One of the first items that most people want to add to a smart home are smart plugs and smart bulbs. Choosing them well is important.
Smart Sockets
Smart plugs are perhaps one of the simplest and cheapest alternatives to have control of many elements of the smart home, such as lamps, heaters, electric water heaters, fans and almost anything that is connected to an outlet, and they are extremely simple To install, simply connect the plug to the wall, connect the appliance to be controlled to it and you’re done.
In this way we can turn the device on and off at will, both from inside and outside the house and with our mobile phone or with our voice. In addition, we can create schedules or automations so that they turn off or on at certain hours or according to certain conditions, which can achieve significant energy savings without having to be aware of manually turning off and on anything.
Some smart plugs also include the measurement of the electricity used, with which we will not only have control of when they consume but also how much they consume, allowing us to limit the hours of use or even consider changing the old appliance for a more efficient one.
The most recommended plugs compatible with the SmartLife application that also include consumption monitoring, you can buy them in a pack of up to 6 pcs to get the best price, are these:
For a very low price we have control of any appliance up to 16A and we can also see the electrical consumption of them.
Smart Bulbs
Home lights are one of the elements that provide more comfort when creating a smart home, we can control the lights from anywhere with our mobile phone and with our voice, as well as create “scenes” or schedules for them.
Regarding the bulbs, the first thing to choose is the communication method, Zigbee or Wifi, you can find more info here, although bulbs of both types of communication can be perfectly combined.
There are bulbs of many brands and types, the most important thing is to find ones that are compatible with SmartLife and choose the necessary power to illuminate and the type of white, warm or neutral.
We can also find models that allow you to switch between white and warm light, thus achieving a more pleasant atmosphere
We can also find them with RGB light, rgb color image, although the latter are usually more decorative than practical, they can be a distinctive element to create a more personal atmosphere.
The bulbs can be added as needed and it is not essential to change them all at once, so the investment can be made little by little.
It is important to note that bulbs need to be powered to function properly. In the case of light bulbs, when you turn them off from the “traditional” switch, they will be turned off and cannot be controlled from your mobile phone or voice, although once you are used to controlling it with your voice, it is not necessary to use traditional switches.
Motion sensors and doors / windows
This is an interesting addition for both safety and comfort, we can install sensors in places of passage or access so that the lights turn on automatically and / or to receive a warning in case of “unwanted visits”.
At XmartIT we recommend this very inexpensive SmartLife compatible motion sensor and these door / window sensors.
Smart Switches Powered
There are also switches that allow you to control “traditional” bulbs, although it is very likely that you will need a professional installer if you do not have knowledge of electrical installations.
You must be aware that most installations only have one “input wire and one output wire”, so it is important to make the installation much easier to find one that is compatible with this type of installation, like these:
In any case, if there are doubts, it is better to call an electrician before buying them to make sure that their installation will be as simple as possible.
