5 Things You Didn't Know Smart Plugs Could Do & Why You Should Buy One
Connected plugs are among the most capable smart devices, and if you add to that the fact that they are among the most affordable smart gadgets, it is not surprising that many people are entering the world of home automation starting with the plug. Now, what are the different uses that we can offer these smart plugs in practice? Stay with this article, because here you will discover five uses that you probably did not know about until now.
Save money. This is the main use and reason why you should consider purchasing a smart plug in your home automation mission, because due to their reasonable price and the things they can do, smart plugs have become one of the essential smart elements in any home that wants to consider itself an automated home. Read on to discover some of the lesser-known uses of a smart plug.
- Control your mobile phone charging
Although many modern cell phones already have systems that stop charging when they reach 100% or 80%, because they are configurable. Staying plugged in all night is not the best option for battery life. With a smart plug, you can program it to turn off the charger after an hour or two, only when the phone reaches full charge.
In this simple way you will take care of the device, preventing it from constantly charging and discharging the battery by 1%, which causes the battery's productive life to decrease radically.
- Pretend you are at home
A very practical use of smart plugs is to program them to simulate activity in your home, especially if you go on vacation or work long hours outside. You can set the lights to turn on and off at different times, or even turn on the TV from time to time, creating the illusion that someone is home. This can be a good trick to deter potential burglars, as it makes the house look inhabited.
Depending on the integration possibilities of the smart plug with home automation systems, you will be able to get even greater automation of different actions. For example, we highly appreciate the possibility of integrating home automation devices into Home Assistant, where we will have full control over the devices and will be able to perform truly advanced automations.
- Turn on devices before arrival
Imagine coming home to your coffee already ready or your heating already on, all without having to press your finger on a smart plug, it’s totally possible. Simply schedule certain appliances, like your coffee maker or heater, to turn on just before you arrive. It’s perfect for saving time on those busy mornings or when you want to get home and it’s already warm.
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- Save energy with older appliances
You may have appliances that consume a lot of energy, such as a refrigerator or a washing machine. With a smart plug, you can monitor the energy consumption of these appliances and, even better, schedule them to turn off when they are not in use or during certain hours of the day. This way, you can reduce energy consumption and at the same time extend the useful life of your appliances.
There are certain cases, such as a refrigerator or freezer, where it makes sense that you won't be able to turn it off if there's food inside, but you'll be able to control the consumption over time, and replace it with a newer one that has significantly lower consumption.
- Access hard-to-reach ports
You probably have plugs in hard-to-reach places, like behind a piece of furniture or in an awkward corner. Instead of having to move furniture every time you want to turn an appliance on or off, you can use a smart plug to do it all from your phone. That way, you can plug in devices like lamps or TVs without having to move anything every time you want to use them.
Smart plugs offer endless possibilities beyond what you might initially think. In addition to being a great way to automate everyday tasks, they can improve the security of your home, take care of your appliances, and help you save on your electric bill.