"Smart plug" that allows you to easily operate home appliances with your smartphone Introducing convenient usage and recommended products

Smart homes make life easier by connecting home appliances to the Internet. Many people are probably interested in futuristic lifestyles such as switching home appliances on and off from smartphones and smart speakers.

There are various ways to introduce smart homes depending on their functions, but if you can control the on / off of electrical appliances with a smartphone or smart speaker, you can do it without buying IoT home appliances. Did you know that there is a product called "smart plug" recently?

The smart plug is a device that turns connected home appliances into IoT by simply plugging it into an outlet. Although there are conditions such as "appliances that do not require high voltage" and "appliances that can be turned on/off by unplugging and replugging the power supply", even if they are not IoT appliances, they can be remotely controlled by smartphones or linked with smart speakers. voice operation becomes possible.

Introduces what kind of smart plug is and what kind of home appliances it is compatible with, how to use it, precautions, and recommended products.

A smart plug is a device that converts connected home appliances into IoT. Since the smart plug itself has a Wi-Fi function, you can turn it on and off from a smartphone app or smart speaker by inserting it into the outlet in the room and connecting the plug of the home appliance there. Remote control is possible even for home appliances that do not have communication functions.

Smart plugs are basically used while connected to your home Wi-Fi. Since there are many dedicated smartphone apps for each product, various operations are performed from there.

Easy to use. First, install the app on your smartphone. After registering the product you want to use according to the instructions in the app, configure the smart plug Wi-Fi settings on the app. With just this, your smartphone and smart plug will work together, and you will be able to control the on/off of your home appliances from your smartphone.

The number of taps is generally a single tap, but if you choose a smart multi-tap type, you can connect multiple home appliances to one smart plug at the same time. You should buy the most suitable model according to the number of home appliances you want to connect.

So, what kind of home appliances are there that can actually be operated? Smart plugs have restrictions on the types and voltages of home appliances that can be used for each product, so they are not versatile. Basically, it is limited to home appliances that can be started by turning on / off the power supply, or home appliances that do not have a power switch on the main body and can be started simply by plugging into an outlet.

Many smart plugs have a fixed voltage and cannot be used with home appliances that require high voltage, such as air conditioners. Let's check the compatible voltage of the smart plug and compatible home appliances in advance.

Smart plugs cannot be used to operate home appliances that require a separate power switch to operate while the appliance is plugged in. Home appliances that are controlled by a remote control simply enter a standby state when they are plugged in, so they cannot be turned on or off. If you install a separate app on your smartphone and operate it via Wi-Fi, there are some home appliances that can be operated, but I would like to check the product manual in advance to see if it is compatible.

Some home appliances cannot be turned on/off simply by plugging/unplugging them, so as not to cause a fire when power is restored after a power outage. Smart plugs can only operate without such safety devices. Just in case, choose home appliances that can work safely without a blackout safety device.

Considering the above conditions, there aren't many home appliances that can be operated with smart plugs. Of course, in case of emergency, you should avoid using it with home appliances that have concerns such as fire. Please understand the above and use it wisely.

Let's see what you can do with smart plugs.

In winter, for example, when you arrive at the nearest station to your home, you can turn on the humidifier or hot carpet from your smartphone to keep the room comfortable when you return home.

However, turn on the power remotely only for a short period of time, such as just before returning home, and take all possible safety measures, such as being careful not to disconnect or damage the heating wire of equipment that generates heat, such as a hot carpet.

Have you ever had the experience of walking back home after leaving the house thinking that you might have forgotten to turn off the appliances? In the case of seasonal appliances, the electricity bill when you forget to turn it off is also a pain. Even in such a case, if you connect to the smart plug, you can check the on/off status from your smartphone, so you can safely turn off the power without panicking.

In addition, if you live alone, you can use it to turn on/off the light in your room occasionally even when you are out for crime prevention.

Smart plugs are not only compatible with smartphones, but there are also products that can work with smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This allows you to control your home appliances with your voice.

For example at bedtime. If you put a smart speaker by your bedside, you can give voice commands to turn the floor light on and off. You don't have to get up or reach out and operate the switch to turn off the light.

Some smart plugs also have a timer function. By setting the time with the app, you can give timer functions to all home appliances, such as "Turn off the power of the floor light at ○ o'clock" and "Turn on the radio when you wake up".

However, some smart plugs do not support interlocking with smart speakers, so when considering purchasing, do not forget to check in advance whether they are compatible.

Some products have a function to turn off the power of multiple home appliances at once. You don't have to bother turning off your home appliances when you go to bed when you're drowsy or when you're busy going to work in the morning.

