Eve Energy vs TP-Link Tapo P110M: Thread versus Wi-Fi
Two Matter smart plugs with energy monitoring that work with every major platform. The only real difference is the network underneath, which makes this the clearest Thread-versus-Wi-Fi comparison there is.
By Quiet SwitchUpdated November 1, 2026No sponsored placementSpecs from maker documentation and the live listing
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The Tapo P110M is the better plug for most homes, because it works over plain Wi-Fi with no hub. The Eve Energy is better for Apple homes that already have a Thread border router and want no account and no cloud.
Side by side
TP-Link Tapo P110M
Eve Energy (Matter)
Network
Matter
Thread
Works with
Alexa, Google, Apple, SmartThings
Alexa, Google, Apple, SmartThings
Protocol
Matter over Wi-Fi
Matter over Thread
Monitoring
Per-device energy
Energy + schedules
Size
Compact, single socket
—
Hub
None needed
—
Mesh
—
Acts as a Thread router
Cloud
—
No account required
Best for
The first smart home purchase anybody should make, and the one they end up buying four more of.
An Apple household that wants nothing phoning home and no extra app account.
Eve's listing is unusually specific about what it needs: a hub for your platform, such as an Apple TV 4K (2nd gen, or 3rd gen 128 GB), a HomePod mini, a SmartThings Hub v3, or Echo models including the Echo (4th gen), Echo Hub and Echo Show 8 (3rd gen). With one of those in the house, each Eve plug also strengthens the Thread mesh for battery sensors nearby.
It also promises no Eve cloud, no registration and no tracking. That is a different privacy posture from most Wi-Fi plugs, which pair through a maker's app and account.
What Wi-Fi buys you
No hub, no border router and no second question. The P110M joins your router and appears in whichever platform you use through Matter. The cost is one IP address per plug, which only matters once a home passes a few dozen Wi-Fi devices.
The two cards
Best Smart Plug
TP-Link Tapo P110M
Matter
The first smart home purchase anybody should make, and the one they end up buying four more of.
AlexaYes
GoogleYes
AppleYes
SmartThingsYes
Protocol
Matter over Wi-Fi
Monitoring
Per-device energy
Size
Compact, single socket
Hub
None needed
Matter certified over plain Wi-Fi, so it works on all four platforms without a hub, a bridge or a border router.
Energy monitoring per socket turns 'is the old fridge expensive' from a guess into a number.
Small enough that it does not block the second socket, which sounds trivial until you own one that does.
Skip this ifWi-Fi plugs each take an IP address. Past roughly thirty devices, move to Thread or Zigbee plugs instead.
It needs a hub for your platform that is also a Thread border router. Eve's listing names the Apple, Samsung and Amazon models that qualify.
Does the Tapo P110M need the Tapo app?
Matter lets you add it directly to Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home or SmartThings. The Tapo app adds TP-Link's own features such as detailed energy history.
Which plug is better for energy monitoring?
Both report energy use. The Tapo app and Eve app present it differently; either answers whether an appliance is expensive to run.
Quiet SwitchOne person, no sponsors, no devices owned. Specs come from maker documentation and the live listing; nothing here is written as though it had been tested in this house. How this site works →
