As much as we love smart plugs for their ability to make any old appliance instantly smart, they aren't exactly the best choice when it comes to lamps, light fixtures, or strip lights. That's due to their rather limited nature of only providing users with simple on and off controls—so for lighting, we recommend a Matter-compatible smart dimmer plug.
Matter dimmer plugs combine smooth, flicker-free lighting with hassle-free pairing and a plug-and-play design, letting you dial in the perfect ambience from your favorite smart home ecosystem. If you want to level up your home's lighting, then here's our guide to the best Matter-compatible smart dimmer plugs.
The best Matter-compatible smart dimmer plugs: what to look for
When shopping for a dimmer plug, paying close attention to just a few key areas can go a long way toward narrowing down the right one for your household. We suggest focusing on the following:
- Design: Matter dimmer plugs can be quite bulky. If space behind furniture is a concern, or if you need both receptacles on the wall, choosing a slimmer plug might be your best bet.
- Features: Some dimmer plug options offer multiple on-device outlets and physical remotes. Others support higher brightness or wattage levels, so you may need to make a few tradeoffs depending on your needs.
- Budget: All the plugs in this guide share the same core features—dimming capabilities and remote power controls. So, if budget is a concern, you can save by skipping the aforementioned extras.
One thing that you won't need to take into consideration for a dimmer plug is smart home ecosystem compatibility, thanks to Matter. Smart devices that feature the Matter logo are guaranteed to work with all the major ecosystems out of the box—whether it is Apple Home, Alexa, SmartThings, Google Home, or Home Assistant.
Each ecosystem offers essential features such as scheduling, voice controls, and the ability to work in tandem with other devices, regardless of the vendor, through automation. Most also offer effortless pairing that only requires a scan of the included Matter QR code for setup; however, some plugs that were originally introduced before Matter may require a firmware update through vendor-specific apps.
The best Matter-compatible smart dimmer plugs
TP-Link Tapo Smart Dimmer Plug Kit
TP-Link's Tapo Smart Dimmer Plug Kit is the only Matter-compatible option on the market to feature two outlets, making it an excellent choice for living rooms and bedrooms. To keep things simple, the onboard outlets function simultaneously—with support for up to 150-watt LED loads total—so you won't need to worry about making tedious adjustments to keep brightness levels or power state in sync.
That's not all, though, as Tapo's kit also includes a physical remote control that you can rotate to adjust brightness levels, or click to toggle connected lighting on or off. And, of course, with Matter support via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, it also provides a seamless setup experience and expanded home automation capabilities that you have come to expect with the unified smart home standard.
TP-Link Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Lamp Dimmer Kit P135
Best Price
Leviton Decora Smart Dimmer Plug
As with anything electrical, it's incredibly important to choose a brand that has a proven track record when it comes to safety and reliability. With 120 years of electrical experience under its belt, going with Leviton's Wi-Fi Decora Smart Dimmer Plug is about as safe a choice as it can get.
Leviton's second-generation dimmer plug is also one of the most capable, too, with it handling 100 watts maximum for LED bulbs or 300 watts incandescent and halogen. The plug has its downsides, though, as you may need the company's My Leviton App to download Matter-compatible firmware as it didn't support the standard for its original release, and its physical companion remote switches are sold separately.
Decora Smart Dimmer Plug Wi-Fi 2nd Gen
DEWENWILS Matter Plug-in Dimmer Switch
Despite being a relatively new entrant into the Matter smart home world, DEWENWILS has been making waves by introducing one-of-a-kind lighting solutions—such as low-voltage landscape transformers—as well as other essentials at affordable prices. For its smart dimmer plug, DEWENWILS continues this trend with a $25 offering that promises "two-minute" setup over Wi-Fi and full-range, stepless dimming.
The DEWENWILS Matter Plug-in Dimmer Switch is compatible with most dimmable light bulbs, offering support for up to 75-watt LED/CFL bulbs, or 200 watts for incandescent/halogen bulbs. It also sports on-device controls for both power toggling and dimming, but unfortunately, the plug doesn't come with a remote.
Dewenwils Smart Dimmer
Best Price
Add a touch of ambiance with the best Matter-compatible smart dimmer plugs
Although Matter-compatible options are limited, the dimmer plugs mentioned in this guide are more than capable of delivering an upgraded lighting experience for the inside of your home. TP-Link's Tapo Smart Dimmer Kit gets our top pick for its unique dual-outlet design that can control two lights at once and for its inclusion of a handy physical remote in the box.
If reliability is of the utmost importance for your home, then Leviton's Decora Smart Dimmer Plug might be the one for you. Not only does Leviton's second-generation dimmer plug handle high wattage loads safely, but it is also from a tried and true company that has been in the electrical industry for over 100 years.
