Smart plugs - Controlled via iPhone ( Not Alexa or Google )
Discussion
Looking for some smart plugs for the house.
Need to be able to switch lights etc on and off via iPhone.
Apple homekit certified stuff is like hens teeth and expensive.
Any other suggestions.
Do not want to Amazon Alexa etc.
Much prefer to to click on/ off or IFTTT in an app.
Thank you in advance.
Need to be able to switch lights etc on and off via iPhone.
Apple homekit certified stuff is like hens teeth and expensive.
Any other suggestions.
Do not want to Amazon Alexa etc.
Much prefer to to click on/ off or IFTTT in an app.
Thank you in advance.
Nearly all of them have an app to turn them on and off - it’s how you connect them to your WiFi. Certainly the TP-Link and Tuya ones I have can be controlled by app. The TP-Link ones even have a widget for the iPhone home screen to quickly turn sockets on and off. They are my favoured ones with a dozen round the house that have been rock solid for years now.
Smart Plug WiFi Outlet TECKIN Mini Plug Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT, Wireless Smart Socket Remote Control Timer Plug Switch, No Hub Required,13A (3 Pack) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YY9NKSF/ref=cm_sw_r...
These are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
These are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
interstellar said:
Smart Plug WiFi Outlet TECKIN Mini Plug Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT, Wireless Smart Socket Remote Control Timer Plug Switch, No Hub Required,13A (3 Pack) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YY9NKSF/ref=cm_sw_r...
These are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
I have the square version of these and can concur they are pretty good, I use them with my Echo but also from the app as wellThese are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
filthypig said:
Sonoff S26 plugs are decent, we’ve got them set up with a couple of lamps in the lounge and they can be controlled by an app (eWeLink) whilst out of home.
We have a range of S20 plugs that we've been using for a few years now and they're great and as well as with eWeLink they also link into Google Home and work seamlessly with that of you change your mind in the future and want voice control and routines as well as/instead of the eWeLink inferfaceBig fan of sonoff and have been using their stuff for 2 years now. Have one s20 plug that i have had for 2 years (the first smart item I got) I have since bought Tp link stuff and a lot of sonoff basics. The sonoff stuff is totally trouble free, although now it is all flashed with different firmware, the hardware is working perfectly.
Troubleatmill said:
Looking for some smart plugs for the house.
Need to be able to switch lights etc on and off via iPhone.
Apple homekit certified stuff is like hens teeth and expensive.
Any other suggestions.
Do not want to Amazon Alexa etc.
Much prefer to to click on/ off or IFTTT in an app.
Thank you in advance.
What is IFTTT?Need to be able to switch lights etc on and off via iPhone.
Apple homekit certified stuff is like hens teeth and expensive.
Any other suggestions.
Do not want to Amazon Alexa etc.
Much prefer to to click on/ off or IFTTT in an app.
Thank you in advance.
The Mad Monk said:
What is IFTTT?
If This Then That. It's an online service that links actions at one device to actions at another. It's a way of adding the features you want that the manufacturers didn't bother with. Though it's a 'live' service, so it doesn't store any data which limits what it can do. I use it a bit with to link my Tado heating to the TP Link WiFi plugs I have, Tado goes into Away mode when I leave the house and Home mode when I come back, so it's a great trigger for turning things on and off. I use the plugs to turn amplifiers on and off for my ceiling speakers. The smart plugs let you turn the amplifiers on and off with a timer, IFTTT lets you change that so it's conditional on you being in the house. So the amplifiers are on between 6am and 10pm, but turn off when Tado says everyone is out and turn on when Tado says someone is home.
Going back to the limitation I mentioned, it relies on the instantaneous trigger from Tado to IFTTT, if that is lost in the ether then because IFTTT isn't receiving a regular status update it can't then get back on track by checking status regularly. Similarly you can't have multiple triggers (other than time) as they would need both triggers to occur at the same time.
It interacts with a lot of stuff on your phone too, not just hardware things, so you can add missing features to your phone such as turning WiFi off when you go out or opening an App when you connect to the car bluetooth. I use that with Google WiFi to alert me when certain devices connect and disconnect from my WiFi, which is quite neat if you've been told to do x, y and z before your wife gets home.
I find it really good, my only complaint is that it's so in the background that when it stops working it can be a challenge to workout which services you used to link everything together and who's had their venture capital funding pulled or been bought out and killed your setup.
paulrockliffe said:
If This Then That. It's an online service that links actions at one device to actions at another. It's a way of adding the features you want that the manufacturers didn't bother with. Though it's a 'live' service, so it doesn't store any data which limits what it can do.
I use it a bit with to link my Tado heating to the TP Link WiFi plugs I have, Tado goes into Away mode when I leave the house and Home mode when I come back, so it's a great trigger for turning things on and off. I use the plugs to turn amplifiers on and off for my ceiling speakers. The smart plugs let you turn the amplifiers on and off with a timer, IFTTT lets you change that so it's conditional on you being in the house. So the amplifiers are on between 6am and 10pm, but turn off when Tado says everyone is out and turn on when Tado says someone is home.
Going back to the limitation I mentioned, it relies on the instantaneous trigger from Tado to IFTTT, if that is lost in the ether then because IFTTT isn't receiving a regular status update it can't then get back on track by checking status regularly. Similarly you can't have multiple triggers (other than time) as they would need both triggers to occur at the same time.
