So I thought smart plugs were just glorified on/off switches when I first got into this. Like, “Cool, I can turn my lamp off with my phone—big deal.” Fast forward a few months and… wow, was I wrong.
Starting out, I just used them for lights. Then I got curious. Now my coffee maker fires up at 7:00 sharp every morning, my fan turns off when my window opens (thanks to an Aqara door sensor), and I got this cheeky setup where my aquarium light mimics sunrise/sunset automatically. No more fish wondering what time it is lol.
The game-changer for me was linking smart plugs with automations through scenes in HomeKit. For instance, when I say “Goodnight” to Siri, boom: lights off, printer off, diffuser on, then 15 mins later plugs to everything else shut off too. Saves energy without me lifting a finger.
Also worth noting: these plugs really help monitor phantom power. I track what’s sucking juice when I’m not using it. Eye-opening how much that printer draws just sitting there…
Curious if anyone’s taken it beyond this? Any crazy or clever uses with smart plugs you’re proud of? Would love to steal—I mean, get inspired—by your setups.
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