Smart plugs are one of the simplest and most adaptable ways to automate your home. You could argue that a smart plug is merely a plug, but they do more than allow for remote on/off switching. They can also improve the effectiveness and enjoyment of different home chores. 

Smart plugs allow you to remotely control home appliances like coffee makers, fans, lamps, etc. They are inexpensive and simple to set up and operate.

In this article, we’ll examine practical and fun smart plug uses that would make life easier while saving you a few hundred dollars on electricity bills. Here are what to use smart plugs for.

Control Your Cooking Appliances with Smart Plugs

1. Get Your Meal and Drink Ready with Smart Plug

In tea kettles, the water takes a very long time to heat. This often results in waiting or moving back and forth to check the kettle. But when you connect a smart plug to Alexa or google assistant, it becomes possible to turn on the kettle with a voice command like “Alexa, make tea”. You could also turn it off without getting close to the kettle. 

2. Wake Up to the Smell of Coffee

Like a programmable coffee machine, one of the most enjoyable smart plug uses is scheduling it to turn on your coffee maker simultaneously every day. That said, you can go a tad further by manually initiating it on your nearby voice assistant, via an app, or by triggering it depending on events in your schedule. However, this service is limited as an interruption in power supply means no coffee would be waiting for you.

3. Control Your Slow Cooker’s Schedule

Dinner can be prepared at work using a crock pot or slow cooker. Smart plugs allow you to turn off the cooker remotely via an app or after a certain period. Setting up a camera or using a smart thermometer can help you determine whether the food is ready visually or has to achieve a certain interior temperature.

4. Undertake Multiple Tasks Easily

Most of these culinary procedures are designed for those who are absent, or at the very least, in another room, but the true challenge comes when preparing a large meal. With the aid of smart plugs, it now becomes possible to voice control most of your kitchen appliances, thus facilitating multi-tasking.

5. Heat Your Waffle Iron With Ease

Since most irons come on when you plug them in, it becomes quite easy to automate them using your smart plug. This feature is particularly important since Waffle Irons take a long time to heat

Energy Saving with Smart Plugs

6. Don’t Use your Pool Pump Excessively

Regular pool pump operation is one of the best uses for smart plugs and is essential for debris removal and chlorination. However, letting the pump run continuously is bad for the pump and a waste of energy. With the smart plug, scheduling the pump to run for a specific period is possible instead of always.

7. Shut off all of the appliances and electronics

Some home appliances like the TV or humidifier do not need to stay on when you are away from the house. A smart plug makes turning off these appliances and even lights easier, saving power. 

8. Controlling Christmas lights

While Christmas lights are beautiful, it is not necessary to run them always. A smart plug allows you to program these lights to come on based on a motion sensor or at specific times. 

9. Purify your air Periodically

For household allergens as well as for your general wellness, air purifiers are fantastic. You’re racking up your bills if you leave them running all day. Instead, use a smart plug to turn the air purifier to filter the air once or twice a day.

10. Cut back on parasite energy waste

Most devices like computers, TVs, refrigerators, and stereo systems draw energy from power outlets even when turned off or on standby mode. While you could unplug these devices, a better alternative would be cutting off the power supply to them using smart plugs. 

11. Remotely Control Your Air Conditioner

The closest thing to a smart thermostat is the ability to link some AC units into smart plugs. Although you won’t be able to change the temperature settings, you can turn them off when not in use to save energy.

Smart Plug Uses for Security

12. Deter Intruders by Routinely Turning on Lights and Sounds

Convincing potential burglars that a person is home, even if the house is vacant, is the best approach to deter a break-in. You can use Smart plugs to automatically turn on lights or audio on a schedule or in response to the motion.

13. Safeguard Your Garage Door

You can secure your garage door by scheduling the smart plug to turn off power to your garage door opener when the door is not in use. This makes it more difficult for intruders to break in. 

Use Smart Plugs for Safety

14. When The Socket Becomes Too Warm, Turn Off The Appliances

Some smart plugs have a thermometer feature to monitor the temperature of your power outlet. This allows them to cut off power from that outlet when it starts heating up. This feature could help prevent electrical fires. 

15. Shut Off Power From Your Curling Iron

Leaving your hair straightener or curling iron on when not in use could cause a major fire hazard. With a smart plug, you can schedule a timer that turns off these appliances after a specified time. 

16. Turns off Your Space Heater when the home is Vacant

Space heaters should never be left on while you are not around and you should use them for brief periods. The easy fix is to place a timer on your space heater using a smart plug

Parental Guidance Via Smart Plug

17. Turn Off Gaming Consoles And Televisions At Night

Even while your children’s phones may have parental guidance, you still need a reliable solution to ensure that TVs and gaming consoles don’t switch on during lights out.

The simplest solution is smart plug usage! You can program them to go off every night at a specific hour. Additionally, getting a smart plug with an energy monitor feature alerts you when the TV or gaming console comes on without your consent. 

18. Schedule Internet-Free Times

You may entirely ban internet usage in your home during certain hours if you wish to take the preceding recommendation a step further. Simply plug your Wi-FI or Router into a smart plug to switch it off after dinner or during the day.

Power Cycle using Smart Plugs

19. Restart Router When Wi-Fi Goes Down

If your router freezes, restart it with a smart Plug. You’ll probably have to reboot your router and modem whenever your internet goes down. That’s annoying, especially if they’re out of the way or hard to reach. It’s best to connect it to a smart socket so that you can reboot it remotely.

20. Reset Your Smart TV remotely

Sometimes the only choice when your smart TV crashes is to disconnect it from the socket and reconnect it back. However, with a smart plug, you can reset your smart TV without standing up from your comfortable chair. 

Conclusion

Smart plugs are multifunctional devices that make undertaking routine chores very convenient. In other words, there are several smart plug uses. Also, it becomes easier to remotely carry out tasks while outside the house or without leaving your position of comfort with these plugs. So why wait? Get your home smart plugs today, and make your house a tad smarter. 

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