The thing is, MOVs wear out over time, losing some of their ability to absorb that excess voltage with each power surge until they can no longer offer any protection at all. Since the number and severity of power surges will vary based on a wide range of factors, starting with the quality of power coming from your utility, it's impossible to predict when a given surge protector's MOV (or MOVs, as the case may be) will wear out. The outlets on the Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender…
Author, Michael Brown, .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow, Class, Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus, Display Inline, .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar, Where Img, Height Auto Max-Width, Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar