Humax enters the smart home, debuting a Wi-Fi plug that monitors your energy usage

Set-top box giant Humax has announced a new Wi-Fi smart plug, in a surprise entry into the smart home market.

The company is best known for its Android TV, Freeview and Freesat boxes, though its new smart accessory hints at a pivot to the wider smart home.

The plug itself can be linked to both Google Assistant and Alexa, acting as a smarter alternative to regular options.

However, more advanced integration for Humax Aura owners is available via Google Home, with the plug able to be turned on and off via the set-top box's remote.

For those who want their own sequences, the Humax Wi-Fi Smart Plug can also be weaved into the world of IFTTT.

As with rival plugs, the accessory can also be controlled via the app in order to set schedules, with Humax Smart Living (available on iOS and Android) allowing users to set timers and schedules for the plug and its connected devices to be turned on or off.

Interestingly, it will also log the energy consumption of the plugged-in devices, providing a look at current, power, voltage and total kWh. This is then all fed back into the app, which allows users to track trends in graphs over time - and, of course, use this to potentially cut down on their energy usage.

There's even a child-proof closure that covers the plug's three pins, in order to protect kids against accidental shocks.

The plug will retail for £14.95 and is available from Humax, though we're unsure when or if the device will make it to other markets.