Best Smart Power Strips for Standby Power: 3 Picks

Which type of power strip actually cuts standby power?

Three designs cut standby in different ways. An advanced, master-controlled strip cuts its switched outlets when one control device turns off. A Wi-Fi strip cuts any outlet on a schedule, by voice or from an app. A plain switched strip cuts everything at once, but only when someone remembers. Choose by how your devices are used together.

TrickleStar describes its Tier 1 strips as using current-sensing circuitry that detects whether the device in the control outlet is on, off or in standby. When that device switches off, the switched outlets lose power; the always-on outlets stay live for equipment that must keep running. The Kasa HS300 works the other way around: nothing happens automatically until you create schedules, use voice control or tap the app, but you can see each outlet’s energy use before deciding.

The standby guide’s rule applies to both: the useful saving is the avoidable load minus the control’s own consumption. The guide to finding and reducing standby power explains the measurement side in detail; the worksheet below applies it to a strip purchase.

Standby worksheet: sort, measure, then subtract the strip

Step 1: Sort every plug into one of four groups

Two design facts change the math. First, an advanced strip can’t remove the control device’s own standby draw, because the TV or computer must stay in the powered control outlet to be sensed. Leave that device out of the avoidable total. Second, only switch equipment that tolerates losing power; a console installing an update should finish before the strip cuts it.

Step 2: Measure the switchable group

Use a plug-in meter such as the one in the Kill A Watt P4400 review , or the HS300’s own per-outlet readings, and record accumulated kWh over at least a full day in the “off” state. A momentary watts reading is a weak basis for a yearly figure, because small standby loads fluctuate.

Step 3: Do the net arithmetic

Use these two formulas with your own numbers:

• Avoidable kWh per year = measured standby watts of the switchable group × idle hours per day × 365 ÷ 1,000
• Net kWh per year = avoidable kWh − (the strip’s own draw in watts × 24 × 365 ÷ 1,000)

Suppose your measured standby readings for a soundbar, streaming box and console add up to 9 W, and they sit idle 20 hours a day. Those inputs are illustrative, not product measurements:

• Avoidable: 9 × 20 × 365 ÷ 1,000 = 65.7 kWh per year
• Suppose the strip itself draws 1 W around the clock: 1 × 24 × 365 ÷ 1,000 = 8.76 kWh per year
• Net: 65.7 − 8.76 = 56.94 kWh per year, before multiplying by the per-kWh charges on your bill

Now suppose your measured total were 2 W instead. The avoidable figure falls to 14.6 kWh per year, and the same 1 W strip would take back 8.76 kWh of it, leaving 5.84. The strip’s own draw was not confirmed for any model here, so measure it or keep it as a stated uncertainty. If the net number is small, the strip is a convenience purchase, not an efficiency one.

1. Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip HS300: see and switch each outlet

Model check. The HS300 has six individually controlled outlets and three USB ports. Kasa and TP-Link sell other smart strips with fewer outlets and different features, so don’t assume per-outlet energy monitoring on a different model number. Match “HS300” on the listing.

Why this one. Per-outlet energy monitoring turns step 2 of the worksheet into something the strip does itself: plug the cabinet in, read each outlet in the Kasa app, and schedule off only the outlets whose standby draw justifies it. TP-Link lists ETL-certified surge protection, it needs no hub, and it works with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control. Unlike an advanced strip, it can treat a soundbar and a console differently, which helps when not every accessory follows the TV.

What you give up. Nothing happens until you set schedules or give commands, and the schedules depend on the strip reaching your Wi-Fi from behind a cabinet. The Wi-Fi placement and signal guide covers that reliability question. It also adds an app account holding a record of when your devices run; the energy data privacy checklist lists the account questions worth answering first.

Buy it if you want readings per device, or your devices don’t all follow one main device. Skip it if you want zero setup or no connected account, or only one device matters; a single energy-monitoring plug from the starter smart-plug bundle picks covers that case.

2. TrickleStar TS1006 12-Outlet Tier 1 Advanced PowerStrip: automatic for a big cabinet

Model check. The TS1006 is TrickleStar’s 12-outlet Tier 1 model, laid out as 1 control outlet, 3 always-on outlets and 8 switched outlets. TrickleStar sells several Tier 1 sizes, so match “TS1006” and that outlet split on the listing.

