Cheap "smart plugs"...work great.

[Cranky]

I was searching for some cheap control over the heating system at a building and found a dirt cheap internet plug at...of all places...Home Depot.

www.homedepot.ca/product/commercial-electric-wi-fi-indoor-15a-smart-plug-3-pack/1001551613

Using it for a few weeks at work to control the pumps and heating system. Also hooked up to a very loud alarm bell to ward off evil spirit and stupid druggies looking for a quick B&E. I'm not sure they can take machines that weigh 35,000 pounds in their knapsack, but you never know what they will do.

Use it at home to turn the wifi cameras on and off. Still thinking of other uses...

The app has been reliable...you can manually turn them on/off...OR you can also set it to time down OR schedule EACH plug.

Response is within a second.

You can load the app on different devices, but only ONE device will work at a time. A bit of a hassle but it's just 20-30 seconds to enter email and password.

Be aware that I think the response center is in China. Do NOT use it where an "accidental" turn on can burn down the house. It's still the internet and it still has all the issues of a 12 year old hacking and playing with with them. At work, I had to put a high limit on the boiler in case the pumps "accidentally" don't turn on or "accidentally" turn themselves off. Don't trust and do verify....

At work, every one of them has a small night light to tell me if they are on or off through the cameras. Which also sets them off with a notification when they turn off or on. Sort of a redneck way to double-check them.

Also, the plugs are 15 amp, which is the same as normal household plugs amperage.

Last but not least, do NOT plug in a light in the basement and tell the wife it's a ghost. Dinner will taste funny.....

Highly recommend them.


(I'm looking for cheap internet "smart" temperature monitors. Anybody have any links/knowledge of any? I need to know the pipe temperatures of the heating system.)

[Cranky]

Redneck Solution 99...

I'm buying some WYZE cameras for the interior of the house. Since i will NEVER trust that they wont be hacked, i will put them on the smart plug and in turn, they will power them on and off.

On top of that, i will put a triple plug first, plug in a night light with an LED bulb and also plug in the camera. That way, i KNOW that when the camera is on, there is a nice bright LED telling me it's on.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to see me in my underwear....but....

This is exactly what i have done at the plant....in reverse. The pumps are plugged into the internet plugs and they also have a night light on them. If i turn on the pumps from home, within a second the surveillance cameras send a notification and that tells me they are on. I can see the light from the cameras.

Be it redneck or McGiver....it works.

Hope these threads help anyone who needs it....

[jkr]

Yes, they are helpful. I was looking for something reasonably priced for simple things like controlling some indoor lighting while we are out, that type of stuff.

Thanks.

[GNick99]

Dec 14, 2020 17:15:28 GMT -5 Cranky said:

I was searching for some cheap control over the heating system at a building and found a dirt cheap internet plug at...of all places...Home Depot.

www.homedepot.ca/product/commercial-electric-wi-fi-indoor-15a-smart-plug-3-pack/1001551613

Using it for a few weeks at work to control the pumps and heating system. Also hooked up to a very loud alarm bell to ward off evil spirit and stupid druggies looking for a quick B&E. I'm not sure they can take machines that weigh 35,000 pounds in their knapsack, but you never know what they will do.

Use it at home to turn the wifi cameras on and off. Still thinking of other uses...

The app has been reliable...you can manually turn them on/off...OR you can also set it to time down OR schedule EACH plug.

Response is within a second.

You can load the app on different devices, but only ONE device will work at a time. A bit of a hassle but it's just 20-30 seconds to enter email and password.

Be aware that I think the response center is in China. Do NOT use it where an "accidental" turn on can burn down the house. It's still the internet and it still has all the issues of a 12 year old hacking and playing with with them. At work, I had to put a high limit on the boiler in case the pumps "accidentally" don't turn on or "accidentally" turn themselves off. Don't trust and do verify....

At work, every one of them has a small night light to tell me if they are on or off through the cameras. Which also sets them off with a notification when they turn off or on. Sort of a redneck way to double-check them.

Also, the plugs are 15 amp, which is the same as normal household plugs amperage.

Last but not least, do NOT plug in a light in the basement and tell the wife it's a ghost. Dinner will taste funny.....

Highly recommend them.


(I'm looking for cheap internet "smart" temperature monitors. Anybody have any links/knowledge of any? I need to know the pipe temperatures of the heating system.)

Home Depot yeah! I owe a few shares of home depot. Well run company, earnjngs growing, pays a strong dividend.