If you want to start making your home a little smarter, smart plugs are a great place to start:you'll be able to control your appliances over Wi-Fi, set schedules and even, with some devices, control your energy use. 5 Smart Tricks To Save Electricity In Your Smart Home 5 Smart Tricks To Save Electricity In Your Smart Home The trick to saving electricity is knowing where most of your energy is being used. Read more . The Belkin WeMo System 3 Ways The Belkin WeMo Can "Smarten" Your Regular Household Lamps 3 Ways The Belkin WeMo Can "Smarten" Your Regular Household Lamps We took the time to look at the possibilities of turning your regular household lamps into smart lamps . Read More is one of the most popular home automation systems, but if for any reason you're looking for an alternative, here are 6 to consider.
From ThinkEco mod outleave it's designed to give you control over your appliances and insight into how much energy they're using. With power consumption readings every minute, you can truly monitor how much power your devices consume throughout the day. The Modlet comes with standard schedules that will reduce vampire loads (the electricity your devices consume while in sleep or standby mode), and you can also create your own custom schedules.
ThinkEco TE1010 Modlet Starter Kit, White ThinkEco TE1010 Modlet Starter Kit, White Buy Now on Amazon
With the ThinkEco app you can view your energy usage and control your outlets right from your iPhone or Android, making it easy to turn on lights, coffee makers or air conditioners when you need them. Usage data is transmitted to a USB receiver. And if you use other ThinkEco devices, like your smartAC air conditioner controller, you can control them too.
If you look at enough smart plugs, you'll see that almost all of them have one thing in common:they're white. Every now and then you come across one that is black. This is not the case with the Ankuoo NEO! Beyond the bright colors, this is a pretty standard smart plug; The plug can be controlled via Wi-Fi or the iOS/Android app, and you can program it to save energy or make it look like home when you're away.
Ankuoo NEO Smart Connector, Wi-Fi, White Ankuoo NEO Smart Connector, Wi-Fi, White Buy Now On Amazon $18.99
Ankuoo also offers a NEO Pro plug that monitors your power consumption and displays your stats through the app. On sale soon, the NUT Plug, which also incorporates a proximity sensor that will deactivate the plug once it has been moved out of range, is a great way to turn off your heater, coffee maker or lights when you leave home. Ankuoo seems to be a very new company, but so far it has gotten good reviews on Amazon.
D-Link's first Wi-Fi smart plug got off to pretty mediocre reviews, but its second offering, the DSP-W110, has a much better reputation. It offers the standard feature set for a smart plug under $40:you can set on/off schedules, and you can control it via wi-fi or an app when you're away from home.
D-Link Smart Plug, Wi-Fi, On/Off, works with Alexa and Google Assistant (DSP-W110) D-Link Smart Plug, Wi-Fi, On/Off, works with Alexa and Google Assistant (DSP-W110) Buy now on Amazon $22.99
D-Link smart home devices emphasize simplicity and ease of use, and your Wi-Fi connection is no exception. The DSP-W110 lacks power control and a catchy name, but it will work with other smart home offerings from D-Link, letting you set up some basic smart home capabilities 6 Smart Home Projects You Can Take On This Weekend 6 Smart Homes Projects You Can Take On This Weekend Here are six ways to add a little ambient intelligence to your daily routine. Read More The control app is available for both iOS and Android.
Like the DSP-W110, the Bayit switch doesn't offer many features, but it does offer a pretty good value. Wi-Fi and iOS/Android app-based control and custom schedules let you start your home automation, just like any other smart plug, but Bayit claims it has an intuitive plug-and-play setup you can complete in two minutes.
Bayit is a relative newcomer to the smart home scene, with only three products on the market (the socket, a webcam, and wireless LED bulbs), but if they can really provide easy setup at $40, they could be a Company to see in the near future..
Although most of its products are for networks, Edimax has launched its first home automation product in the Smart Plug Switch. As with most others on this list, it's dead simple:plug it in, set it up, control it from your iPhone or Android, set up a calendar. Annoyingly, the plugs are packaged with CDs containing instructions, not exactly eco-friendly or useful in 2015.
Edimax Smart Plug Switch (SP1101W) Edimax Smart Plug Switch (SP1101W) Buy Now on Amazon
Edimax also has an energy monitoring version, the Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Management, which provides the same functionality but also records the amount of electricity entering the switch and displays it through the Edimax app. At $50, it's on the expensive side of non-WeMo plugs, but not by much.
The SmartThings outlet only works if you have a SmartThings Hub, but while it doesn't have all the versatility of the other wi-fi outlets, it does have the strength of the SmartThings brand. In addition to making your power outlet Wi-Fi controllable and turning on on a schedule, it also extends the range of your hub.
Samsung SmartThings Outlet, works with Alexa Samsung SmartThings Outlet, works with Alexa Shop now on Amazon
While the other smart plugs are good for starting your home automation process, the SmartThings outlet will only work if you have committed to the SmartThings system, which is not a bad choice as it is one of the best based systems. in hubs. of Smart Home Hubs:What's Out There and What's Next? Battle of the Smart Home Hubs:What's Out There and What's Next? Read More The advantage of this is that it is likely to be easier to configure than the other plug-ins on this list.
If you're looking for a smart plug other than the Belkin WeMo, you have several options. For my money, I'd like to go with the ThinkEco Modlet, as the wi-fi control combined with the multiple electricity monitoring modes make it a good deal for $44. However, if you're looking to get into the SmartThings system , or if you already have a SmartThings Hub, the Smart Power Outlet is also a good option.
Do you use smart plugs in your home? Or other ways to manage the power consumption of your devices. Energy Saving Tips for Buying and Using Electronics Energy Saving Tips for Buying and Using Electronics Electronic devices make up a significant portion of your home's energy costs. Computers, printers, and WiFi routers only make up about 25% of your electricity bill. As electronic devices become more efficient, their increased use of trade-offs... Read More Have you used any of the ones mentioned here? Or would you recommend the WeMo above all else? Share your thoughts below!
