Onvis Outdoor Matter-over-Thread Plug Adds Energy Monitoring

Outdoor plugs finally caught up with Thread. In 9to5Mac’s October 9 HomeKit Weekly (with earlier detail from HomeKit News and a same-week note on LavX), Onvis’s North American outdoor dual smart plug is the accessory that checks the modern boxes: Matter over Thread, real-time energy monitoring and an IP65 weather rating.

Why Thread outdoors matters

• Mesh routing beats Wi-Fi dead zones at the edge of brick houses and gardens
• Works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings without a single-vendor lock-in
• Needs a Thread border router (HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K for Apple Home)
• Permanently powered plug can help extend the Thread mesh

Energy and load

The plug exposes real-time power and cumulative energy through Matter — not only a vendor app. HomeKit News notes Matter 1.4.2 / Thread 1.4 certification and that Apple Home’s display of Matter energy data is tied to iOS 27; 9to5Mac describes usage appearing in Apple Home’s energy view. Rated up to about 1,800W for landscape lighting, holiday décor, outdoor fans and similar loads. HomeKit News listed Amazon pricing around US$30.59 with a coupon; an EU SKU is planned later.

HomeKit News adds that the T20-AB2 is Matter 1.4.2 and Thread 1.4 certified, and that as an always-powered Thread device it can act as a mesh router. Schedules and automations live in the Matter platform you choose — no Onvis bridge required. An EU version is planned later.

Rocks take

For Home Assistant households already on Matter/Thread, a cheap outdoor dual outlet with energy entities is the seasonal buy before the Christmas lights go up.