The best Electrical Outlet Switches: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I was going to make one so I could remotely reboot my router if my network went down.

Then I realized that I am not a clever man.

EDIT: While I appreciate your suggestions, I already solved my problem.

I advocate heavily against buying devices (light bulbs, garage door openers, etc) that are designed specifically to work with these smarthome services directly. Instead buy into an established framework like insteon or zwave and add on a hub that works with Alexa/Google/Apple or whatever else comes out next month.

That service or technology might change or go out of business. Garage door openers should last 20 years. What will happen to Alexa in that time frame? Will the API change breaking compatibility with older devices? Will Amazon start charging a subscription premium that you don't want to pay for any more?

Instead, buy a "smart" contact closure switch and figure out how to interface that with your smarthome platform of choice (homekit, alexa, googlehome, etc). A dry contact switch will simulate what happens when you press the garage door open button that's mounted on the wall and it can can be made to work with any type of smart home service.

Examples:

• insteon i/o linc
• zwave mimo

Take either of those technologies (zwave or insteon) and search for how to interface it with alexa. There are a large number of solutions out there depending on your needs. The good news is that you are investing in a platform that you can expand on that is not specifically tied to Amazon - you could easily control the same hardware with HomeKit or Google Home or whatever next month's flavor is.

I wanted to control my 240v AC unit too, ended up buying this:

Aeotec Heavy Duty Smart Switch, Z-Wave Plus Home Security ON/OFF controller, 40 amps record electricity consumption https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nDbYAbHW5DMFN

I got an extension cord that would work for my AC unit and spliced in the switch. You could splice it into the cord from the AC if you want to.

Worked fantastic last summer.

I hate being that guy but like... this is a sub for professional sysadmins, not for hobbyists to ask tech support questions.
Anyway, I think what you're looking for is a smart plug of some kind.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Kasa-Smart-Wifi-Plug/dp/B07RCNB2L3/ref=sr\_1\_6?dchild=1&keywords=smart+plug&qid=1628013165&sr=8-6

The reviews for https://www.amazon.com/Sengled-Compatible-Required-Appliances-Certified/dp/B08FJ5LHSN/ mention that it supports power monitoring on zigbee

I have my entire vive setup (both base stations and link box) connected to a remote outlet I bought on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504725565&sr=8-3&keywords=remote+outlet

I turn them on with a press of a button only when I use my vive. It works great! If you can, I recommend doing this so the stations and headset aren't always getting power.

Its $23 on Amazon

You probably saw the one without energy monitoring. This one has energy monitoring. And there are some other differences as well. I was also confused at first

Yes. If you don't want to do it yourself you can find timers like these on Amazon. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07CX5KLXN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_TH52QJSWZFK02JMC3B1K You can set a 12 hour cycle, sun rise to sun set, or whatever you need.

A lot of the smart plugs have buttons on them to manually turn them on/off. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-HS103P2-Required-Google-Assistant/dp/B07B8W2KHZ/

You could also have an Alexa nearby to turn it on. The plug above has a countdown timer as well.

Netflix app on roku does fo "Are you still watching?" But other apps do not.

Honesty plugging one of these between the roku and the outlet should do the trick. Plus some tvs will turn themselves off if their input source is off WeMo Switch, Wi-Fi Enabled, Control your Electronics from anywhere, Compatible with Amazon Echo https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BB2MMNE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_RvFWwbZEK2ZM4

I bought these from amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQ2KGNK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Comes with remote, and I have the "boxes" attached to them, and the headset too. Just hit the buttons, and on, or off, they go. Have been using them since April with absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Aeotec Heavy Duty Smart Switch, Z-Wave Plus Home Security ON/Off Controller, 40 amps. Electricity Consumption & Monitoring https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_3MVZZT619G5V43RKBRK9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

if you can reach the plug easely, most smart plugs have buttons that can be controlled locally, something like this might work:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Kasa-Smart-Wifi-Plug/dp/B07RCNB2L3/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=kasa+smart+plug&qid=1627437338&s=industrial&sr=1-4

https://www.woot.com/offers/kasa-smart-plug-mini-with-energy-monitoring

Woot has these today for $9.99. Amazon is selling them for $23.46

Get a smart plug with energy monitoring like this. https://www.amazon.com/BN-LINK-Monitoring-Function-Compatible-Assistant/dp/B07CX5KLXN/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

You can keep track of energy usage from the app and also reboot your mining rig remotely when you are away from home.

Just go to the PC bios and set it to automatically turn itself back on when power is cut off and restored. Set windows to auto login and set nicehash to launch at startup. This way if there's a fatal crash that disables mining, you can reboot it from anywhere with the smart plug and it will auto log onto windows and resuming mining.

Actually easy. My favorite is still the S31. Works damn well. Been beating on two of them for 3+ yrs now without any issue on the Washer and Dryer. https://youtu.be/q6aCfDDEkwE

And the new Sengled Zigbee ones are great as well. They have been on sale a couple times for about $10-$12 a plug. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FJ5LHSN

I went on Amazon and bought a very cheap “smart outlet” that I can turn on and off with a button. I plugged the power chord for my reverb G2 into that and I just click it off until I’m ready to use it and click it on when I’m ready for VR. It keeps me from having to unplug/replug anything and has been an easy workaround for that annoying issue.

