Gosund Smart Plugs - The Comprehensive Guide

Smart plugs are some of the most essential devices available for all smart home enthusiasts.

Transforming your entire home into a smart home – one that’s completely connected and accessible through your smartphone or voice – is extremely tempting. But there’s only one major consideration – replacing all of your dumb devices with smart ones isn’t just inconvenient but it can also set you back thousands of dollars.

That’s where smart plugs come in.

With smart plugs, you can transform all of your dumb objects into smart devices for just a few hundred dollars. By connecting your products and devices to smart plugs, you can control them through your apps and set schedules.

Furthermore, smart plugs aren’t just cheap but they’re also portable, so you can carry your smart home around!

Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs are currently some of the most versatile yet affordable smart plugs on the market. Founded in 2007, the company now specialises in IoT, AI, and smart home design in the US and Hong Kong.

In this article, we discuss every single aspect of Gosund smart plugs and explore what sets them apart from other smart plugs.

Different Types of Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs

Gosund WiFi smart plugs are available in two major types based on both style and power. Some Gosund smart plugs are circular whereas others are rectangular; some are rated at 10 Amps with a maximum power rating of 1100W while others are rated at 16 Amps with a maximum power rating of 2000W. Geographically, Gosund WiFi smart plugs are designed for the US, UK, Europe, and Germany. 

American Standard Plugs

British Standard Plugs  

European Standard Socket 

Design Highlights of Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs

The first thing that stands out about Gosund WiFi smart plugs is the simplicity of design.

The Gosund Mini Smart WiFi Plug is a small circular plug measuring only 2.1 x 1.9 x 1.1 inches. It’s suitable for US Type B sockets, is completely white, and features an LED power button on the side. The Gosund Dual 2-in-1 Smart Plug has a 2-in-1 compact size – it measures 3.7 x 2.2 x 1.5 inches but includes two US Type A style prongs.

The Gosund smart plug also comes with an LED indicator light on the side. Depending on the status of the smart plug, the indicator will either be blue or red. The blue light indicates ‘not connected’ and the red light indicates ‘connection successful’.

The biggest issue with this smart plug’s design is that you can only fit a single Gosund Mini Smart WiFi Plug into a traditional typical duplex electrical outlet. This is an issue that continues to plague several smart plugs, so Gosund is certainly not alone in this. However, you can use the remaining socket to plug another device with a smaller plug.

Best Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Alternatives

Before we discuss all of the details of the Gosund WiFi smart plugs, let’s take a brief look at how it stacks up against its primary competitors from brands like Teckin, Amazon, Kasa, and TanTan.

Does Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Need a Smart Hub?

One of the best aspects of the Gosund WiFi smart plug is that it doesn’t need a smart hub to function.

A lot of smart plugs and smart devices use external devices – smart hubs – to connect to the wireless network and all your other devices. Not only is that inconvenient, but it’s also more expensive because smart hubs may cost several hundred dollars.

Gosund WiFi smart plugs connect to your 2.4GHz wireless network directly to communicate with your other devices. You simply have to download the smartphone app and control all the devices connected to the smart plugs.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Setup

The Gosund WiFi smart plug can easily be plugged into a Type B socket and the complete installation process takes less than 10 minutes.

All you have to do is plug it in, download the Gosund Smart Life app on your iOS or Android device, and connect it to your 2.4GHz wireless network. Please note that Gosund WiFi smart plug doesn’t work with a 5GHz wireless network – only 2.4GHz wireless networks are compatible.

While the installation itself is fairly simple, some people may be a little confused about the smartphone app initially. Gosund WiFi smart plugs can be used with two smartphone apps – Gosund and Smart Life. Gosund is the official smartphone app and Smart Life is a third-party app that has Gosund’s approval (especially since it’s mentioned in their packaging as well). Either of them can be used to control your Gosund smart plus, but that also makes it slightly confusing.

