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Smart plug vs smart wall socket: fitting and Part P

Updated: October 2026

Both get called a Wi-Fi socket, and they are not the same object. A smart plug pushes into a socket you already have. A smart wall socket replaces the plate, which in this set means one product: the British General Nexus 800, model 822/HC-01. This page is that fork, using the seven plug-in rows and that plate from the [Wi-Fi socket comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/wifi-socket). Prices are the 15 October 2026 amazon.co.uk figures. Peter F. did not fit a plate and did not treat a blog that calls every smart socket notifiable as the rule. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Both get called a Wi-Fi socket, and they are not the same object. A smart plug pushes into a socket you already have.

Our top picks

Tapo Tapo P100, 2-pack

Best overall

Tapo Tapo P100, 2-pack
9.5/10about £14.99
View offer
UPXNBOR UPXNBOR energy, 2-pack

Best value

UPXNBOR UPXNBOR energy, 2-pack
7.2/10about £13.88
View offer
British General BG Nexus 800 smart double

Alternative

British General BG Nexus 800 smart double
6.8/10about £14.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each one controls
  2. 2.Cost and the thing that sticks out
  3. 3.Fitting and Part P
  4. 4.What the plate does not add

What each one controls

A plug-in adaptor switches the appliance you put into it. Take the lamp out, and the wall socket is ordinary again. The BG plate can control both outlets at that position, from BG Home, the touch control, or the switch. Do not stack a smart plug on the smart plate. One lamp on a schedule is a plug. Both outlets moving together, with a flat wall, is the plate. Which plug, if you are not fitting anything, is on best Wi-Fi socket UK.

Cost and the thing that sticks out

The plate is £14.99. Plug-in prices run from the UPXNBOR 2-pack at £13.88 to the Tapo P100 4-pack at £28.99. The plate’s warranty is three years. The Tapo packs state two years. The plug sticks out. Once fitted, the BG plate can sit behind furniture. If you cannot change fittings, every plug-in row is still available. Band and load are on the Wi-Fi socket buying guide.
Tapo Tapo P100, 2-pack

Testsieger

Tapo Tapo P100, 2-pack
9.5/10about £14.99
View offer

Fitting and Part P

Choose a plug if you will not isolate a circuit. Choose the plate only for a like-for-like swap you can make safe, and stop if the room is a bathroom. In England and Wales, the IET’s Part P FAQ says the 2013 change cut what you must notify. A new circuit, a consumer unit, and a special location stay notifiable. A kitchen is not automatically notifiable. Replacing a fitting is the like-for-like example. You still isolate and follow the current IET regulations. Isolate first. The listing wants a box at least 25 mm deep. A shallower box is no longer a like-for-like swap. If the cables do not match, or you see heat damage, stop. Outdoor fixed wiring is a stop. The listing has no IP rating, and Electrical Safety First wants an RCD on outdoor equipment.

What the plate does not add

The plate does not add energy monitoring, and it does not add 5 GHz. It is 2.4 GHz in BG Home. If a watt graph was the reason you started, the rows are ANTELA, QUEENWEN, UPXNBOR, and NOUS. Reviews say the direct join fails and AP mode works better. Pairing steps are on the how-to page. Use a plug if you will not isolate, if you rent, or if the device has to move. Use the BG plate if both outlets should sit flush, the box is at least 25 mm, the room is not a bathroom, and you can put the plate back safely.

Common questions

What is the actual difference?
A smart plug is an adaptor for one appliance, and you can unplug it. The smart wall socket in this set is the BG 822/HC-01, a flush 13 A double that replaces the plate and can switch both outlets. The plug needs no wiring. The plate needs the supply isolated and a deep enough box.
Can I fit the BG plate myself?
Only as a like-for-like replacement you can make safe, outside a bathroom, after you isolate at the consumer unit. British General describes that swap as non-notifiable except in a special location. If the cables do not match the instructions, or the box is under 25 mm, stop. This is not a guide to the terminals.
Is that notifiable?
In England and Wales, a like-for-like socket replacement outside a special location is the IET’s non-notifiable example. A new circuit, a consumer unit, or a bathroom stays notifiable and needs a competent person. A kitchen is not automatically notifiable. A blog that says a smart socket is notifiable in most cases overstates the IET and British General notes.
What back box does this listing want?
A bullet says a minimum mounting box depth of 25 mm, with fixings included. The plate is a flush, round-edge, white moulded double, listed at 29 × 172 × 153 mm. A shallower box is not a like-for-like swap.
Does the plate meter energy?
No. The listing has no energy bullet. It states 13 A, 3120 W, and 240 V, and it switches the outlets from BG Home or the plate. Both Tapo P100 packs also omit a meter. A watt graph means a different row, not this plate.
What if the socket is in a bathroom?
Stop. A bathroom is a special location. British General excludes it from the ordinary socket-swap note, and the IET keeps special locations in the notifiable group. Do not fit this plate there yourself. Get a competent person, and do not treat a like-for-like note as permission for that room.
What if the cables look wrong once the old plate is off?
Stop, leave the circuit isolated, and get a competent person. Do not guess conductors from a bullet that mentions colour coding. Heat damage, a missing earth, or a box that is too shallow are the same stop. Put the old plate back only if you know it is safe to do so.

Related pages

How to set up a Wi-Fi socket

Wi-Fi socket

Best Wi-Fi socket UK by job: lamp, graph, or plate

Wi-Fi socket buying guide: form, band, app and load

Smart plug energy monitoring: which listings meter

Sources

Public UK sources on plug-in electrical safety, smart-product security, and Part P. Listings checked 15 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Silentnight Smart Wi-Fi Plug recall 2602-0174 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, consumer connectable product security (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Electrical Safety First, garden (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. TP-Link UK, Tapo P100 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. British General smart FAQ (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. IET Part P FAQ (retrieved 15 October 2026)