These are what I use

I’ve seen this idea elsewhere. But get a smart plug, you can set a timer to switch the plug off/ hence kill power to the charger after a set amount of time. I did this last night on my second balance session. Set the timer for 11 hours 45 minutes. Worked flawlessly. I like this model Limited-time deal: Kasa Smart Plug HS103P4, Smart Home Wi-Fi Outlet Works with Alexa, Echo, Google Home & IFTTT, No Hub Required, Remote Control, 15 Amp, UL Certified,4-Pack , White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RCNB2L3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MZ4Z5PWVB753VT8RTHN0

Setup an Octopi! It is an absolute game changer when it comes to interfacing with your printer.

I recommend the "Bed Visualizer" plugin (Note you'll need a BLtouch or other automatic leveling probe for this to work), the "Dashboard" and "UI Customizer" plugins for a bit nicer of a ui, and buy yourself a TPLink Kasa KP115 smart plug off amazon and then download the "Tp-Link Smartplug" plugin. That'll allow you to monitor power usage and remotely turn your printer on and off. I love this because if I have a print ending in the middle of the night the printer will automatically turn off after the print is done. It also will automatically turn off your printer if you have a Thermal runaway situation.

For a voltage control I have both a plain 'LED dimmer' they sell for christmas lights and the dimmer with a voltmeter wired onto it that Underdog sells. The timer I have is just a cheap outlet timer, one of the old school manual dials, that I already had kicking around the cellar.

The wifi control outlet is here, I guess it's actually more like $30: https://www.amazon.com/WeMo-Switch-Smart-Wi-Fi-Amazon/dp/B00BB2MMNE

For myself, I use a Wemo outlet and plug table lights into it. Yes, I can control Wemo outlets outside the home.

https://www.amazon.com/WeMo-Switch-Smart-Wi-Fi-Amazon/dp/B00BB2MMNE

For outside the home... I have motion sockets. If something moves.... the porch lights come on.

https://www.amazon.com/Westek-OMLC3BC-4-Outdoor-Activated-Control/dp/B002IXFDUY/

I had a somewhat similar situation. I ended up getting remote outlets for the lamps and keeping the remote by the light switch. Maybe you'd find that to be a suitable temporary solution, until you install new ceiling lights.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

To answer your post this can be wired in between your breaker and outlet, it monitors energy usage, and can be remotely controlled via ZWave however to poll data from this device will require a ZWave compatible smart hub etc.

They're fairly easy to install I have one on my server rack.

Instructions were fairly thorough and if you have an electrician friend or family member they'd be more than happy to help you install it I'm sure it only took me about 10-15 minutes

It's rated for use in up to 40A circuits can easily handle less.

Simply make sure to follow code for wire gauge in the us it's 10gauge copper for 30A

Be aware that that's an old style 30 amp outlet two hots one neutral no ground, if you do choose to hire an electrician they may require you to bring it up to code which is a four-prong 30-amp outlet which adds a ground connection and may require you to get a different power cable for your dryer readily available at most home depot/lowes etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_m3eAFbDH7ET9J

Something like this?

Aeotec Heavy Duty Smart Switch, Z-Wave Plus Home Security ON/OFF controller, 40 amps record electricity consumption https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fFtyFbN7EAS7

Or this?

Migro Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Outlet Box, Heavy Duty 50A Resistive 120VAC 40A 5HP Wireless Pump Control Timer Switch, Compatible with Smart Phone, Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT UL Listed https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07THD8VBN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OItyFbNQ2F4XA

>What I'd like to do is a wireless trigger, basically cut the wire, put some kind of wireless relay in the middle and have that relay complete the circuit.

You should be able to do that with a zigbee/z-wave/wifi relay, like this https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Z-Wave-Multi-Input-Output-Contact/dp/B00B6RZ7MM

It's a little expensive, but you could buy this, pick up 4' of wire, and wire in a female plug on one side and male on the other, and basically have this in-line for the AC.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nrEhFbY4JTV6X

Yes, sorry, I meant a wireless remote switch. Not nearly as elegant of a solution, but the pros and cons must be weighed. For example, I have BX wiring with fabric-jacketed copper wires, and the stuff is old and anytime you even look at the jacketing wrong, it falls off the wire (leaving exposed wires). I'm not sure I would attempt it on my own house, and I'm a pretty avid DIYer (I added a master bathroom to my house, including running all new electrical and plumbing). So in our living room there's a light on a ceiling fan we have to activate by pull switch, and another lamp in the corner that we either manually turn on and off, or use a wireless switch like this (we usually use this during Christmas time when we control other indoor Christmas lights with it).

These are two possible solutions

https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Security-controller-electricity-consumption/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=240+volt+smart+plug&qid=1616684536&sr=8-25

https://www.amazon.com/Shelly-Wireless-Automation-Android-Application/dp/B07RN42JC7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=100888196317&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyracBhDoARIsACGFcS64IIBi_4pT2ZjCKAEs-I941LcVt06lPeU4tclIM2cLZdlgtpzLA6waAg3FEALw_wcB&hvadid=58083143...

This one? https://smile.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Plus-Controller-Electricity-Consumption/dp/B00MBIRF5W

That one is a relay. It don't think it would work for OP since it requires a neutral to get 120V for the controller. OP lives in Indonesia where they get straight 230V (Yes, 230).

I like the Sengled power-monitoring smart plugs. They are rated at 15 amps, are Zigbee repeaters, and they are ETL listed:

https://www.amazon.com/Sengled-Compatible-Required-Appliances-Certified/dp/B08FJ5LHSN

$28 for two of them after using the 30% off the two-pack.