However, out of the two smartphone apps, we found that Smart Life is the better app since the Gosund app is riddled with glitches. Below, we’ll show you how to set up, install, and control Gosund WiFi smart plug using Smart Life for iOS and Smart Life for Android.

The following is an overview of the steps involved in the installation and setup of Gosund WiFi smart plugs:

• Search for Smart Life on iOS or Android and install it on your phone. It’s compatible with iOS 8.0 and above and Android 4.4 and above.
• Tap ‘Register’ to create an account either using your email address or mobile number.
• Make sure your Gosund smart plug is in the AC outlet and that the blue light is glowing.
• Tap the ‘+’ icon or the ‘Add Device’ option.
• You now have two options to add your Gosund smart plug. You can search for the Gosund smart plug from the ‘Add Manually’ option or you can ‘Auto Scan’. If you tap ‘Auto Scan’, the smartphone app will automatically scan for all the Gosund smart plugs in the area.
• Connect your smart plug to a 2.4GHz network.
• On the home screen, you can now see a list of all your Gosund smart plugs and their statuses. You can toggle the switch on or off depending on whether you want its connected device to be turned on.
• You can also tap on individual plugs to access their settings.
• By clicking on the pencil sign on top, you can give custom names to each of the smart plugs.
• Once you’re in their settings, you can set up timers and schedules for when the Gosund smart plugs should be turned on or off.
• The ‘Smart Scenes’ tab lets you configure several of the smart plugs as a single unit. For example, you can combine the smart plugs in your kitchen as a single ‘scene’, which will let you control all of them with a single tap.
• With the ‘Automations’ tab, you can also set up automation based on various conditions like temperature, humidity, sunrise and sunset, weather, and others.

What Can you Do with the Gosund WiFi Smart Plug?

Gosund WiFi smart plugs are extremely cheap, but have enough advanced features to compete with all the best smart plugs on the market. The following is a detailed description of all of Gosund smart plug’s features.

Remote Control

The best (and most obvious) feature of Gosund smart plugs is that they can be remotely controlled through the smartphone app. No matter where you are in the world, you can simply go through your smartphone app to check which devices are turned on or off. As long as your phone is connected to the internet, you can remotely turn your devices on or off from anywhere in the world.

Has it ever happened to you that you went to work and realised you’ve left the heating on? Or you’ve just tucked yourself into bed and you realise the kitchen lights are on? Well, with Gosund smart plug, you don’t have to go all the way back home or step out of bed, you can simply do what is needed through the app!

Voice Control

Gosund WiFi smart plugs are compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant. As such, you can control your smart plugs through any Alexa or Google Home devices as well. As long as you have at least one related smart speaker or smart hub, you can easily set up these ecosystems for voice controls.

You can also set up both Alexa and Google Home compatibility simultaneously and control your devices using either of them. Let’s say one of your smart plugs is labelled ‘Kitchen Smart Plug 1’ – in that case, you can control it by saying “Alexa, turn on the Kitchen Smart Plug 1” or “Hey Google, turn on the Kitchen Smart Plug 1”. This will instantly turn the necessary smart plug on.

Now that the Gosund smart plugs have been inducted into the Alexa and Google Home ecosystems, you can also avail of some of their features. For example, you can set up routines to trigger a chain of functions with a single command.

When it comes to voice control, one of the biggest issues with this smart plug is the lack of compatibility with Apple HomeKit, which means you can’t voice control it with Siri. As such, it may not be the ideal smart plug for hardcore Apple consumers.

Schedules & Timers

One of the standard features of smart plugs is the ability to create schedules and timers. Gosund WiFi smart plugs perform these functions beautifully, allowing you to set schedules and timers conveniently without any hassle.

The timer function is useful when you want the smart plug to turn on or off within a period of time. For example, let’s say you’re baking and your oven is connected to your smart plug – in this case, you can use the smartphone app to set up a 30-minute timer to ensure the oven turns off. This saves you the trouble of having to be mindful of the working oven.

