In our coverage of CES 2014, we had pointed out leaks about D-Link's entry into the home automation market with a 'smart' plug controlled via Wi-Fi. Today, D-Link is making the information official.

The D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug (DSP-W215) will be the first entry in a series of home automation solutions from the company. Amongst the touted features are power scheduling, local and remote control, monitoring of energy usage and overheating protection (with a thermal sensor) through automatic shutoff. Control and monitoring is made possible through the free mydlink Smart Plug mobile app.

Gallery: D-Link DSP-W215 Wi-Fi Smart Plug

Thanks to the FCC filings, we already have data on the internal platform. Unlike Belkin's WeMo Insight which seems to use a Ralink chipset, the DSP-W215 seems to go the Qualcomm-Atheros route with the Hornet WiSoC platform in the AR1311-AL1A, a member of the same family that is used in the Ubiquit mFi mPower units.

Gallery: D-Link DSP-W215 Wi-Fi Smart Plug

The WeMo Insight and the D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug seem to share almost the same feature set, so it would be interesting to see what the differences are in practice - for both the general consumers and the developers / power users.

In particular, it remains to be seen if the APIs to monitor and control the unit are open and whether the unit can be controlled via a web browser and/or PC application. The unit is available today with an EDLP (every-day low price) of $50, which undercuts the MSRP of Belkin's WeMo Insight Switch by $10.