Designed for use with outdoor appliances such as pool pumps, or in basements and other non-frequented areas, the Wi-Fi-enabled Leviton Smart GFCI Outlet ($34.99) is a dual-receptacle outlet that will let you know if the circuit has been tripped due to a ground fault event. It works as intended and is easy to install as long as you're OK with wiring, but it could use some more smarts. It's a good choice for monitoring the status of appliances in locations you don't access daily where GFCI protection is required by code, but as a more general-purpose and feature-rich option, we recommend the Wyze Plug Outdoor, an Editors’ Choice award winner for smart plugs, which offers phone and voice control, energy reporting, and lots of integration with third-party devices for $17.99.

Remote Monitoring for Peace of Mind

A word about Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets: Designed to protect you from electric shock or electrocution, a GFCI outlet monitors the flow of current through the circuit and will trip (interrupt) the flow if it detects a change due to things like an overload, contact with water, a defective appliance, or a short circuit. The outlet has a built-in breaker that requires resetting once it has been tripped. GFCI outlets are ideal for powering outdoor appliances and for use in kitchens, bathrooms, crawlspaces, and garages. They not only protect people from electrical shocks, but protect your appliances from damage as well.

(Credit: Leviton)

The D2GF1-KW is a 15 -amp/125-volt 2-pole outlet with a pair of three-prong tamper-proof receptacles that use built-in shutters to prevent anyone from being able to insert unwanted objects. Between the two receptacles are Reset and Test buttons. The Reset button returns the outlet to its normal operating state after a trip event and is used to exit setup mode during the app pairing process, and the Test button trips the outlet and is used to enter Setup mode.

A small LED indicator flashes green during setup, glows solid green when the outlet is powered and working normally, and glows solid red when the outlet needs to be reset. Under the hood, there's a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio, a Bluetooth radio, and a speaker that emits a beep if the circuit is tripped so long as the Audible Trip Alert setting is enabled.

(Credit: Leviton)

The D2GF1-KW will send email and push alerts when the circuit has been tripped and you can view its status in the mobile app, but it doesn’t offer any other smart features such as power usage reports or on/off controls, nor does it work with Alexa, Google, HomeKit, or IFTTT. Although it uses the same My Leviton mobile app as Leviton’s Decora devices, including the Decora Smart Mini Plug-In Dimmer and the Decora Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug-In Switch, it doesn’t interact with them.

The outlet appears in a panel on the Devices screen in the app. The panel shows the name of the outlet and its status (fault, protected, or test). Tapping into the panel brings you to a screen with the same status accompanied by a Device Settings button from which you can configure Wi-Fi settings, enable Audible Alerts, update the firmware, view the serial number and MAC and IP addresses, check the Wi-Fi signal strength, restart the app, and enable fault notifications.

Easy to Install (If You're Comfortable With Wiring)

Installing the D2GF1-KW is easy, but if you’re not comfortable working with high-voltage electrical wiring you should hire a professional. The first thing you have to do is download the My Leviton app (available for Android and iOS) and create an account to pair the outlet with your phone.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

I started the installation by turning off the power for the circuit at my main breaker box and removing the old outlet. I connected the incoming white wire to the top silver terminal and the incoming black wire to the top brass terminal, then connected the outgoing white and black wires to their respective terminals on the bottom. I screwed the outlet into the junction box, attached an outlet cover (not included), and restored power to the circuit.

Next, I pressed the Test button to place the outlet in pairing mode, opened the app, and tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the screen. I tapped Add Device, selected GFCI Outlet from the list of devices, and confirmed that the LED was flashing green. The app immediately recognized the outlet, then prompted me to select my Wi-FI SSID, enter my Wi-Fi password, and give the outlet a name. I enabled notifications, pressed the Reset button to open the flow of current, and the installation was complete.

The D2GF1-KW worked well in my tests. Whenever I pressed the Test button the outlet tripped and shut down the entire circuit, including all other outlets in the loop. I always received push alerts informing me that the circuit was tripped and pressing the Reset button always returned the circuit to its normal state.

Useful for Keeping Tabs on Basement and Outdoor Appliances

The Leviton Smart GFCI Outlet may not be the smartest connected outlet, but it does exactly what it's designed to do: let you know that it has turned off power when the circuit is overloaded, shorted out, or otherwise compromised. Featuring built-in Wi-Fi, it lets you monitor its status from your phone at any time and will send an email or push alert when it has been tripped, making it ideal for use in remote locations. At $34.99 it’s a bit more expensive than a traditional GFCI outlet, but knowing that the circuit has been tripped can save you a bundle in the long run, especially if you’re using the outlet to power a refrigerator or freezer full of food. If tripped-circuit alerts aren't a must, however, the Wyze Plug Outdoor saves you some installation hassle and offers more smart features, including power usage reports.