You don't want these smart plugs
You don't want these smart plugs
Watch this before buying Smart Plugs
Watch this before you buy smart plugs for your home automation setup. Using Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple Homekit might not be as easy as you think if you buy the wrong plug!
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0:00 Will your device even work with smart plugs?
1:43 Do you have the power?
3:35 Small enough?
7:02 How much control do you want?
11:39 Are they easy to setup?
14:17 Which home assistant works?
17:24 Are they secure?
20:27 Monitoring energy usage?
22:20 What about automations?
24:08 What do they cost?
I notice that you did not mention that the Kasa plugs can easily be configured over Bluetooth and added to wifi during that process while completely removing the complexity of switching wireless network bands upon setup. Seems like a pretty glaring omission.
7 out of 10 bothered
You forgot to state that Google change their app and only allows 10 smart devices on a routine where as Alexa allows unlimited. I have felt smart plugs because I bought flwt wall light switches at Costco that where 3 light switches for 24.00 back in 2022 but the smart plugs devices seems to loose connection alot so I am thinking of changing to BN Link smart devices and hopefully they don’t loose connection that I have setup alot. I have over 50 wifi wall switches and 59 wifi smart plugs and seems to work OK except the alexa app does not allow a lot of sorting for devices installed on a routine so when I am adding I have to actually scan through the unsort list of names mainly beoause my felt smart devices lose connection and I have to set up again but the name still is the same. My UNIFI wifi network was installed professionally and seem to work good with my 100 smart devices except felt smart plugs loose connection and have to manually reconnect the device.
Is WRT54GL the name of your wifi network or are you actually running that old router? 😂
7
Only 9 because it was yours!
Why doesn’t a make a simple variable timer anymore?? And no security issue!
9.5 !
The real question is: Why would I want a smart plug at all?
The only thing I use them for is holiday lights, where the timers are great. I did have one for a lamp, but it was a switched outlet, so I changed to a smart switch instead, which is what I do for lighting in several places: In the living room so I can use voice to control the lights without moving in the dark room when watching a movie, in one room where the light switch is very poorly placed, and for the front door lights so they come on at sunset. I really like the idea of energy monitoring, though; I may want to get a few of those plugs.
One massive point to consider: if you replace your plug or switch receptacle with a smart one, look behind your old one first to make sure it has a nice DEEP box. Standard depth boxes will not contain a smart switch or plug. You can cut out a metal box and replace it with a deep old work plastic box, but it’s a huge inconvenience you will want to factor into your time if you want to replace multiple switches/outlets.
I use the Emporia Energy system that uses devices that install into your power distribution box to monitor your power consumption. They also provide smart plugs for those circuits that have several devices plugged in on multiple outlets. This way you can see each devices power usage. From my phone i can see exactly the power usage over a given period; real time, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly. Comes in very handy when planning a diy whole home solar and battery system.
Great and indepth information. It is so funny you mention the screw orientation on face plates. My wife thinks I am crazy about making sure the orientation is vertical. I explained that not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also reduces dust and dirt buildup because it will not collect on it as it would in the horizontal position.
One important thing is if the plug has an option to return to the On State if the power is lost. Many plugs do not have this, and you must manually reconnect if power is lost. This would not be good for connecting to a refrigerator or any device that you require power to return after an outage.
Haven’t finished the video yet, but none of the "Chapters" mention this… What about UL rating? If any of these plugs are non-UL, Home Insurance companies *COULD* come back and deny any coverage for fire, etc.
I like my screw heads horizontal…..
Kasa 💯. Those round ones I bought and none of them connected to anything. Eufy is decent but they disconnect quite a lot.
The screw us still crooked. 😮
Place the smart plug on top then your grounded plugs will fit under it 😅
Not for nothing, but the adjustment made with the screw slot, it did not end up perfectly vertical…. lol
Too bad you didn’t feature any of the Tuya smartlife universe. It’s the most widely supported smart device platform. Tons of manufacturers use the standard and they will all use the same app and link to Alexa or Google.
No one is putting a shop vac on a smart plug. C’mon man. 🙄
You didn’t mention the Leviton or Globe brands. The worst aspect of all of them is setting up the Bluetooth pairing especially when it occasionally fails and has to be reset. As well they don’t play nice with each other’s apps, meaning having to have separate apps if woe betide you don’t buy all your plugs and switches from the same company.
All receptical and light switch securing screws should always be left with the slot in the vertical position.
