Author Topic: Smart Plug Outlets  (Read 1571 times)
suzukir122
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Smart Plug Outlets « on: April 06, 2022, 08:53:22 PM » Author: suzukir122
Smart Plugs... anybody using them? Right now, I am. I've got a new lighting project I'm gonna be setting up later on this year, but for now,
I've got two smart plug outlets in use. One in my living room, and one in my bedroom. The one in my bedroom is controlling three 20w CMH Track
lights that I'm using as uplighting, from the floor. The other one is controlling two Sadlite desk lamps in my downstairs living room, as well
as one table light with a 9w Preheat screw in based adapter.
One tap of a button in the app, and all of them fire up.
Anyone else have smart plugs? If so, anyone else doing any lighting ideas with them? As I've said, I've got a huge lighting plan coming up later
this year, involving just four of those smart plugs.
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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #1 on: April 07, 2022, 07:32:33 PM » Author: joseph_125
I have a few of the TP-Link ones. Say what say about smart plugs but they do make it a lot easier to manage displays with a lot of individual light fixtures.

I have the following on smart plugs:
-CGE 8-8-8 traffic signal
-two lava lamps
-the Powerlite gumball I have mounted (39w CMH)
-some fluorescents
-Holophane Bantam 2000 (39w CMH)

I have them programed to shut off one by one over a span of a few hours during the night. It allows for me to gradually lower lighting levels.
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suzukir122
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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #2 on: April 07, 2022, 09:51:22 PM » Author: suzukir122
@Joseph_125, that's another way to do it. That's really cool!
My set up will be with 7 (2) lamp F30T12 fixtures, as you probably already know from my other thread... each using different plug outlets,
and each in tandem with one another. All in my living room.
These Smart Plug outlets really do open up a lot of possible lighting opportunities, especially for people like me. This includes when I
move into a home. More T12 fluorescent lighting will be in the works for me. Much more lol

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Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #3 on: April 09, 2022, 12:54:16 PM » Author: CreeRSW207
My dad was all about these for the 2021 Christmas lights, they were all controlled through 2 separate apps and eliminates the hassle of going around all the time and turning them off/on. I also have one at my moms that I used for the Christmas tree and I'm going to find a permanent use for it soon, I will probably buy a few more too to set up a network.
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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #4 on: April 09, 2022, 02:48:20 PM » Author: suzukir122
@CreeRSW207, that sounds cool! Hopefully that works out. At first when I heard of Smart Plugs, I thought they were mainly geared towards LED lighting,
or products that use far less energy, but nope. They could definitely be used for the more beastly, reliable lighting. I agree that it eliminates the
hassle of going around to turn them all on. This is why I'm so excited for my new idea with the F30T12's
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Interests:
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2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #5 on: April 09, 2022, 03:22:02 PM » Author: CreeRSW207
@suzukir122, yes they may be on the pricey side but they are definitely worth it. If you want to control all your lights remotely, these are great for that.
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takemorepills
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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #6 on: April 12, 2022, 12:59:26 AM » Author: takemorepills
Smart plugs are great.

Me, personally, I prefer RF-controlled plugs, as I don't need to fuss with the status of my wi-fi, possibly needing the cloud, or waiting for an app to load to quickly turn on/off something. I have multi-outlet RF controlled plugs that have several zones on a regular handheld remote, so I can control 6 separate plugs from one remote.

I would like to find some wi-fi smart  plugs that have dimming function to try out.
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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #7 on: April 12, 2022, 01:27:19 AM » Author: suzukir122
@Takemorepills, you mentioned something that I've been wondering about a bit... and it might be a slight downfall to these smart plugs...
loading. The ability for the app to load to get the smart plugs on... it does seem like there is a slight bit of hesitation between the plugs
when I hit the button to activate the plugs in groups. (One plug activates a little faster than the other at times, vice versa.) I'm not too sure
about it yet, and it's not too big of a deal, but I do prefer guaranteed instant activation with all plugs. Only reason why I'm not sure is because
one smart plug is activating Metal Halides in my room, the other is activating fluorescent in the living room. :lol:
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2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #8 on: June 21, 2022, 01:33:24 AM » Author: 108CAM
I hate smart plugs. Too many points of failure and proprietary apps that may not work on all devices especially if said device is new when you purchase the plug but a couple years later, you upgrade your device only to find out the app won't work therefore rendering the smart plug useless and adding to the growing problem with E-waste. There's also the potential for data theft and software hacking plus the chance of it not working when you're away from home due to being out of range. The smart plugs that are built into outlets are the worst due to the increased chance of a power surge causing mains voltage to jump into the low voltage area creating a shock or fire hazard.
 
All these reasons are why I'm sticking with the good old mechanical timer plug for my Christmas lights. Unhackable & reliable, no internet required, remembers your settings even after being unplugged during the off season or during a blackout and best of all, can take a much greater load compared to smart plugs.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2022, 01:39:26 AM by 108CAM » Logged

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Re: Smart Plug Outlets « Reply #9 on: August 18, 2022, 01:12:45 PM » Author: HIDLad001
We are using Feit Electric smart plugs to switch the coffee maker and during that time of year, the Christmas lights.
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