Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
Smart plugs might appear unassuming in the realm of smart home technology, yet their modest size belies their immense utility. These devices are remarkably versatile tools for any connected home. By simply plugging in a single unit, you can instantly upgrade everyday appliances such as lamps, coffee makers, or fans, granting them remote control capabilities without needing to replace them.
While many users primarily employ smart plugs to power devices on or off via a smartphone, this only scratches the surface of their potential. You can establish automated schedules, program appliances to operate at specific times, and even track your devices’ energy consumption – all with a simple tap or voice command. Whether you’re creating a comprehensive smart home ecosystem or merely seeking to streamline your mornings, a smart plug represents a minor investment that yields significant benefits.
If you’re seeking engaging and practical applications for your plugs, explore these 10 innovative uses for your smart plugs. Consider also investigating which appliances to unplug to reduce your electricity costs, and the optimal thermostat setting for energy savings.
Elevating Your Wake-Up Routine
Rising in the morning can sometimes be a challenge, but smart plugs can contribute to a more pleasant awakening. Employ a smart plug to synchronize your bedside lamp and radio with your alarm, creating a gentler wake-up experience and fostering motivation to begin your day.
Is coffee essential to your morning ritual? For many, it is, which is why utilizing a smart plug to automatically initiate brewing a fresh pot can be invaluable. Simply remember to prepare your coffee machine with grounds and water the evening before.
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You could also configure your electric toothbrush to commence charging upon waking and cease after a few minutes—conserving energy by avoiding all-day charging. Alternatively, program your curling iron to preheat approximately 20 minutes post-wake-up.
Voice-Activated Lighting Control with Alexa
The majority of smart plugs offer compatibility with popular smart home platforms, enhancing the convenience of devices designed to simplify daily life.
Rather than manually accessing an app on your phone to switch off lights at night, or establishing a rigid schedule that might prematurely plunge you into darkness, simply instruct your smart home hub, such as Alexa, to manage your lights. Ensure to name your smart plug appropriately so your hub recognizes the intended device to control.
Advanced Automation with IFTTT
This is where true “intelligence” comes into play. Numerous smart plugs are engineered with IFTTT integration, enabling you to link them with other smart devices and automate their interactions based on various triggers.
For instance, with a compatible smart plug and thermostat, you could automate a fan to activate when the ambient temperature rises and subsequently deactivate as it cools down. The same principle applies to a space heater when temperatures decline.
Revisiting home security concepts, consider configuring your smart plug to illuminate a lamp when your outdoor security camera detects movement in the yard, or to automatically activate a light at sunset and deactivate it at sunrise.
Engaging Children with Technology
This application can be particularly delightful. While adults understand the underlying mechanics of smart devices like plugs and connected lighting (for the most part), to children, it can resemble magic.
Have your smart plug application readily accessible, and then proclaim your extraordinary capability to control lights with a mere command. Incorporate a countdown or a classic magic word like “abracadabra” to amplify the effect, and then activate the switch via your phone.
Your young audience is likely to be captivated, but the real enjoyment arises when they become the “magician.” Guide them to use a specific word or gesture to govern the lights, and utilize your phone discreetly to fulfill their command each time.
Be aware: This novelty may wear off for you sooner than for them. Be prepared for explanations about “dead batteries” or “broken bulbs.”
Streamlining Dinner Preparation
While perhaps less universally appealing than the previous idea, this application is still worth considering. Utilize your smart plug to initiate your energy-efficient slow cooker or sous vide cooking appliance before arriving home. This approach can significantly reduce inactive cooking periods, potentially opening up opportunities for recipes and cooking techniques that might otherwise be inconvenient.
However, food safety is a crucial consideration. Be mindful of the duration food remains at room temperature before cooking commences to mitigate the risk of foodborne illnesses when delaying the cooking process with a smart plug.
Automated Outdoor Lighting Solutions
External illumination serves purposes beyond just home security and deterring intruders. Simple enhancements like outdoor string lights can significantly enhance your outdoor living spaces’ ambiance. Yet, manually plugging and unplugging these lights can be tedious, and sustained usage can impact your electricity bill.
Smart plugs can resolve both of these challenges. Employ weatherproof outdoor smart plugs to automatically activate your outdoor lights, fans, or other plug-in accessories at dusk and deactivate them at dawn. The same principle applies indoors for holiday lighting, such as Christmas tree lights. You’ll appreciate the added convenience and energy savings, particularly considering that many individuals are seeking financial relief during holiday periods.
Enhancing Garage Security
This useful tip, discovered from Smart Geek Home, is too valuable to omit. Connect your garage door opener to a smart plug. While this won’t enable remote operation of the garage door in place of the standard button, remote, or control panel (like a dedicated smart garage door opener), it will add a layer of security against unauthorized access.
Vehicle break-ins are a common concern. Compounding this risk, many individuals leave garage door remotes within their vehicles. If a thief gains access to the vehicle, they could also gain access to your home.
By powering your garage door opener through a smart plug, you gain the ability to cut power when you are away or at night. Consequently, even if someone possesses your garage door opener remote, they will be unable to open the door.
Controlling Hard-to-Reach Outlets
Typically, electrical outlets are positioned for convenient access, until furniture obstructs them. Some outlets, particularly in areas like garages or attics, can be genuinely inaccessible.
While a smart plug doesn’t physically improve outlet accessibility, it grants you control over devices once they are connected. This is particularly useful for items like mounted attic fans or garage lighting fixtures that are difficult to reach directly.
Remote Router Restart Functionality
Even the highest-quality Wi-Fi routers can occasionally encounter issues requiring a restart. Often, routers are positioned in less accessible locations, such as atop bookshelves or within closets, complicating the restart process. Alternatively, your router might be easily accessible but located on a different floor when a restart is needed.
Utilize your smart plug to momentarily cut power to your router for approximately 30 seconds, then restore power, effectively rebooting it remotely. Note that this method will be ineffective if your router includes battery backup; in such cases, manual battery removal or physical unplugging would still be necessary.
While smart plugs offer convenience for router restarts, avoid using them to constantly toggle your internet connection on and off. For managing internet access, most modern routers offer built-in applications enabling device-specific control. Explore these features before resorting to complete internet disconnection, as this may disrupt other connected devices.
Optimizing Your Evening Wind-Down
Imagine stepping into a comfortably pre-warmed bed. Preheat your bedding by plugging an electric blanket into a smart plug and activating it a few minutes before bedtime. No need to worry about falling asleep before switching it off; program your smart plug to automatically deactivate it for you.
Many experience the common scenario of falling asleep while reading with a bedside lamp left illuminated. Not only does this waste energy, but it can also disrupt sleep for others nearby. A smart plug can automatically extinguish the light at a predetermined time, or allow a partner to switch off the light without getting out of bed.
The same benefit applies to televisions used for evening relaxation. While many TVs have sleep timer functions, these settings might be inconvenient to access. Additionally, you may be utilizing a streaming device remote lacking sleep timer controls. In either scenario, a smart plug provides an excellent solution for preventing your TV from remaining on all night.
This concludes our exploration of innovative uses for smart plugs; however, countless other applications exist. Like all smart home devices, a smart plug’s full potential is constrained only by your inventiveness and the array of other connected devices within your smart home.
For further valuable tips and tricks, such as optimal thermostat placement, effective stain removal techniques for clothing, and strategies to fortify your home Wi-Fi network, consult the FASTNET Home Tips page.