Have you ever thought about the appliances you have to think for yourself? Could you have your home be able to run on its own? Perhaps you could reduce energy consumption without hurrying around your house every night to turn off the power outlets.
Smart plugs also have other advantages. Do you want to plug in your coffee maker to start your morning coffee kick up and running without leaving your comfortable mattress? It’s possible! Do you want to control the light in your home by setting specific “on” and “off” time slots? That’s fine!
Some are more effective than others. We’ve compiled the top smart plugs to assist you in managing your lights and devices remotely, upgrading your home security, and much more.
Why are intelligent Plugs ideal for the holiday season?
Throughout my time, I’ve utilized a variety of options for lighting during the holidays and lighting accessories. Mechanical and digital timers that run from dawn to sensors for dusk turn on lights for X hours, then turn off and on, you name it.
These different timers and devices performed well enough for various things, but each has several flaws. What were the drawbacks? You’ll find a long list if you’re very particular about how your lighting and other holiday decorations are set up (and how you manage the lighting and accessories).
It was long enough that it eventually led me to switch entirely too intelligent lights. In fact, with bright lights and smart plugs, it is possible to cover almost every lighting and decoration requirement.
What’s wrong with conventional plugs and timers? Mechanical timers lose sync when you lose power. Digital and automatic timers are extremely difficult to sync if it is essential to you. Most timers are 2-prong and cannot be used to decorate your holiday decor with ground pins. Only a handful of traditional timers have a remote control with a radio remote.
Ultimately, it’s either waiting for the timer to run its course or not employing a timer but an outlet with a hand-held remote. Or, crawling beneath trees or behind decorations disconnection the electrical outlet if you wish to switch. The lights are off for a short period.
Utilize advanced triggers
It is possible to emulate a simple timer and even simulate the twilight sensor by making your intelligent plugs start turning off at sunset.
However, you can also alter it in ways that aren’t possible using a traditional timer. Smart plugs can be set to switch on for X minutes before sunset, for instance, and have your lights in place during the transition time.
Smart sockets can be connected to other sensors like motion detectors or cameras. Perhaps not so helpful at Christmas, but it is fun to automate Halloween decorations so they can make a terrifying jump or two.
What is it that makes Smart Plugs ‘Smart’?
An intelligent plug functions as an adapter for power points fitted between the power outlet and the appliance you would like to connect. At the most superficial level, it turns the device off and on. However, it transforms into a handy gadget when connected to an intelligent home platform.
They’re called “smart” since they allow you to control the appliances through an app you can access from any location. The best software (like carbonTRACK’s) will enable you to define the timetables of your Smart Plugs. This means you can switch appliances off and on at predetermined times or on certain days.
Specific smart plugs take it one step further and gather information on how much power the connected appliance consumes. This is a handy feature for anyone conscious of their energy consumption.
How do you manage these devices? Most smart plugs connect (using the Wi-Fi network at your home) to a centralized control hub. The hub then uses the Wi-Fi network to relay information to an application installed on your smartphone.