So I have an Android tablet set up running Smart Tiles which is currently plugged in 24/7. What I’ve been looking for is either a USB plug or a USB cable with a controller built in that would allow me to turn the power off to the tablet every once in a while just to keep the battery in some form of reasonable condition as they aren’t designed to be left plugged in all the time.
I could use a smart socket with a USB charger but it looks bulky plugged in to the wall socket. Anyone come across such a USB charger or USB cable?
TopGreener has an interesting inwall receptacle. UL listed. You can use the tuya app and I think it will show up in the smartthings Integration, although I’m not 100% sure on that. You might need to use a scene. Or you could just use Alexa as an intermediary.
This device has one always on dumb outlet, and then a Wi-Fi controllable group consisting of two USB ports and one regular receptacle That turn on and off together.
One more option which probably won’t work for you aesthetically, but goes with the thread title…
Meross has a power strip with 4 individually controllable regular outlets and a set of four USB outlets which are handled as a group. So the app sees 5 controllable devices. compatible with smartthings, Homekit, or Alexa. ETL safety certified. They often have a coupon for three or four dollars off on the product page.
For now I’m just going to have to manage with a smart socket there just doesn’t seem to be a good option.
I don’t want to spend money on devices that are based on yet another ecosystem and relient on WiFi and the topgreener is not really suitable for the UK.
Device selection does vary significantly from country to country. So please do specify what country you are in when asking for device recommendations. It helps everybody.
