Connected plugs might be the building blocks of a smart home, but they can also be really annoying with their blocky design getting in the way of other outlets. Now a new smart plug is on the market, the Cnct IntelliPlug, and it's setting the standard for the smart plug industry.

The Cnct IntelliPlug is a Wi-Fi enabled smart plug (meaning it connects directly to your phone), with an unobtrusive design, easy setup and an extremely low $20 price tag. The Cnct (pronounced "connect") works with the Amazon Echo ($179.99 at Amazon.com) line for voice control, and includes a countdown timer, scheduling functions and remote control. While it doesn't boast the rich features of pricier devices, the Cnct IntelliPlug is the best affordable plug you'll find right now.

Here's a breakdown of the features the Cnct IntelliPlug has:

• Wi-Fi connection (meaning no hub required)
  
• Voice control (Alexa only)
  
• Countdown timer
  
• Scheduling feature
  
• Remote control
  
• Smart charging (the plug will automatically turn off once your plugged-in phone is fully charged)
  

The IntelliPlug doesn't have:

The feature that really stands out on the IntelliPlug is the countdown timer, which a surprising number of smart plugs don't include. The timer allows a little more flexibility than simple scheduling, as you can set a function to run, say, 10 minutes from now, and to stop 30 minutes after that -- all without having to check the time of day at all.