I took delivery on a pair of inexpensive WiFi Smart plugs from amazon a couple days ago. Specific purpose was that these fit in a place where I had no other real option. I needed one - got 2 because the deal was great.
But now I’m trying to find a deployment for the other one… and I cannot.
There is nothing in the house that is plugged into a wall outlet on a continual basis that is not already somehow automated. The lamps all have smart bulbs of one sort or another. I have a rock salt lamp that is plugged into a smart dimmer. Entertainment centers etc are plugged into smart outlets, most of which are also zwave repeaters. The washer is plugged into an energy-tracking outlet.
So I have one Iris smart plug & zwave repeater, and now this iKustar plug, as spares.
Can’t hurt to have spares in case something breaks.
It was just strange to realize that I have nothing left to automate LOL
Until the holidays come around again and you’ll find a use for it. I have a set of plugs (indoor and outdoor) and light strips that sit around for 9 months out of the year in a box. Then, the holidays come around and suddenly my device list jumps up by 15 (or more) devices. LOL
Actually, I just put away a TP-link WiFi outlet along with two of my three outdoor GE/Jasco zwave outlets. They won’t come out again until next holiday season.
I even have a zwave dimmer that I can’t install yet because the switch location lacks a neutral. Also a couple Bosch motion sensors still in boxes, and a half-dozen contact sensors… it’s good to have spares, but I’m not a vendor. So I really should not have ‘inventory’ lol
I would put the ST Hub without baackup batteries on it and cadence a one in a while shut down - pause 15 min -restart. This would allow your zigbee mesh to self heal and maybe improve some seniors performance. Just an idea.
I have to ask, how is the plug going to turn back on if the Hub was just shut off? Basically, if the hub shut the plug off and the plug powers the hub, how will the plug turn back on, the hub will have no power?
It’s a WiFi plug, not dependent on SmartThings to operate. You can build schedules in the SmartLife utility. The scheduling is rudimentary though. As my devices/mesh show no sign of problems, I will be hesitant to reboot the hub on a routine basis.
“Inventory”… I think that we have the same issue. I STILL have 14 Slyvania Lightify (or whatever they are calling themselves now) bulbs in the packaging, just sitting in a box. I couldn’t pass them up when Lowe’s put them up on clearance. I also have ~10 Hue lights in a box plus three GE smart fan switches (same situation; No neutral at the box). Eventually, I’m going to have a neutral run but “eventually” is always next month. LOL
But, having spares is a good thing, right? (That’s what I tell my wife, at least).
Re: inventory… I actually purchased a slew of incandescent some years ago. Have a whole shelf full of various wattages, various bases - about 70 bulbs in all. Did that about three months before the LED bulbs became solid replacements for incandescents lol
If you have a garage door opener, you could use the plug to disable all power to the opener to prevent accidental opening as an extra layer of security.
The salt lamp is in the bedroom, up on an armoire. It has an incandescent bulb, and has a dimmer knob on the AC cord. But we are not using that dimmer.
A few months ago, some online store or other had a great deal on Centralite-made dimming outlets. So I picked up a few. It’s very nice to say “Alexa, turn the salt lamp to 40%”… and then when we’re ready to sleep and the cats have already tucked in with us, “Alexa, turn off the salt lamp”.
