Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Remote extension lead vs a smart plug: radio or app

Updated: 23 October 2026

The listings all say remote, but a remote extension lead versus a smart plug is three mechanisms: a radio handset and a flex, a phone app on Wi-Fi, and a plug-in radio adaptor with no cable. This page compares the handset lead with the Wi-Fi option. Prices for the four radio leads stay on the [extension lead with remote control comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-remote-control), from £25.99 to £31.03 on 19 October 2026. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. There is no lab test. If you already want the handset, the [buying guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-with-remote-control/sub/extension-lead-with-remote-control-buying-guide) is the label check.

The listings all say remote, but a remote extension lead versus a smart plug is three mechanisms: a radio handset and a flex, a phone app on Wi-Fi, and a plug-in radio adaptor with no cable.

Our top picks

HBN HBN 4-socket lead

Best overall

HBN HBN 4-socket lead
9.2/10about £28.99
View offer
HBN HBN 3-socket lead

Best value

HBN HBN 3-socket lead
9.0/10about £25.99
View offer
Energenie Energenie ENER010

Alternative

Energenie Energenie ENER010
8.4/10about £27.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three different remotes
  2. 2.What the radio lead will not do
  3. 3.What the Wi-Fi strip demands
  4. 4.Which to buy, with one condition

Three different remotes

A radio extension lead is one wall socket, several switched outlets, and a handset. The HBN 3-gang and 4-gang, ENER010 and the PRO ELEC five-gang are that object. You do not join them to the router to switch a lamp in the same room. A smart plug, as the Centre for Sustainable Energy describes it, sits in a wall socket you can already reach, needs an app, and uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Thread. Some need a hub before they answer from outside the house. A pack of plug-in remote sockets is a third product: radio, no flex, and the Energenie three-pack Argos sells carries a supplier note that you should not feed them from another extension. Alexa, 2.4 GHz or smart on a title usually means the phone. Handset, radio and a stated flex usually mean this lead. ENER010 sits on the boundary only if you add hardware. The user guide says the MiHome app works with a gateway bought separately. The handset in the box does not wait for that gateway.

What the radio lead will not do

The handset will not run a schedule while you are out, and it will not answer from the street. We did not meter standby, so this page will not quote a pounds-per-year saving. If a timer or control from the office is the job, the radio lead is the wrong tool. ENER010's Alexa skill assumes the MiHome gateway is already online, for UK Amazon accounts. Without that gateway you have a four-socket indoor lead, 1.8 m, 13 A and 3 kW, and a CR2032 handset. The HBN USB ports stay live in UK reviews, so all-off does not kill the chargers. One review lost ENER010 at about 3 m into a shed. A stuck socket means you unplug at the wall, not reboot the router. The lamp test is on the how to use page.
HBN HBN 4-socket lead

Testsieger

HBN HBN 4-socket lead
9.2/10about £28.99
View offer

What the Wi-Fi strip demands

A smart plug or a smart strip usually needs the phone on 2.4 GHz for setup. BG Electrical's FAQ for its own smart sockets says 2.4 GHz, not 5 GHz, and the phone must be on that band during setup. Many routers blend the bands under one name. The Centre for Sustainable Energy notes that away-from-home control often means a hub as well. A single smart plug is enough when one appliance already reaches a socket. It adds no flex. Wickes has listed a BG smart extension lead around £27, IP20, 2.4 GHz, 1 m and 13 A, next to ENER010's £27.99. That is a budget neighbour, not one of the four rows. IP20 is protection against a finger, not rain. Do not score an HBN 2.4 GHz Alexa strip as if it were the HBN 4-gang radio lead.

Which to buy, with one condition

Buy the radio lead when the job is in the house, the Wi-Fi is a nuisance, and a handset by the chair is enough. Among the four, ENER010 is the match for four mains sockets and the long review trail, the HBN leads when USB can stay live, and PELB0429 only for five low-power plugs under 2.4 kW. Buy the Wi-Fi strip or a smart plug when you need a timer, voice, or control away from home, and you can put the phone on 2.4 GHz for setup. Buy a single smart plug when one appliance is already in a reachable socket. Leave ENER010's Alexa claim until the gateway is in the plan and the price of that gateway is included.

Common questions

Will a radio lead work if the Wi-Fi is down?
Yes. The handset talks to the lead by radio. It does not use your router. ENER010's app and Alexa path are the part that needs the separate MiHome gateway. The buttons on the handset do not.
Can I tell Alexa to switch ENER010 without extra hardware?
No. Energenie's guide says the MiHome gateway is available separately, and the Alexa article assumes that gateway is already online. The UK skill does not replace the hub. The handset in the carton is the control that works on day one.
Why do smart strips say 2.4 GHz only?
Many of them, including the BG smart sockets in that maker's FAQ, join a 2.4 GHz network and not a 5 GHz one. During setup the phone has to be on the same band. A blended Wi-Fi name can hide that split and make the app look broken.
Can I schedule the radio lead?
Not from these four handsets. There is no timer in the radio listings used here. ENER010 can join schedules only after you add the MiHome gateway and the app. If the schedule is the requirement, start with a smart plug or a smart strip.
What fails: a stuck relay, or an app and a router?
On the radio leads, the serious fault in the reviews is a socket that stays live, repeated on ENER010. You unplug at the wall. On a smart plug, the usual failure is setup: 2.4 GHz, the app, the account, or a hub that is offline. Pick the failure you would rather troubleshoot at 10 pm.

Related pages

Remote extension lead for hard-to-reach sockets

Extension lead with remote control

Best remote control extension lead for a stated job

Extension lead with remote control UK buying guide

How to use a remote control extension lead at home

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 19 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. Electrical Safety First — Extension leads, cable reels and block adaptors (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First — Overloading sockets (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — Cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Ofcom — Short-range devices (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Energenie ENER010 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Energenie ENER010 instructions (retrieved 19.10.2026)