I use this $18 box to safely plug in all my outdoor smart devices

My smart home extends to both my front and back yards. But I have only one weather-protected duplex outlet in each location, which isn’t enough to accommodate all the smart devices I need to plug in. I have multi-outlet surge protectors all over the inside the house to power things like smart plugs, smart speakers, and my router, but I can’t do that in the yard—at least not without some way of protecting everything from the weather.

That’s where the $18 Iwillink Outdoor Electrical Box comes in. Measuring 12.6 x 8.6 x 5.1 inches (LxWxD), this box is big enough to accommodate two mid-sized power strips, or one if—as I did—you’re plugging in bulky wall warts. The box has an IP54 weatherization rating, which according to our IP code guide, delivers protection from particulate matter like dirt and sand, as well as water sprayed from any direction.

Michael Brown/Foundry

The manufacturer stipulates the box shouldn’t be placed in water, nor should it be buried in the ground. But I’ve disguised similar products with loose mulch and haven’t had any problems.

I like the latches on the plastic Iwillink box better than the ones on the size-large SockitBox ($30) I use for a similar purpose. The Iwillink box has four plastic clamp latches—one in the middle of each side—that secure the lid tightly, where the SockitBox has only one at each end (although I’ve never had any problems with water getting into that one, either). Eight notches cut into the top of the bottom of the box—four in front and two on each end—allow cables to come into the box.

Michael Brown/Foundry

Cable guides in these notches, and silicone seals on both the bottom of the box and on the lid, sandwich the cables to prevent water ingress. As you can see in the photos, the seals aren’t absolutely perfect, hence the warning about not immersing the box in water, but they provide more than enough protection to keep rainfall or sprinkler spray from getting inside.

I’m using the Iwillink box to house a 3-outlet extension cord, using one outlet to connect a Kasa Smart EP25 smart plug that powers the pump in a small water feature on my deck. I’m using a second plug for the wall wart that powers a set of four Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights. Unfortunately, those two items are big enough to block the third outlet on the extension cord.

Michael Brown/Foundry

This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lighting.

You’ll find many larger—and smaller—weatherproof electrical boxes on the market to fit your needs. I have a surge protector in the larger SockitBox to power my Wi-Fi-connected Traeger Timberline 850 smoker, Enbrighten smart café lights, a second set of Eufy pathlights, and four Philips Hue Lily landscape spotlights.

If you need only to plug in single small smart plug or wall wart, something like the $13 Flemoon Outdoor Electrical Box might do the trick.