Meross Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector: Inexpensive, but...

This affordable power strip features three smart outlets and USB charging, but the company needs to provide more details to merit serious consideration.

- GLENN FLEISHMAN

Smart outlets can be useful as part of smart-home scenes: When the last person in your family has left the house, some lights, appliances, or other devices turn off automatically, and the reverse happens when you return. When you go on vacation, a schedule has smart outlets simulate the pattern of an occupied home to deter burglars.

When you want more than one smart outlet in a certain place in your house, however, many designs take up the space of two AC outlets. You can purchase a two-outlet version of smart plugs, but it's still limiting. Meross Technology tries to overcome multiple limitations with its Smart Wi-Fi Surge Protector (fave.co/3biALYo), and it succeeds-at least from an interface and feature perspective.

This surge protector has three independently controllable AC outlets and a bank of four USB ports, controlled as a group. Each AC outlet is sufficiently well spaced to allow standard plugs and fairly large DC adapters. The power strip includes a 6-foot (1.8-meter) power cord with a standard three-prong outlet. (This model is available in US and UK versions with the appropriate plug end.)