Some products allow you to check the amount of electricity used by home appliances connected to a smart plug with a smartphone app.

In general, for devices such as TVs that use remote controls, even if you turn on the power through a smart plug, it will be in standby mode, so it is not suitable for remote control, which is the original purpose. No, but it's useful if you want to temporarily check your electricity usage with your smart plug. Let's use it because it leads to energy saving and review of household budget.

For example, if you connect a smart plug to a home appliance that your parents always use when you wake up in the morning or when your child comes home, you can check the usage status with the app at hand, so you can check your safety.

In that case, the side being watched (the side using the home appliance) does not need to turn on/off the smart plug, and it also plays a role in TVs that require remote control. While having them live the same way as usual, you only need to contact them when they behave differently than usual, such as ``keeping the lights on/off'', so you can watch over them while maintaining a good sense of distance. is.

Smart plugs have different functions depending on the product, so it is important to check in advance whether they are suitable for the purpose you want to use, but there are other points to be aware of when purchasing smart plugs. .

First, let's check if the shape of the smart plug matches the "A type", which is the shape of a Japanese outlet. Some of them are sold as they are for overseas, so be careful. Most of them can be used by attaching the included conversion adapter, but since the size becomes extra large, considering the ease of installation, it would be ideal if the shape matches from the beginning.

Also, when you connect the smart plug to an outlet, make sure that it does not block other outlets or interfere with the home appliances you are installing. Even small smart plugs are several centimeters deep, so the distance between the outlet and the home appliance must be about 10 cm. If it is difficult to secure enough space, choose an extension cord type product.

Smart plugs are so convenient, but what kind of products are actually on sale? From here, we will introduce recommended smart plugs and their respective charms.

If you are a household managing your household budget, you want to keep your electricity bill as low as possible. However, it is difficult to grasp which home appliances actually consume how much power.

"Smart Plug 03", which is lined up as an au HOME device, solves such problems. Equipped with a function to measure the amount of electricity used by home appliances every 30 minutes, it is possible to check the wattage through the app. By connecting with home appliances that are worried about overuse, you can diligently manage the amount of electricity used.

Furthermore, there is also a convenient function linked to the location information of the smartphone. You can automatically turn off home appliances that you forgot to turn off when you go out, or turn on home appliances when you come home. Reliable design that cuts off operation if it detects a current exceeding the rated power (1,500W) of the outlet. It also supports smart speakers.

Product Name/Smart Plug 03 Manufacturer/KDDI *au HOME devices are dedicated to au HOME. An au ID (au mobile phone (including tablets and routers)/au Hikari contract) and an au HOME application are required to use this service. If you cancel au HOME, you will not be able to use it.

For people who are busy or who don't like mornings, it's easy to forget to turn off the home appliances. We've all had the experience of rushing out of the house and worrying about forgetting to turn off a home appliance.

With the "Tapo P105", you can operate the dedicated app "Tapo" to remotely switch on/off the connected home appliances. Furthermore, it is possible to check whether the home appliance is turned on or not on the app, so you can notice if you forgot to turn it off.

In addition, it also supports voice control by timer function and smart speaker. By linking a function that can turn off multiple home appliances at once with a smart speaker, it is possible to turn off all home appliances with a single word before going out. Equipped with proprietary Bluetooth technology, speedy connection with few errors is one of its strengths.

Product name / smart plug Tapo P105 manufacturer / Tp-Link

If you want to be freed from the hassle of manually turning the power on and off, or forgetting to turn it off due to human error, we recommend the "ePlug", which semi-automatically operates home appliances.

For example, the ePlug's timer feature supports a repeat setting. It is possible to set the on/off timing of home appliances by day of the week, time of day, etc., and to operate repeatedly at a fixed time every day, just like an alarm on a smartphone.

In addition, if you link it with the company's environmental sensor "eSensor", you can automatically switch on / off home appliances by sensing humidity and temperature. For example, if you set the humidifier to turn on when the humidity drops to 40%, it will always maintain a comfortable air environment without having to operate it according to the indoor conditions.

In addition to being compatible with smart speakers, one of the attractions is its multifunctionality, such as being able to centrally manage the app even if you connect home appliances to multiple ePlugs.

Product name / ePlug (ePlug B1, ePlug C1) manufacturer / Link Japan

It is a smart home that makes life richer, but it is quite a hurdle to buy IoT home appliances. First of all, how about introducing a cheap, compact, and easy-to-use smart plug and taking the first step to IoT in your home?