Let me start by saying these smart plugs are a decent entry point into home automation. The setup was surprisingly quick - I had all four connected to the Smart Life app in under 10 minutes. The ability to control appliances remotely is genuinely useful. I've been using them for my coffee maker and lamps, and there's something magical about waking up to freshly brewed coffee without leaving bed.

However, the design is problematic. These plugs are bulky monsters that hog outlet space like greedy toddlers. In my bedroom where outlets are scarce, plugging in one of these meant sacrificing the adjacent socket entirely. The square shape makes it worse - previous round smart plugs I've used at least allowed partial use of neighboring outlets.

The Alexa integration was hit or miss. Two plugs connected seamlessly to my Echo Dot, while the others refused despite multiple attempts (and yes, I tried all the troubleshooting steps). When they work with voice commands though, it's smooth sailing - 'Alexa, turn on the living room lamp' never gets old.

The timer function works reliably once set up. I've been using it for my holiday lights with great success. But be warned - if your WiFi drops frequently, these plugs can be temperamental about reconnecting automatically.

For the price, they're okay if you get a good set (quality control seems inconsistent based on other reviews). But if outlet space is limited in your home or you need flawless Alexa integration, you might want to consider spending a bit more on a different brand.