Turning your home into a smart home is not as expensive as you might be thinking. There’s no need to take out a loan either, or approach a very bad credit loans direct lender should your credit not be optimal.
Smart plugs provide a level of remote control, right at the source of power for a particular appliance.
These devices sit between an appliance and a power outlet. You are then able to control the smart plug, to control the appliance – such as turning it on or off, for example. Why not just walk over and do it yourself? Good question. The point is, these devices can be controlled from anywhere. Maybe you are on your way home and you want to start the coffee machine?
Just how the plug will communicate varies by brand. Wi-Fi is very common, sitting between your router and your phone. There is also Bluetooth, for when you are home, Zigbee, and Z-wave.
What are smart plugs good for?
Smart plugs provide your ‘dumb’ appliances with a lot of the features that you might expect from smart appliances. As well as smartphone control, there is scheduling. Some connect with Alexa, Siri, and Google Home to set up automation.
Automation allows you to turn on or off appliances when certain criteria are met, sometimes from other devices. For instance, automation could include starting an appliance when your smartphone is within a certain radius away from home.
These smart plugs can also be useful for outdoor devices that don’t usually have much connectivity baked into them. You will have to do a little digging to find smart plugs that can get wet etc. but there are plenty of options for outdoor use.
For home lighting, you may be tempted to opt for smart switches or bulbs to add a little intelligence to the situation. A lot of smart plugs offer dimming capabilities, which could be useful for outdoor or decorative lighting.
Being able to remotely activate lights offers a degree of security for the home. Switching on the lights in different rooms can deter burglaries. This is because it creates the illusion that someone is home and moving through the house.
When it comes to it, there are lots of different ways that smart plugs can be put to use, depending on how you set them up.
Can smart plugs save you money?
There is potential for smart plugs to save you money, yes. By being able to stay in the loop with regards to the power consumption of a given appliance. You can use this data to determine which appliances are an energy drain. From here you can swap them out for more energy-efficient versions or have them switched on less often.
Smart plugs also help save power by switching off the power supply to devices that use power even when switched off. This ultimately helps to cut down on ‘phantom’ power drains. Identify these, shut them off, and you will save on your energy bills.
Over time, when used in this way, smart plugs can pay for themselves.
Are smart plugs worth it?
Smart plugs are worth the small investment. They are not that expensive and they can provide a lot of utility. You can pick up a decent smart plug for as little as $20. The biggest inconvenience you are likely to face with these nifty gadgets is that they may be too big.
They need to jut out from the outlet a bit so they can accommodate the housing of the unit. That said, the majority of smart plugs are designed to make sure that you can still get to the outlet next to it.
Smart plugs can be very handy things and are well worth looking into.