A..aesthetics.
B..in the vertical position the screw slot doesn’t accumulate dust, Which makes the slot appear larger.
It is first year Electrical Engineering Course subject in College.
I use the U Tec Smart Plugs, they have served me just fine, including the app, and their reasonably priced on Amazon, about $15 for 2.
I can not tell you how many times I’ve cracked an outlet cover trying to get the screw slot straight!
The 10A tungsten rating has to do with the coil that is formed by tungsten filements. When the power is disconnected, the coil that may have stored magnetic energy will kick back and possibly be discharged by a metal oxide varister (MOV) to prevent arcing. You cannot exceed the current rating on the MOV in this case.
What if you plug a smart plug into a smart plug?
On a scale of 1 to 10 the misaligned screw in the receptacle face plate bothered me 37.
The screw didnt bother me untill you turned it to just past perpendicular.
10.
And then what disappointed me even more was that your adjustment still didn’t look vertical (at least from the camera angle). Yes, the struggle is oh so real… 🤣
I’m a bit concerned about my Kasa smart devices now that there’s talk of banning TP-Link routers for security reasons. Will the smart devices be impacted? Will they shut down access if they’re pushed out of the country? I would hold off on buying that brand for a month or two until we see exactly how that plays out.
Could you not put the large grounded plug into the BOTTOM outlet , with the round smart plug in the TOP outlet?
I don’t care for smart plugs but I do use Enbrighten (from Lowes) that are controlled with the app for my Christmas decorations
I don’t care where the screws line goes as long it is tight enough to hold the plate in place. It serve no purposes, who would have time to stare at wall plug screws.😆
I have about 10 of the round plugs. You are absolutely correct that you can’t plug two into a single outlet. Overcame that in two ways. First, if you plug the controlled plug into the top outlet of the wall outlet, then you can plug a grounded plug into the lower, assuming that your plugs are installed with the grounded prong at the bottom. And of course, you can plug a multi-outlet into the wall and then use the controlled outlet from there. It’s a bit cumbersome but it does work. I’ll be looking to convert to the square style soon.
I may have been (figuratively) burned by a cheap smart outlet. I bought a Koolertron outdoor outlet (3 outlets individually controlled that plug into one socket) and it worked great for years. Didn’t use it for a couple years after we moved, now we’re in a new house and I go to set it up for xmas lights, and the app (annhome) is no longer there. I click the icon and it tries to download from the App Store, but it’s not there. Somewhere on Amazon I saw a comment that said to use AM Home instead, but nothing comes up for that either.
@7:39 – you would want to manipulate the outlet on-off switch as part of the setup without having the extra remote at hand. ALSO, many outlets are not installed at floor level but at counter level, so that is a convenience as well. potentially, for those use cases.
Good information. Thanks. I am presently using the GLOB Smart Plugs and really like them. They require using their own GLOB app that is then linked to Google Home. Presently, I have all my Christmas lights under the "Christmas " Location so can turn them all on/off with one command – "christmas" 😃
"Dumb device" is smart enough to remember it’s last state…
I saw the screw was crooked in the outlet before you mentioned it.
Excellent recap was curious if you have done anything with smart switches?
Tee shirt is way cool. My son would love it. Where can I purchase one?
Why do they even make the round ones….
One thing I had to look at was the plug’s "On State" after a power outage. Not all smart plugs return to an on state, which might be an issue if they are plugged into something like a refrigerator you want to monitor power usage on.
If any of these products are made in china, I’d be concerned about them being a fire hazard.
Screw orientation doesn’t matter to me, but it drive my wife nuts!!
Not sure where you are located, but here Tuya /Smart Home outlet plugs are very common.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🏆
3:43 Even after adjusting, your outlet screw is STILL not perfectly vertical. I have a tool that can fix that.
It was a very good time indeed
My outlet burned up real bad when I had a fan plugged in in another room. I plugged in a heater on a different outlet in the same burned outlet room. And it also started the burned outlet to melt again. So,two diff outlets (and one from another room) started an almost fire on a separate outlet. I turned off electric to the back of my house for 4 years now because I have no money to fix it :(. My AC unit has coil leak and said it wld be 4,500 to fix, or more for new one. So, I have also had no AC for years. I got a super tiny window unit in bedroom with battery fans to blow air down hall to cool rest of house. I’m terrified about electrical in my house. House built in 78. I wish I cld pay monthly for new wiring. I assume it’s like 10k tho. Sigh.