Got a smart plug to automate some of the tasks in your life? You've made a great decision. But before you can use your smart plug, you need to set it up with your Wi-Fi connection first.
Setting up and using a smart plug isn't as difficult as you might think. This guide covers the steps for both of these procedures so you can start getting the most out of your smart plug.
What Is a Smart Plug?
A smart plug is actually a normal plug that goes into your power socket and supplies power to attached devices. It's the features of this plug that make it smart.
The reason it's called a smart plug is that you can control it using an app from your smartphone. You can manually turn this plug on and off, enable timers to turn it on or off, set up schedules, and so on, from your mobile phone.
These smart features are optional however. If you want to use the plug as a normal plug, you're free to do so.
1. How to Set Up a Smart Plug
You don't need to physically set anything up to use your smart plug. Most smart plugs use an app called Smart Life to help you set up and configure the plug's options.
Even with a dedicated app available for your specific plug, you can still use the Smart Life app. It's a universal app and works with several smart plugs.
The following are the instructions on how you can use this app to configure your smart plug for the first time:
- Install the latest version of the free Smart Life app on your Android or iOS device.
- Launch the app and set up your user account. Your devices will sync to this account.
- Once the account is set up, tap the + (plus) sign at the top-right corner to add your smart plug to the app
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Tap Add Manually > Electrician > Socket (Wi-Fi) on the right side (this assumes yours is a Wi-Fi enabled smart plug).
- Select your Wi-Fi network, enter the password, then tap Next.
- Connect your smart plug to a power socket and press and hold down the Power button on the plug. The light on the button will rapidly blink.
- Wait for the app to scan, find, and add your plug to the app.
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Enter a name for your smart plug and tap Save.
You are now ready to start using your smart plug's features.
2. How to Use the Features on Your Smart Plug
Once you've connected your smart plug to the Smart Life app, you can use the app to control and manage all of your plug's features. Here's how to use some of the common features on a smart plug.
1. Set Up Smart Plug Schedules
Schedules let you turn your smart plug on and off at specified times on a recurring frequency. This is particularly useful if you have a certain routine with a device that you want to turn on and off.
You can set this up as follows:
- Open Smart Life and tap your plug.
- Select Schedule > Add to create a new schedule.
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Select a time, enable repetition of this schedule if you want, choose power on or power off from the Power menu, and finally tap Save.
Your schedule is now added and enabled.
2. Enable a Timer for Your Smart Plug
Timer lets you turn your plug on or off after a specified amount of time has passed. This works by turning your plug off if it's on and turning it on if it's off.
You can set a timer as follows:
- Tap your smart plug in the Smart Life app.
- Select Timer from the bottom menu.
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Specify the time duration after which your plug's status should change. Then, tap Ok.
Automate Your Life With a Smart Plug
Your smart plug is an excellent piece of device and there are many uses of it. In some particular cases, your smart plug becomes even more useful. Here are some of the occasions where you can use your smart plug to really automate your daily tasks.
1. Turn Off the Smart Plug After a Phone Is Charged
You can set up your smart plug in such a way that it turns itself off after fully charging your smartphone (or any other device for that matter).
You need to first find the time it takes to charge your device. You can then set up a timer in the app that turns the smart plug off after your phone has finished charging.
2. Get Your Dinner Ready When You Come Back Home
If you use an electric cooker, you can connect it to your smart plug and turn it on and off at any time you want. One use of your cooker with your smart plug is you can start preparing your dinner while you're still in your office.
Simply turn your cooker on (that's connected to the Smart Plug) from your app when you're about to leave the office. When you're home, you will have a fully cooked meal ready to eat.
If you follow a certain schedule, you can actually automate the task so your cooker turns on and off at your specified times. This ensures you always get fresh and hot meals.
One Smart Plug Makes Every Appliance Smart
If you have any dumb appliances sitting around your home or office, all you need is one smart plug to turn them into smart appliances. You can then control them with an app on your smartphone from anywhere in the world.
If you want even more automation out of your smart plug, you can connect it to IFTTT and use some of the IFTTT home automation recipes to make your life even more easier.