Benefits & Uses for Smart Plugs in Your Home
Smart plugs (sometimes known as smart sockets or smart outlets) let homeowners turn any device into a smart device. These small devices are easy to use and incredibly versatile since they can be used with almost any plug-in device. A few benefits of smart plugs include the ability to schedule and automate, use hands-free voice commands, and help lower your electricity usage.
How Do Smart Plugs Work?
Smart plugs stand out due to their ability to give users more control over ‘dumb’ devices, effectively bridging the gap between old and new, making them part of your smart home. Looking a lot like travel adapters, these small devices turn any regular light or appliance into a smart appliance that can be controlled by an app or voice assistant. And the best part is how simple they are: All you do is plug any appliance into the smart plug and then plug the smart plug into the wall socket.
Smart plugs connect to an app on your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to control whatever appliance is connected to that plug, often without the need for a separate smart hub. Once connected to an appliance, smart plugs allow users to create “scenes.” Scenes are small IFTTT (If This Then That) programs that can adjust your lighting, coffee maker, washing machine, and other appliances based on the time of day, the temperature, or anything else your smartphone measures. The best smart plugs won’t sacrifice any wall outlets by taking up too much space, and different plug designs are available to accommodate additional space requirements.
6 Benefits of Smart Plugs
Turn appliances on and off remotely. Using the plug’s app, you can turn appliances on and off remotely and even check to see if you left an appliance running after you’ve left your home.
Manage your energy use with easy scheduling. By creating scenes for your appliances, you can schedule when devices should shut down or startup. For example, you can use a scene as a smart home routine for children by only letting them use gaming consoles and televisions at certain times of the day.
Eliminate vampire draw from your house. One of the best things to use smart plugs for is controlling “vampire draw.” Vampire draw, or phantom load, is the energy your devices suck up even when they’re not in use. Smart plugs can help you identify devices guilty of a phantom load so you can save on your energy usage.
Appear at home while you’re away. Burglars often target homes by watching for signs that a house is empty. Smart plugs can be used to improve home security by turning lights and appliances on and off while you’re on vacation, making smart plugs a safe and effective way to look like you are home while you’re away.
Control your devices with voice commands. One of the best smart plugs uses is turning on hard-to-reach devices remotely. Smart plugs are among the many devices that work with an array of smart hubs so that you can operate connected appliances by voice command.
Keep your home safe with smart plug temperature control. Are smart plugs safe to use, or will they cause wall sockets to overheat in homes with older wiring? The plugs themselves won’t increase the chance of overheating, and some smart plug models even monitor wall socket temperatures and will alert you if it gets too hot. You can even have the smart plug turn off the appliances automatically to decrease the risk of electrical fires.
7 Ideas and Uses for Smart Plugs
Lights. Try combining smart plugs with motion detectors to turn on lights when you enter a room. Or create scenes to adjust when outdoor or ornamental lights are in use. Or decrease the energy usage of your Christmas lights during the holidays.
Dehumidifiers & Humidifiers. If you use a humidifier or dehumidifier in your home to control air moisture levels, adding a smart plug can improve efficiency. With a smart plug, you can schedule when you want your humidifier or dehumidifier to turn on/off, as well as control it remotely.
Hidden Outlets. In every home, there is always at least one wall outlet that is difficult to access. They could be hidden behind heavy furniture like wardrobes, couches, and beds or in other hard-to-reach areas of the home. Controlling these sockets is a challenge, with homeowners often leaving them always ‘on’ with a device plugged in for convenience, which will be increasing their energy usage. A smart plug enables you to control these outlets remotely using a mobile application or voice commands.
Televisions and Computers. One of the best benefits of using smart plugs is to help reduce energy consumption of power-hungry devices. Use scenes to monitor when computers and televisions receive power to create routines for children or turn off devices at specific times.
Coffee Maker. Are you someone who likes to wake up and have coffee each morning? If so, a smart plug can get your coffee maker making before you even get out of bed. Simply fill up your coffee maker the night before, and then turn them on remotely with your smartphone or a voice command when you wake up. You could even automate this by setting the smart plug to turn on at a specific time. Either way, the result is a cup of joe ready to go as soon as you need it.
Motion Enabled Lights. If you have motion detectors in your home, such as those that come with the home security system, you could create a scene that automatically turns on a smart plug when motion is detected. For example, this means you could have a hall lamp automatically turn on if a bedroom door is opened at night, making a midnight trip to the bathroom a lot easier. Another example would be using it to frighten burglars by having various lamps turn on if motion is detected at night.
Lawn Sprinklers. While most sprinklers come with a timer and other functionality, using a smart plug can still increase your control over it. For example, a smart plug will allow you to turn on/off your sprinkler at any time, meaning that if you see it starting to rain, you can turn it off remotely to save water.