It interacts with a lot of stuff on your phone too, not just hardware things, so you can add missing features to your phone such as turning WiFi off when you go out or opening an App when you connect to the car bluetooth. I use that with Google WiFi to alert me when certain devices connect and disconnect from my WiFi, which is quite neat if you've been told to do x, y and z before your wife gets home.
I find it really good, my only complaint is that it's so in the background that when it stops working it can be a challenge to workout which services you used to link everything together and who's had their venture capital funding pulled or been bought out and killed your setup.
You went a bit too quick for me then.I use it a bit with to link my Tado heating to the TP Link WiFi plugs I have, Tado goes into Away mode when I leave the house and Home mode when I come back, so it's a great trigger for turning things on and off. I use the plugs to turn amplifiers on and off for my ceiling speakers. The smart plugs let you turn the amplifiers on and off with a timer, IFTTT lets you change that so it's conditional on you being in the house. So the amplifiers are on between 6am and 10pm, but turn off when Tado says everyone is out and turn on when Tado says someone is home.
Going back to the limitation I mentioned, it relies on the instantaneous trigger from Tado to IFTTT, if that is lost in the ether then because IFTTT isn't receiving a regular status update it can't then get back on track by checking status regularly. Similarly you can't have multiple triggers (other than time) as they would need both triggers to occur at the same time.
It interacts with a lot of stuff on your phone too, not just hardware things, so you can add missing features to your phone such as turning WiFi off when you go out or opening an App when you connect to the car bluetooth. I use that with Google WiFi to alert me when certain devices connect and disconnect from my WiFi, which is quite neat if you've been told to do x, y and z before your wife gets home.
I find it really good, my only complaint is that it's so in the background that when it stops working it can be a challenge to workout which services you used to link everything together and who's had their venture capital funding pulled or been bought out and killed your setup.
Silly question department.
If I want to turn my CH on remotely, then I will need a smart time clock, smart thermostat and smart plugs? I have a smart phone.
The Mad Monk said:
You went a bit too quick for me then.
Silly question department.
If I want to turn my CH on remotely, then I will need a smart time clock, smart thermostat and smart plugs? I have a smart phone.
You just need the smart thermostat, I think Tado is the best, but it's the only one I've used. Tado is great because you can set the temperature for different times of day, then it automatically over-rides when everyone goes out or someone comes home, all you have to do is add mobile devices to the setup for it to keep an eye on.Silly question department.
If I want to turn my CH on remotely, then I will need a smart time clock, smart thermostat and smart plugs? I have a smart phone.
In reality you can just set it up and leave it 99% of the time, it doesn't need bothering once you have it set right. I use the app to see when the heating has been on and if I'm away for a few days in winter I'll put the heating on when I'm on my way home to heat the fabric of the building up, otherwise it just gets on with it.
I use IFTTT to send me alerts if the house gets too hot or too cold, which is handy as it'll tell you the heating has tripped out over night or remind you to put the heating on manually when you start heading home.
geeks said:
interstellar said:
Smart Plug WiFi Outlet TECKIN Mini Plug Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT, Wireless Smart Socket Remote Control Timer Plug Switch, No Hub Required,13A (3 Pack) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YY9NKSF/ref=cm_sw_r...
These are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
I have the square version of these and can concur they are pretty good, I use them with my Echo but also from the app as wellThese are simple, cheap and work a treat, I don’t use them with alexa etc. I have them on a timer but you can turn on and off on an app no problem.
Spot on.
Using the Tuya app I've now linked two separate plugs together so you turn one on, the other turns on too. And have them on a time schedule so don't even have to remember to push a button to turn them off before I go to bed. Height of laziness, but it got me thinking a bit more about automation routines...
I have an electric heater in a new loft room that is now programmed to come on if the reported temps outside drop below zero to keep the chill out of the room. Intending to also connect up my Lightwave lights...so will hopefully be able to turn on the electric heater when someone turns the light in that space on.
I remain somewhat nervous about cloud based solutions like this...but as a toe in the water am smiling. And the Teckins were cheap (barely more expensive than the lo-tech solution they replaced).
Murph7355 said:
I remain somewhat nervous about cloud based solutions like this...but as a toe in the water am smiling. And the Teckins were cheap (barely more expensive than the lo-tech solution they replaced).
I've got a few TP-link Kasa plugs which apparently save timer events to the plugs memory so they still switch without internet access.Not sure how the Teckins works but I'd recommend the TP-Link plugs in general.
Bill said:
I've ordered some for much same reason, cheap enough to have a go and if they only get used for the Christmas lights it's no big deal.
Will need to have a play when they get here, but can they be timed with dusk so the come on when it gets dark?
I tried to do that with mine using IFTTT and can't remember if I made it work or not. I think I used something else that has 'Sunset' as an option in the time and let you create conditional processes as I wanted it to come on when I came home but only if it was after sunset. But the something else closed down this year, though I can't remember what it was called.Will need to have a play when they get here, but can they be timed with dusk so the come on when it gets dark?
There's a few other similar services that are better than IFTTT, but also more fiddly, I presume one of them has that.
The boring answer is that sunset is fairly consistent while you have your Christmas tree up, so you can just set a timer.
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