Schedules are different from timers because they don’t relate to a specific countdown or period of time. You can set schedules to perform certain routine actions at specific times in the day. For example, let’s say you want all the lights in the house to turn on promptly at 5pm, when it gets dark, you can set that schedule for all the relevant smart plugs. You can likewise schedule them to turn off at 11pm or 12pm or any time you choose.

Schedules and timers are the best means of powering your devices on and off automatically without actively monitoring them. This is also really helpful because it helps you conserve energy by making sure all your devices turn off automatically at specific times even if you forget.

Scenes

One of Gosund smart plug’s best and most advanced features is the ability to create Scenes. On the Smart Life app, you’ll find a tab called ‘Scenes’. This allows you to set up a group for several smart plugs to perform a specific action.

It also allows you to create groups based on various features or functions. You can create groups based on location like ‘Bedroom’, ‘Kitchen’, ‘Bathroom’, etc. This will let you control all of the smart plugs in a specific room with a single tap.

You can also create Scenes like ‘Morning’, ‘Sunset’, ‘Night’, ‘Away’, etc. This will allow you to create specific functions pertaining to these moments. For example, you can group all the smart plugs connected to the lamps into a single scene called ‘Sunset’ and schedule them to turn on at 5pm.

Basically, the Scenes feature is an extremely convenient means of controlling several devices at the same time.

Automation

One of the most surprising features of the Gosund smart plug is the ability to set automated functions. In most cheap smart plugs, you can only set schedules and timers based on time.

However, with Gosund smart plugs, you can create specific actions based on triggers like temperature, humidity, weather, and sunrise and sunset. Furthermore, the specification goes even deeper. Within Weather, you can set up actions for triggers like Rainy Day, Sunny Day, Overcast Day, and Snowy Day.

What Features are Missing from the Gosund WiFi Smart Plug?

There’s a lot that the Gosund smart plug can do. But even so, it’s important to note that Gosund WiFi smart plugs are also conspicuously missing two important features.

Energy Reports

A lot of advanced and modern smart plugs give you energy reports on your smartphone. They give you a detailed overview of the energy consumption of specific devices and also give you a detailed monthly report so you can track your energy usage.

Some smart plugs even go so far as to let you set up personal goals for your energy usage and actively help you keep energy consumption within those limits.

Gosund WiFi smart plugs, however, don’t provide any energy reports – not even at the most basic level. However, Gosund smart plugs already offer a lot of advanced features – Scenes & Automation – for such a cheap device, so we’re willing to give it a pass on this front.

HomeKit Compatibility

Gosund WiFi smart plugs aren’t compatible with HomeKit, which means they lack iOS integration and Siri voice control. Apple users can still use Gosund smart plugs, but they can’t connect it to the same ecosystem as all their other HomeKit devices or access Siri voice controls. As such, Gosund WiFi smart plugs aren’t ideal for Apple nativists. 

Best Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Hacks and IFTTT Recipes

IFTTT (If This, Then That) is the best application used to automate smart homes. Gosund WiFi smart plugs are compatible with this application and you can use it to control your smart plug’s reactions to different events. For example, you can set up a smart plug so that a light turns on whenever your entry sensors are triggered.

Gosund WiFi smart plugs work with the Smart Life app, which has great IFTTT integration as well. Below, we’ll discuss some quick hacks and tips on how to best leverage the possibilities of IFTTT to automate your smart home.

Requirements:

The following are the basic requirements you need:

• Stable 2.4GHz wireless connection.
• Smartphone.
• Installed Smart Life app.
• Connected Gosund smart plugs.
• An IFTTT account.

IFTTT Setup

The following steps show you how to set up an IFTTT account and enable Smart Life:

• Download IFTTT from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
• Register an account using your Google or Facebook accounts. You can also create a fresh account using your email address.
• Tap ‘Search’ at the bottom of the IFTTT screen and look for ‘Smart Life’.
• Enter your Smart Life credentials when prompted.
• Tap ‘Link Now’.

