By Kieran Molloy — Software developer, reluctant DIYer, and someone who has been meaning to sort out his smart home setup for approximately three years.
The Smart Home That Wasn't
I work in tech. I should, by rights, have a properly set-up smart home. Instead, I had a collection of smart plugs in various states of connectivity, a voice assistant that worked about 70% of the time, and a growing sense that the whole thing was more effort than it was worth.
The specific problem was the living room. I had a floor lamp, a TV unit with several devices, and a phone charging station — all plugged into a standard double wall socket that I had to physically reach behind the sofa to switch off. Every evening. Without fail. It sounds trivial. After three years it had become a genuine source of low-level irritation.
I'd looked at smart plug adapters but they were bulky, they stuck out from the wall, and they added another layer of app complexity to a setup that was already too complicated. What I actually wanted was a smart socket — something that replaced the wall plate entirely and looked like it belonged there. I went looking for one that didn't require a hub, connected directly to Wi-Fi, and had a timer function so I could automate the whole thing.
Why I Chose the BG Electrical Nexus Smart Socket
BG Electrical is a name I recognised from previous electrical work in the house — a solid, established brand with a reputation for quality fittings. The Nexus 800 series is their premium range, and the smart double socket from that range had everything I was looking for.
Direct Wi-Fi connection — no hub required. App control and voice control compatibility. An integrated timer function for scheduling. A 13A rating that would handle everything I needed to plug into it. And crucially, the BG Electrical Smart Double Wall Socket has the clean, round-edge Nexus aesthetic that looks like a proper fitted socket rather than an afterthought. White moulded, flush to the wall, indistinguishable from a standard socket until you look at the subtle indicator light.
I ordered it on a Saturday morning. It arrived Monday. I fitted it that evening — a straightforward like-for-like replacement that took about twenty minutes, including the time I spent reading the instructions twice because I'm cautious about electrical work.
Setting It Up
The app setup was genuinely straightforward — which, as someone who has wrestled with smart home app configurations before, I say with some relief. Connect to Wi-Fi, name the socket, done. Voice assistant integration took another two minutes. I set up a timer to turn the socket off at 11pm and on again at 7am, which covered the floor lamp and the phone charger automatically.
I tested the voice control. It worked first time. I tested the app control from my phone while sitting on the sofa. It worked immediately. I tested it from the kitchen, then from upstairs, then — because I was curious — from my office at work the next day. All immediate, all reliable.
Four Months of Using It
The timer function has changed my routine. The floor lamp comes on at 7am and goes off at 11pm without any input from me. The phone charger follows the same schedule. I haven't manually switched that socket off in four months. That sounds like a small thing, but the cumulative effect of not having to think about it — not having to reach behind the sofa, not having to remember before bed — is genuinely noticeable.
The energy saving is real. I use a smart energy monitor alongside it and the standby consumption from the TV unit devices — which I'd never thought much about — was more significant than I'd expected. Having the socket cut power on a schedule has reduced that waste entirely. Over four months the saving is modest but measurable, and it compounds.
The reliability is excellent. I'd been burned by smart home devices that drop off the network, require re-pairing, or simply stop responding at inconvenient moments. The BG socket has been connected and responsive every single time I've used it in four months. No dropouts, no re-pairing, no frustration. It just works, which is the only thing I actually wanted.
It looks right. This matters more than it might seem. The Nexus 800 design is clean and considered — it doesn't look like a gadget bolted onto the wall, it looks like a socket that belongs there. My partner, who has strong opinions about how the house looks and had been sceptical about smart home additions, approved immediately. That is not a small achievement.
The Difference It Made
My living room is now genuinely automated in the way I'd been trying to achieve for three years. One socket replacement, no hub, no complexity, no compromise on aesthetics. The irritation of the nightly reach behind the sofa is gone. The standby energy waste is gone. The 70% voice assistant reliability has become 100% for this specific use case, because the socket responds even when the assistant is having an off day.
I've since fitted a second one in the bedroom. I'm looking at the kitchen next.
Would I Recommend It?
To anyone who wants to add genuine smart home functionality without the complexity of hubs, adapters, and unreliable third-party integrations: yes, without hesitation. Replace the socket, connect to Wi-Fi, set your schedule, and forget about it. That's the smart home experience I'd been looking for — and it cost less than a dinner out.
👉 Shop the BG Electrical Smart Double Wall Socket – Nexus 800
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Kieran Molloy is a software developer and reluctant home improver based in Leeds. He has now fitted two BG smart sockets and is eyeing the kitchen with intent. His partner has approved both purchases, which he considers his greatest domestic achievement.
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