With the holidays coming up, I know a lot of people may find they have multiple items to plug-in outdoors and aren’t quite sure how to weatherproof them.
Meross does have a nice three socket outdoor Wi-Fi plug which works with both smartthings and HomeKit, but sometimes people want something either more sheltered or for more sockets.
As I mentioned before, I personally just really like project boxes. I don’t know why, it appeals to the engineer in me, I guess. I especially like the ones that have all kinds of extra engineering that you don’t notice until you need it, like waterproof gaskets, or punchout mounting holes if you want to wallmount them or thoughtful interior design.
So I thought I’d pass along two that are specifically made to put a power strip into and then feed out four or five cords.
Yes, it would be cheaper to just buy a tacklebox and drill some holes in it, but it definitely wouldn’t be as waterproof or easy to use. Also note that certified against dust usually means they have limited the entry points where insects might get in, which can be a real problem in some regions.
Expect to pay between $25 and $35 for a large size, but again, there’s a lot of engineering that goes into the weatherproofing for these.
So if you’re willing to pay for good engineering, and want something that will hold up to snow or rain, I have found both of these brands to work well. They each have slightly different features, so read the product descriptions and in particular check the sizes carefully. Also remember that the exterior size will not be the same as the interior size on a well-engineered box.
At least one reviewer mentions using the zooz power strip outside for Christmas decorations with this and that’s exactly the kind of use I was thinking of.
SockitBox brand (comes in multiple sizes and colors)
A friend of mine says he’s been able to get the large green sockitboxes a little cheaper at Home Depot:
Iron Forge Brand. These are a little larger and have pre-drilled mounting holes if you want to put it on a wall.