The smart plug is a simple device with which you can easily expand your smart home. Such a smart plug ensures that your ‘dumb’ devices can also participate in the automation of your home. Many people who want to create a smart home therefore first start with smart plugs and smart lighting . You can discover all the options you have for a reasonably low amount.
Do you want to know more? I’ll tell you everything about the smart plug in this article. This way you can see for yourself what these compact devices have to offer your home.
The possibilities of a smart plug
You may wonder what the possibilities of a smart plug are or what not. First, it very much depends on the plug you choose. But, in essence, all smart plugs are intended to give you control over a device that is connected to the plug via an app.
For example, you can choose to use the smart plugs to switch off all lights at once when you go to bed. Whether the lamps can switch on and off irregularly, for example when you are on vacation.
But it is also possible to combine smart plugs with, for example, Google Home Assistant. Then you can control the plugs by voice and thus also process them in other processes within your smart home ecosystem. Then you no longer need the app for the lamps, because everything is controlled from one central place. Then the possibilities of the smart plugs really come to life.
What kinds of smart plugs are there?
When choosing the smart plug, it is mainly about being able to control it remotely. But that does not say everything. Below I will tell you more about options that are not in every smart plug, but can be important.
Smart plugs with an app
Actually, every smart plug has an app. Because that is simply the greatest added value. But how functional that app is depends on the brand. Not every manufacturer offers the same ease of use or simplicity to operate the plugs. When you are going to buy a smart plug, I therefore recommend that you take a look at the plugs app. Firstly, because you can see immediately whether you would like to work with it. Secondly, because it allows you to see whether the options you have in mind are actually feasible.
Maximum wattage
For a normal desk lamp or a bulb in the hall, the maximum wattage of a smart plug will soon be enough. But there are also much larger devices that consume a lot of power. Consider, for example, an electric jacuzzi that sometimes consumes 3,500 watts of power. That is also an ideal device that you want to switch on remotely. In such a case, it can be useful to know that some smart plugs are unable to turn on that jacuzzi. Depending on the plug you buy, the maximum wattage will be between approximately 2,000 to 4,000 watts. For example, the INNR Smartplug works up to 2,300 Watt, but the HiHome Smart Wifi Plug can switch a maximum of 3,600 Watt.
The number of Amps can also be important. While many smart plugs can handle up to 16A, it is always advisable to check how much your devices need.
Voice control
There are no smart plugs that you can control directly with speech. The message to the plug is always sent by another device. That is, for example, your Google Home Assistant, Apple Homekit or Amazon Alexa. To make your plugs also voice-controlled, you therefore first need one of those devices. But a link must also be made between your plugs and the voice assistant. You should therefore also pay attention to this when buying a smart plug, because not all smart plugs can make that connection.
Google Home plugs
Following on from the previous point, there are also specific Google Home compatible plugs. These are smart plugs that are labeled “Talks with Google Assistant.” With these plugs you can be sure that they can communicate with the rest of your smart home. You generally pay a little more for these types of plugs, but you do get a lot of convenience in return.
Energy consumption meter
Some smart plugs are equipped with an energy consumption meter. This is often in the form of an LED light. That light shows how much power a particular device uses. There are also more expensive plugs that measure precisely how much power a particular socket consumes.
This can be useful when you want to find out exactly how much power the appliances in your household use and whether it is better to replace old lamps, for example. And the smart socket can then immediately help to switch off such energy-consuming devices more often. For example, when your security camera sees that you are no longer in the living room.
Smart plug for a smart thermostat
A lot of people have a smart thermostat at home, with which they try to lower their energy bill. A smart plug for Toon can ensure that your insight into your energy consumption is even better. These plugs not only measure your energy consumption, but can therefore be linked to the Toon thermostat. This makes it very easy to use the Toon and your smart plug to track down devices that use a lot. An example of a smart plug that you can connect to Toon is the Fibaro Smart Plug .
What does a smart plug cost?
The price for a smart plug is mainly determined by the functions it has and the requirements that you have. The cheaper smart plug will cost you around 20 euros. You have a great plug for that that you can use with an app. Much more expensive are the plugs with an accurate energy measurement. These can sometimes cost up to 65 euros each. A big difference with the cheaper version, especially if you want to buy multiple plugs.
The favorite smart plug of Allhomedevices fans;
HiHome WPP-16S1
There are many good smart plugs on the market. But there are few that offer as many functions for 25 euros as the Douce Smart Wifi Socket. The smart socket can be linked to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This opens up a world full of possibilities to make all your ‘dumb’ devices smarter. The plug also works with IFTTT , so you can easily create smart home scenarios. And for such a price, you can easily buy a number of them to use all the possibilities at once.
How does the installation work?
If you can plug a smart plug into the socket and you can handle a smartphone a bit, you have everything you need to install a smart plug. The process takes less than 5 minutes, especially if you buy a smart plug that you can connect to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Then you can control all devices from the same app within seconds.
Philips Hue
We all know Philips Hue from its smart lighting, but you can also buy a Hue plug. This allows you to connect all your smart lamps and other devices to your smart home system in one go. The smart plug from Philips also works together with the Philips Hue Bridge, making it easy to create a large network of devices.
INNR SP 120
The smart plug from INNR is useful because there is also a lot of smart lighting from INNR available. This allows you to create a large network of smart devices with the plugs. You do not have to replace all your lamps, for example, to adjust the atmosphere in the house in one go. The installation of the plug is also very easy.
Advantages
- You save on your energy costs.
- All devices are controlled simultaneously, with one button.
- All your old devices are getting smart.
Disadvantages
- Sometimes only compatible with a specific smarthome system, so you need multiple apps.
- Some plugs are large, so they occupy several outlets.
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