Creating Applets

Applets refer to complete tasks that comprise conditions and smaller functions. For example, if the motion detection is triggered, the smart plug should turn the light on – this is an applet.

The following steps show you how to create these applets to control your smart plug:

• The first thing you need to do is configure ‘This’ to set up a trigger. Go to ‘My Applets’ and then tap the ‘+’ icon.
• Tap ‘This’ and select ‘Smart Life’ to enter a condition.
• Select your Gosund smart plug from your Smart Life detail trigger.
• Now configure ‘That’, i.e., the final function served by the trigger. You can set up any function you want, such as sending you an email notification. In that case, you’ll have to select ‘send me an email’ and enter the contents of the email.
• Finally, tap the ‘✓’ icon and end with ‘Finish’.

This will save the applet so you can perform that function with the tap of a single button. If you don’t want to create an applet yourself, you can also go through IFTTT’s list of prepared applets made by other Smart Life users.

Examples of Applets:

The following is an example of some of the many functions you can perform with IFTTT and Smart Life using your Gosund smart plug:

• Turn off devices when you’re not home.
• Turn off smart plugs at night.
• Turn on smart plugs at sunset.
• Turn the lights on or off at a specific time.
• Activate a specific Scene.
• Change the colour of the lights according to the weather – cyan when it’s raining and orange when it’s sunny.
• Turn the smart plugs on using your voice through Google Assistant or Alexa.
• Set up notifications for device activation.
• Trigger a Scene whenever you reach home.
• Change the brightness and colours of your smart lights.
• Turn the heating on when you’re about to reach home.
• Turn the AC off when you leave.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs compatibility with virtual assistants

As previously mentioned Gosund WiFi smart plugs are compatible with your Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant devices. As such, you can use your voice to control your smart plugs, either individually or in groups. The best part of this is that you don’t have to even open your app to control your smart plugs, and, by extension, your devices.

However, compatibility is limited to Alexa and Google Assistant. Gosund WiFi smart plugs aren’t compatible with HomeKit, which means there’s no iOS integration and you can’t control it using Siri's voice. Gosund WiFi smart plugs also lack Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave radios, which means they’re not compatible with several other smart home ecosystems such as Samsung SmartThings.

Amazon Alexa and Google Home are the most popular smart home ecosystems and Gosund WiFi smart plugs are compatible with them – which is great. But it’s still not compatible with several other smart home ecosystems so you’ll have to make sure it’s the right smart plug for you.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs and Alexa

The following is a detailed instruction of how to connect your Gosund WiFi Smart Plug to Alexa:

• Gain access to an Alexa-enabled device like an Amazon Echo.
• Complete your Smart Life app installation procedure.
• Set up unique names for all your Gosund smart plugs since you’ll need to name them specifically.
• Download the Amazon Alexa app from Google Play Store or App Store.
• From the top left corner, tap on the three horizontal lines and select ‘Skills and Games’.
• Search for ‘Smart Life’ and enable the skill.
• Enter your Smart Life credentials to create a link between your Gosund, Smart Life, and Amazon Alexa.
• With the ‘Discover Devices’ option, Alexa will locate all your Gosund smart plugs.
• You can either configure the smart plugs in a group with other devices or tap ‘skip’.
• Now you can start controlling your Gosund smart plugs with commands like “Alexa, turn on the microwave.”

Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs with Google Home and Assistant

The following is a detailed instruction of how to connect your Gosund WiFi smart plug to your Google Home:

• You need a Google Home hub or smart speaker.
• Complete the Smart Life installation.
• Provide unique names to all of your Gosund smart plugs.
• Connect your Gosund smart plugs to the correct AC outlet and make sure they’re linked to your Smart Life account.
• Download the Google Home app from the Play Store or App Store.
• Tap the ‘+’ icon.
• Search for ‘Smart Life’.
• Enter your Smart Life credentials.
• Google Home will automatically detect all of your linked smart plugs, so you can control them with Google Assistant.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs and Apple HomePod and Siri

As mentioned previously, Gosund WiFi smart plugs aren’t yet compatible with Apple HomePod and Siri.

