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Outdoor smart plug vs wall socket: IP44 plug-in or an IP66 double

Updated: 23 October 2026

You already have an outdoor socket by the back door, or you are looking at a tired double. In this set the plug is the Meross MSS620HK-UK at £39.99, IP44, with a pump warning. The wall boxes are British General WP22/HC-01 at £29.99 and Knightsbridge OP9KW at £33.29, both IP66, with no mains plug in the carton. The three rows are on the [outdoor Wi-Fi socket comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/outdoor-wi-fi-socket). We did not lab-test either form in the rain. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have an outdoor socket by the back door, or you are looking at a tired double. In this set the plug is the Meross MSS620HK-UK at £39.99, IP44, with a pump warning.

Our top picks

Meross Meross outdoor smart plug, MSS620HK-UK

Best overall

Meross Meross outdoor smart plug, MSS620HK-UK
8.6/10about £39.99
View offer
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge outdoor double, OP9KW

Alternative

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge outdoor double, OP9KW
8.0/10about £33.29
View offer
British General BG Smart weatherproof double, WP22/HC-01

Best value

British General BG Smart weatherproof double, WP22/HC-01
7.6/10about £29.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two forms in this set
  2. 2.IP44, the cover, and the pump line
  3. 3.What a wall box asks of you
  4. 4.Plug-in, like-for-like, or a new circuit

Two forms in this set

Meross is the only plug-in row. The listing says Type G, two UK outlets, 13 A, 240 V, 2.4 GHz only, and HomeKit on iOS 13 or above. You push the lead into a socket you already have. The spec table prints no lead length. One review says about 10 cm. BG and Knightsbridge are wall boxes with no mains plug. Knightsbridge has a rocker rather than BG touch control. If the outdoor socket is already the right circuit, the plug is the smaller job. If you are replacing the double, the wall box is the job. The app choice stays on the HomeKit versus Tuya page.

IP44, the cover, and the pump line

Meross prints IP44, says to cover the socket when it is idle, and says not to use the plug for a pump. Customer text says water gets in once a plug is inserted. That is a review pattern, not a failure rate. One review says the box showed IP64. Use IP44. BEAMA says the BS EN 60529 test is fresh water, not the weather. IP44 is a lower claim than IP66. NICEIC treats a proper outdoor socket with the cover shut as the better path if you are unsure. Reviewers say the hinge blocks bulky plugs.
Meross Meross outdoor smart plug, MSS620HK-UK

Testsieger

Meross Meross outdoor smart plug, MSS620HK-UK
8.6/10about £39.99
View offer

What a wall box asks of you

The wall boxes print IP66. NICEIC's point still stands: the cover has to be shut. Knightsbridge reviews say the lid will not close over tall plugs, and that studs and faceplate screws shear. One BG review says water through the cover trips the touch control and holds a socket on. Do not read the code as a guarantee. There is no lead in either carton. BG's plug-type field says Type B while the power-plug field says no plug. The OP9KW connector field says NEMA 5-15. Regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 is the BS 1363 rule, and that is the Meross lead. Knightsbridge bars EV charging and long high loads such as hot tubs, while the compatible-devices field names lights, pumps, and small appliances. Keep both. None of the three includes an RCD.

Plug-in, like-for-like, or a new circuit

Use the plug when the outdoor socket is already there, the circuit already has the 30 mA RCD NICEIC describes, and you accept IP44 and the pump line. Plugging in is not a new circuit. The IET Part P FAQ is the source for England and Wales: a new circuit, including garden work, is notifiable. Stop if the earth, the RCD, or water in the box does not match the instructions. A new cable is not a reason to bury the Meross lead. If you need both Apple Home and a fixed IP66 double, this set does not contain that row. The checks in order are on the buying guide.

Common questions

Is IP44 enough outside?
It is the claim Meross prints, with a cover when the socket is idle, and it is a lower claim than the IP66 on the two wall boxes. BEAMA says the code is a fresh-water test, not the weather. Reviewers on the Meross page describe water once a plug is in, and many add another enclosure. If you are unsure, NICEIC points you to a proper outdoor socket with the lid shut, which in this set is the wall form, not a higher reading of IP44.
Do the wall boxes include a lead?
No. BG's power-plug field says no plug. Knightsbridge's included components are instructions. You supply the cable and you terminate it. A separate BG field says Type B, and the Knightsbridge connector field says NEMA 5-15. Neither of those fields is a BS 1363 lead in the carton. The Type G plug is the Meross product.
Is plugging in a new circuit?
No. The Meross block uses the circuit of the socket you plug into. A new circuit is a new cable, including garden work in England and Wales under the IET Part P FAQ. Approved Document P's 2013 England PDF does not treat a garden as a special location by itself. Wales is not fully restated in that PDF. Plugging in still does not add an RCD.
What does the NEMA field on the OP9KW mean?
The connector field on that UK listing says NEMA 5-15. That is not the UK plug, and the carton does not include one. The socket is a wall double with instructions in the box. Do not buy a US plug adapter because the field says NEMA, and do not treat the field as proof of the pin layout on the face.
When do I call an electrician?
Call one for a new circuit to a shed, pond, or garden, for buried or non-outdoor cable, for an unknown RCD, for water already in the box, or for earth terminals that do not match the instructions. A plug into a socket you already trust is the case this page leaves with you. A wall change you cannot describe as like-for-like is the case this page does not teach.

Related pages

How to set up an outdoor Wi-Fi socket

Outdoor Wi-Fi socket

Best outdoor Wi-Fi socket: which listing fits the job

Outdoor Wi-Fi socket UK: what to check before you buy

HomeKit outdoor socket UK: Meross against Tuya and BG

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored from stored amazon.co.uk pages. A price check on 21 October 2026 still showed £39.99 on the Meross page. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. NICEIC — Gardens and electrics (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. IET — Part P FAQs (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK — Approved Document P (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. BEAMA — Guide to IP codes (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. British General — WP22/HC data sheet (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. British General — Smart FAQ (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. ML Accessories — OP9KW (retrieved 21.10.2026)