Many smart devices out in the market today have poor security, which gives Attackers an easy way to access your new device and home network and use it for their own purposes. Security and PrivacyĪ big concern when having all of these devices connected to your home network and internet is their security. There are several differences between the plug types, including a few that I left out from above. Check out this post on Device Setup for more details.
Sometimes this part can be really painful. Generally, those steps are simply downloading a Smartphone App (based on brand) and then going through the steps to register your Smart Plug and connect it to your home network.
#Smart converter plug software#
That’s it you’re done.Īfter getting the Smart Plug physically installed, you’re left with the software installation next. You plug it into the wall, and then you plug your device into the Smart Plug.
The physical installation for a Smart Plug is one of the biggest benefits. Stay tuned for another post with some more ideas. There are a bunch of other things you can do with them, as well. Smart Plugs are useful to convert simple devices like fans and lamps into smart devices. While it doesn’t have the metering feature, Amazon sells these for $25 per–significantly cheaper than an Eve Energy. And as expected, it only works with Alexa. On the flip side, Amazon sells their own brand of Smart Plug for Alexa called Amazon Smart Plug. The price is also higher for these plugs, at around $40 per. It’s not unusual to find deals for packs of Smart Plugs that help reduce the overall price.įor example, an Eve Energy has metering built in, but it only supports the Apple HomeKit ecosystem. Since Smart Plugs don’t have many different features, companies tend to compete more on price–which is great for users. Smart Plugs are generally the cheaper devices you can purchase within the Smart Home space. It’s also interesting to note that different ecosystems cost more than others. So it’s important to make sure the Smart Plug you buy does support the ecosystem you use. But it’s rare to find a Smart Plug that supports all ecosystems.
There are brands that only support Alexa, Siri, or Google or some combination of the three. You can also find Smart Plugs suited for outside your home, where it handles different environments well.Įxample of Metering from an Eve Smart Plug Ecosystem SupportĮach ecosystem has different Smart Plug support, as well. It’s possible to find Smart Power Strips or Smart Surge Protectors where each plug on the strip is an individual Smart Plug on its own. There are a handful of different Smart Plug styles, as well. Maybe it covers up another plug in the wall, or it could even be too wide to fit. Buying a Smart Plug with an awkward or bulky shape can put you in a bind if it doesn’t quite fit. Form Factorįorm factor refers to how the plug is shaped and designed. Premium Smart Plugs – support metering (or recording how much power is drawn) with a sleeker form factor (or shape)īelow are examples of Voice Commands for both feature levels: SupportĪbility to check the power usage of the plugĪlthough Smart Plugs are pretty similar across the board, feature-wise, companies are looking to differentiate themselves in other areas.Basic Smart Plugs – only support On/Off functionality with a larger form factor (or shape) that could potentially block access to other outlets.Smart Plugs don’t have very many differences between brands, but there are a few feature differences that make some Smart Plugs stand out. Next, let’s look at some of the differences between the various Smart Plugs out there. In most cases, you simply plug in the Smart Plug and then walk through the steps to get the device connected to your home network. The main benefits of a Smart Plug are the ability to control the power of a simple device via a Smartphone or a Voice Assistant, and letting you create some cool Home Automation tricks. To do this, Smart Plugs also require hardware to connect to your home network. At the basic level, a Smart Plug provides electricity to some other device you connect to the plug itself, just like a normal plug.īy making the plug “smart,”you gain more features like the ability to turn the power on and off remotely via your Smartphone or the Voice Assistant of your choice. What Is A Smart Plug?Ī Smart Plug has the same features as a normal plug and then some. In either case, plugs are usually controlled by a switch on the wall, or some other switch that controls the electricity flow to the device that’s connected to it.
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