Why this one. A crowded TV, audio or gaming cabinet is the classic “follows one main device” group. With the TV in the control outlet, the switched accessories lose power when the TV turns off and come back when it turns on, with no app, schedule or habit change. The three always-on outlets leave room for a modem, router or recorder in the same cabinet.

What you give up. One device governs all eight switched outlets. If you sometimes play music through the soundbar with the TV off, the soundbar goes dark too. Because sensing depends on the control device’s draw, a TV whose standby mode draws more than the strip expects may not trigger the switch-off; check TrickleStar’s guidance for your control device if the accessories stay powered. You also get no per-device readings, so measure before and after with a plug-in meter.

Buy it if the cabinet has several accessories that are only used with the TV. Skip it if your devices are used independently, where the HS300’s per-outlet schedules fit better.

3. TrickleStar TS1104 7-Outlet Tier 1 Advanced PowerStrip: automatic for a desk or small stand

Model check. The TS1104 is a 7-outlet Tier 1 model laid out as 1 control outlet, 2 always-on outlets and 4 switched outlets. TrickleStar also lists a TS1118 among its 7-outlet Tier 1 models; compare the listing’s outlet layout rather than assuming the two are identical.

Why this one. A desktop computer with a monitor, speakers, a printer and a desk lamp fits the same master-controlled logic in a smaller strip. Put the computer in the control outlet, and the peripherals switch with it. The two always-on outlets can hold a modem and router that must stay online.

What you give up. Four switched outlets fill quickly, and a computer’s sleep mode needs to register as “off” to the strip for the peripherals to switch. As with the TS1006, the control device’s own standby stays on the bill. Confirm the TS1104 model number on the listing before ordering, since TrickleStar’s line includes several similar-looking strips. Amazon availability of this exact model could not be confirmed while researching this page; if the search does not show a TS1104, treat the TS1006 as the pick rather than substituting a look-alike.

Buy it if you have one main device and up to four accessories that only matter when it is on. Skip it if the desk runs equipment that must keep power while the computer sleeps, such as a backup drive mid-copy.

What a smart power strip won’t do

• It won’t reduce energy while devices are in use. The strips cut idle draw; a TV that is on uses the same power.
• It isn’t a substitute for correct ratings. Plug in only loads within the strip’s published rating and follow its manual. Surge protection is a listed feature, not a guarantee against every electrical event.
• It won’t know which devices need power. The sorting in step 1 is your job, and a mistake can interrupt a recording, an update or a network.
• It won’t prove savings on its own. Only the HS300 reports energy, and only for its own outlets. For whole-home context, compare the result with the utility data explained in the smart meter portal guide .

If presence-based rules appeal more than fixed schedules, the timer versus geofence comparison explains which is more dependable for a household like yours.

Sources consulted

• TrickleStar: TS1006 12-Outlet Tier 1 Advanced PowerStrip
• TrickleStar: TS1104 7-Outlet Tier 1 Advanced PowerStrip
• TrickleStar: Tier 1 Advanced PowerStrips collection
• TP-Link: HS300 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip
• Kasa Smart: Wi-Fi Power Strip HS300

Specifications and product identities were compiled through web search on September 29, 2026 and should be confirmed on the seller’s page for your exact size, color, and version. This is researched buyer analysis without hands-on testing.

FAQ

Do smart power strips really save energy?

Only by the standby energy of devices you can safely switch off, minus the strip’s own use. Measure those devices first, because the net figure depends entirely on your readings and idle hours.

What is the difference between a smart power strip and an advanced power strip?

A smart strip usually means Wi-Fi control of individual outlets by app, schedule or voice. An advanced power strip switches a group of outlets automatically when the device in its control outlet turns off, with no app.

What should never go on a switched outlet?

Anything that must stay powered, such as a modem or router, a recorder with scheduled recordings, equipment in the middle of an update, and medical or security devices. Use an always-on outlet or a separate wall outlet.

Does a smart power strip use power itself?

Yes. Any strip with sensing or Wi-Fi electronics draws some power to run them, so treat that draw as an input in the net-savings arithmetic and measure it if the maker does not publish it.