The Ego smart Wi-Fi socket by efergy is one more piece of technology to help you manage energy usage in a better way. This easy to use device allows you to control electrical appliances by remotely turning these on and off from a smartphone app, as well as set timers that allow you to schedule when power is available to these appliances. The smartphone app also gives you powerful information, from instant usage to historical charts. And if you know the cost per unit the app will also show you how much these appliances running costs are.
The Ego smart Wi-Fi device comes ready to use in New Zealand and Australia. It works by wirelessly connecting to your home network using Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz only). To do this you use the smartphone app to connect to each Ego smart Wi-Fi unit and providing it with the wireless network password.
You can then easily change the individual Ego smart Wi-Fi name and even group them (if you use more than one for your home theatre for example you can create a group for a single view). With this app you can also check the status of your Ego smart Wi-Fi device from anywhere, even outside your network. This allows you to turn devices on and off at will, even when away from home.
The Ego smart Wi-Fi devices have a physical power button that can be used to override remote controls. It is also used to initiate the "pairing" sequence that allows you to connect it to the network. The Wi-Fi indicator is also used to give feedback - so make sure you keep your little FAQ booklet somewhere safe so you can later on remember what quick blinks are and what slow blinks mean.
One interesting feature is the ability to "learn" the stanby load for some appliances and identify when these appliances are not being used, so it can automatically turn these off. The idea is that appliances use some power even when on standby and if we can eliminate this... there are savings to be had!
These devices work with 90 - 247 V, support a max current of 10A (AU/NZ models) and 0.2 - 3120 Watts.
Even the boxes these come in are "eco-friendly" and can be reused as coin boxes. Not bad design for a company producing energy saving tools.
