Smart plugs are great — except for this one thing

[admin]

Smart plugs control the flow of power between your outlet-powered device and an electrical socket. However, their lack of onboard memory means they can't remember individual device settings like the temperature settings of an older air conditioner or the animation mode you prefer for lights.

Smart plugs are great — except for this one thing : Read more

 

[jladams97]

The title here should be “smart plugs are great, it’s the devices plugged into them that can be a challenge.”

I ran into this issue with some string lights I recently bought for my daughter. So, I just returned them and bought another set. That set remembers its last light pattern. Really, this isn’t so much to ask of an electronic device. I mean, there are all sorts of reasons power can be cut to a device, any device that doesn’t remember settings when it gets power again isn’t a very good device.

Also, in my opinion, the best smart plugs right now, at least for Apple Home, are not any of the ones listed with this article but rather the Beysen Matter Smart Plug 4-pack on Amazon for $29.99 after applying the $10 coupon. Easy to set up and super reliable, at least with my Apple Home set up.

 

[Eric Van Boven]

That is not on the smart device but on your dumb digital device. analog device will work fine. digital only if you can program it and store setting in firmware. dont try to use anything that comes with a remote.

 

[jointhedomain]

Toilet handles are great except for this one thing…

 

[jdroberts.ha]

Smart plugs control the flow of power between your outlet-powered device and an electrical socket. However, their lack of onboard memory means they can't remember individual device settings like the temperature settings of an older air conditioner or the animation mode you prefer for lights.

Smart plugs are great — except for this one thing : Read more

First rule of home automation: “ the model number matters.” Different smart plugs have different features, and some can handle quite complex rules. Or can be used via a home automation platform with rules.

However, as others have said, some of the issues you’ve run into aren’t with the smart plug at all: they’re with the device that you are turning on and off. And again, the model number matters. There are some fans and lights that do retain internal settings. If it’s a feature that’s important to you, you have to research to find models that will do what you want.

For air conditioners, for example, specifically ones that also have a handheld remote, you can usually get an independent thermostat device like Cielo or Sensibo that can be programmed to send the correct remote signals based on the rules you’ve set up. That easily handles things like automating temperature changes.

So it’s all about selecting devices that have the features that you want to make your Home Automation happen the way you want it to.

 

[jdroberts.ha]

That is not on the smart device but on your dumb digital device. analog device will work fine. digital only if you can program it and store setting in firmware. dont try to use anything that comes with a remote.

Sometimes having a remote is what gives you more automation choices. Because you can substitute for the remote with a programmable device that has an app or that works with your Home Automation platform of choice. For example, there are independent thermostat devices like Cielo and Sensibo which allow you to control most air conditioners that have a remote and you can program whatever rules you want. That makes programming temperature changes easy. They also work with voices assistants.

And bond has a programmable device that works with many fans, again giving you integration to other home automation systems, and voice assistants.

So there really isn’t a general rule for any of this: it all comes down to the specific features of the specific models you are using.

 

[jdroberts.ha]

Also, an interesting new candidate is the Tapo 125M. Costs about ten dollars at Amazon for a single socket Smart plug. It has matter over WiFi support, so it will work with the big Home Automation platforms simultaneously if you like: Alexa, Apple Home, Google, SmartThings. UL listed for up to 1800 W. Has its own app where you can set up some simple rules, including vacation lighting where it turns on and off randomly to make it look like someone’s home. And of course you can set up more complex rules in one of the other platforms. These days, I would choose it over either of the other candidates listed in the article, but different things will work for different people. Still, it’s worth checking out.