5 Benefits of Having Wi-Fi Outlets

Ever wondered what all the hype is about regarding Wi-Fi outlets? It seems like everyone is shifting towards smart home appliances, devices, and security systems now, that the popularity on Wi-Fi outlets has grown. I have always felt skeptical about getting wi-fi appliances or devices for my house because I felt it was going to be hard to install them and operate them through my phone and just be more of a hassle. I’m an old school kind of guy and I prefer to get things done myself. I figure if I can get up and walk to turn something on myself, I shouldn’t need to rely on a Wi-Fi outlet.

Once I gave into the hype and purchased a few indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi outlets, I realized what I was missing out on. It is difficult to know how useful a smart outlet is when you don’t actually have it installed and in use with important devices around your house. I don’t mean any regular devices but devices that you use on everyday basis. While having these new outlets in my home, I have come to realize that there are a few advantages and benefits to having Wi-Fi outlets. There were 5 particular benefits that I noticed that these outlets had on my daily life:

Time Optimization

If you aren’t a morning person this would definitely be of some interest to you. We all know how bad the morning chaos can be when you running late to work or to event gatherings. Having to struggle getting out of bed to turn off your alarm, or waiting for your coffee to heat up and start brewing can be time consuming. Instead of dealing with all this stress early in the morning, you can make it much easier on yourself by turning on these appliances with the push of a button or in this case a tap on your smartphone. Once you install Wi-Fi outlets to these appliances you can turn off your alarm and start your coffee before you get out of bed or get up and start getting ready. This helps you by saving time with automated tasks. Ideally you would set up your coffee maker the night before and then set the Wi-Fi outlet to automatically turn on at a certain time the following morning. In turn, you wake up to the nostalgic scent of coffee in the mornings in your home.

During the summertime using in-wall Wi-Fi outlets can be of some use as well, especially if you dislike the heat. I’m not too fond of the heat myself, so when I come home from work I like to walk into an already cool house. It normally takes about 20 minutes after I turn on the air conditioner for the house to reach my cool setting. Now instead of waiting until I get home, I usually turn on my air-con at home when I’m stuck sitting in traffic 20 minutes from home. This gives me the luxury of walking into a cool home without have to sit and wait in the heat.

Save Energy

With the ability to turn off and on your home appliances, a lot of cost saving energy will occur. There is a term named vampire power and this is basically devices in your home that are on standby. Surprisingly, many can be found throughout the house but generally they are appliances with external power supplies. According to the Department of energy, these vampire appliances can account for about 10% of energy used in an average home. These are typically devices in your home that have a remote control, continuous display such as a clock, or even a phone charger. Below is a list of examples:

• Laptops and desktop computers
• Heaters and ACs
• Wi-Fi modems
• Printers and scanners
• TVs, Set-Top Boxes, DVD players and game consoles
• Chargers
• Microwaves, blenders and other kitchen appliances

With Wi-Fi outlets you will be able to control the amount of energy you waste and save. Use a smart plug to schedule any of the listed appliances above to your desired time. We are all aware that during the summer, our electric companies encourage us to use energy early mornings or late evenings. With smart plugs you can schedule your appliances to turn on during these hours, thus saving a few extra bucks on your electric bill.

Security

There were a few unique ways I am using my Wi-Fi outlets to help keep my home safe from intruders. If you are leaving your home for a few days or over the weekend it would be smart to leave a light on in the living room. Doing so will create the illusion of someone being at home, typically try to leave a light on that can be visibly seen from outside. Grab your lamp from the living room, connect a smart outlet and then schedule it to turn on at night when you are away from your home. Turning on certain appliances with a smart schedule will make your home look like it’s occupied. Smart plugs are essential in making your own presence simulation, even when your miles away.

During the holiday’s we don’t usually like to celebrate at home so we go to the in-laws. We stay at their house for a few days. When we are gone we leave the Christmas lights on at our house during the night and schedule the outlets to turn them off the very next morning. This gives us peace at mind when we away during holiday. Our home is less likely to be visited by any intruders with all the Christmas lights on outside.

Safety

Sometimes there are appliances in your household that will warm up or get hot when they are turned on. Devices like this can pose a serious threat when they are left unattended. For instance when my wife uses her straightening iron or flat iron in the mornings before work, she forgets to turn it off. There have been several times she leaves the house without turning it off because she is in a hurry and running late to work. She now uses smart plugs to turn off her hair appliances when she gets out the door, to avoid any hazards. This allows her to still rush through her morning hair routine without worrying about burring down the house. This can be done with any household device that tends to heat up in nature, such as a flat iron.

Monitoring Consumption

Smart plugs can help you to manage and limit your children’s screen time. When you come home tired from work the last thing you want to do is play bad cop. Avoid the disputes by setting up a designated time period on the smart outlets to turn on that will allow your kids to use their game consoles or watch TV. The device will shut down on a predetermined time according to the setting you set on the smart outlet. You can also monitor their activity late at night. When you are too lazy to get out of bed and go to their room. Simply check your phone app, depending on the model; you can see if your child is using their appliances in their room during these late hours at night.

There are several models that allow you to monitor the consumptions of the devices that are plugged into your smart outlets. The data that is collected on how much energy each electrical appliance uses during a period of time can be used in your favor. It gives you an idea of how much energy is being used in your home and allows you to manage their usage. Doing so you can pin point certain devices you don’t need on at night and in turn save energy.