Using Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs Outdoors

Gosund doesn’t yet have any smart plugs that carry a weatherproof rating or can be used outdoors. So far, all Gosund WiFi smart plugs are meant for indoor use only.

Using Gosund WiFi Smart Plugs in the US, the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and the EU

Most Gosund WiFi smart plugs are meant for use in the US – they can either fit into the standard Type A or Type B outlets. Your choice of the smart plug will determine which type of electrical outlet you use them in.

If you want to use Gosund Smart Plug in the UK, you can get the Gosund Mini WiFi Smart Plug for the UK – it’s a 16 Amp smart plug, compatible with a standard UK socket.

If you want to use the Gosund Smart Plug in Germany, you can get the Smart Steckdose SP111. 

or the Gosund WLAN Smart Steckdose, both of which are suitable for the standard sockets used in Germany.

If you reside anywhere else in the world – Australia, Ireland, Canada, etc – you can use Gosund WiFi smart plugs as long as they’re compatible with your electrical outlet.

Are there any Concerns about the Gosund WiFi Smart Plug?

There are no security or technical concerns, but the following is a brief recap of some of Gosund’s primary drawbacks:

• Gosund smart plugs are only compatible with 2.4GHz wireless networks – not 5GHz.
• You don’t get an energy report from Gosund smart plugs.
• Gosund smart plugs aren’t compatible with Apple HomeKit, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave radios.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Prices

Gosund WiFi smart plugs are some of the cheapest smart plugs on the market by a significant margin. The Gosund Mini Smart Plug currently costs only $8.99 on Amazon and a Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Outlet Dual Extender currently costs only $15 a pair on Amazon. You can also get a 4-Pack set of Gosund Mini Smart Plugs at a significant discount for only $29.99.

Gosund WiFi Smart Plug Guide – Troubleshooting

Gosund WiFi smart plugs are pretty stable and don’t usually act up, but if you do run into some issues, you can easily troubleshoot it by following the setup guide. You can also reach customer service with questions at [email protected]. The following is a brief overview of some common troubleshooting solutions.

Smart Life app can’t find the Gosund WiFi Smart Plug:

• Make sure that your smart plug and mobile phone are both connected to the same WiFi network, that the WiFi is stable, and that the smart plug is connected to a 2.4GHz network.
• Reset the smart plug – press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. The LED indicator will flash green and the smart plug will reset.

Smart Plug Doesn’t Turn On or Off with the App:

• Switch the smart plugs in the app to the ‘On’ position.
• Make sure your smart plug and mobile phone are on the same WiFi network.
• Reset the smart plug to factory settings and install it again.

Can’t Configure Gosund Smart Plug:

• Reset the Gosund Smart Plug by holding the power button for 10 seconds until the LED indicator blinks green.
• Use the Smart Life app to reconfigure the smart plug.
• Follow the initial setup instructions.

LED Isn’t Working:

You may have deactivated the LED in the app. Turn it back on.

How to Perform a Factory Reset.

• Unplug the Gosund smart plug.
• Press and hold the power button.
• Plug it into the power outlet again and release the power button.
• The LED indicator will be solid once the factory reset is complete.

I Changed my Router and My Smart Plug isn’t Working Now:

If you change your router, you need to set up your smart plug all over again. Factory reset the smart plug and follow the installation process all over again.

Conclusion

All things considered, Gosund WiFi smart plugs are certainly some of the best indoor smart plugs on the market that perfectly balance affordability with advanced features. Sure, you don’t get the kind of comprehensive smart home integration as you do with some other smart plugs, but if you’re on a budget, you can’t do better than this.