Don’t know which smart plug to get for your smart home? We understand! Dale Dumbs It Down is going to break down what to look for in a smart plug.
“Hey, Google…turn on my living room lights.” So easy. So practical. It’s kinda hard not to feel a little special being able to command devices in your home with a simple voice prompt. And if you haven’t tried using a smart plug, you’re missing out! There are a ton of different smart plugs on the market with different awesome features. But what is the difference between them all? What should you look for in a smart plug?
They seem to come in all different shapes and sizes, some of them you can set up different schedules while with others, you can set up timers that can turn on and off at a certain time. Some work with different platforms as well. This is a major point to make with smart plugs: make sure the smart plug connects with the platform already integrated in your smart home. Amazon, Google, and HomeKit are the standard. There are so many different questions out there. We want to quickly touch on a handful of important things you need to look for in a smart plug.
What To Look For In A Smart Plug
There are a lot of different smart plugs out there but not every plug is going to be right for you and your family. The price range on these can run from around $6 to as high as $60!
Budget + Simplicity
If you’re more on a budget, you’re gonna be looking for something that just has simple features, turning your device on and off. Maybe setting up a schedule or two. With any smart plug, you will get what you pay for it. Period. But simplicity, because you’re on a budget, isn’t always the norm. Sometimes, the simple feature of just being able to turn devices on or off is exactly what you need. Determine the purpose of the smart plug. This is key. In one of our rooms, we have a special plant light and we turn it on when there isn’t a lot of sunshine during the day. A simple on and off toggle is perfect for that situation.
Features You Want In A Smart Plug
Most smart plugs offer tremendous value by delivering on what they promise to do. But maybe you want to spend a little bit of extra money and really get something that is just feature-packed. A smart plug that’s gonna be able to monitor the power usage from your device in addition to enabling Vacation Mode or Schedule Modes. Perhaps you want timers? These are really nice features if you’re the geek type and love to leverage smart technology to make your life easier.
Dedicated Apps And Integration
Something else to consider with all smart plugs is if they have their own dedicated apps. If they do, this usually indicates the company is dedicated to the product. We highly recommend downloading and signing up with an account for the app. What this will do is unlock more features than if you were to use it only on Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant environment. In most cases, you can use both and the app integrations and how the apps communicate with each other are pretty seamless. Another thing to consider is how you control these plugs through their apps from anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to WiFi.
Location In Your Home
There are some smart plugs on the market right now that have been designed to work outdoors. They feature water-resistant features and tech inside of them so they’re protected inside. Don’t make the mistake of getting one of these higher-end priced smart plugs and then use it inside. And as mentioned earlier, depending on where you decide to utilize your smart plug should play a major role as to what brand you want to go with.
Your Home Needs Smart Plugs
These are just a handful of things to look for when deciding on getting a smart plug. We take a look at the smart plugs we really like, but one thing is certain…every home should have a smart plug or two. They are simple technology but massively practical and do make life a little easier with little disruption to our lives.
