Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


cyril7

9058 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

#270182 27-Apr-2020 14:46
Send private message

Hi, after a couple of smart plugs mainly for timer and remote switching of <2kw heaters in the coming winter.

 

Obvious contenders are the TP-Link Kasa and the D Link units. Are there others I should look at and whatever models do folk have any comments re the apps that come with them or Google Home integration etc.

 

As you can tell from the products mentioned above I am looking in the <$40 per unit range.

 

Cheers in advance

 

Cyril


Create new topic
richms
28168 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2472105 27-Apr-2020 14:49
Send private message

Bunnings ones are fine. Set them up in tuya smart app rather than the arlec one, so that if you add other brand stuff later on you can use the one app for all of them. If you use the arlec app you will only control the arlec stuff from the app.

 

We don't have the range that they get in Australia here, they get some nicer ones that arent as inconsideratly wide, and some with energy monitoring in them but its not the sort of thing I would bother importing.





Richard rich.ms



Chippo
129 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

  #2472108 27-Apr-2020 14:57
Send private message

I'm using a range of the TP Link Kasa plugs with Home Assistant. Some with or without Power Monitoring, and a 3 port power strip.

 

I bought these in particular because i wanted the power monitoring, in a device widely stocked in retailers.

 

I find they're all very reliable and were very easy to integrate (also a local polling API as well - which is always nice). But pushing above the top end of your per-plug budget.





I work for a global Data Protection Software company - But my opinions are my own.


cyril7

9058 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #2472127 27-Apr-2020 15:27
Send private message

So re the tuya app, I take it you can still not use that, but onboard the device via the Arlec app, then once that is done add it to Google Home, would that achieve the same level of wider compatibility.

 

With Google Home I take it you can do all the scheduling/timer actions etc from within that, once you have added the device, correct? Sorry to sound a bit dim on this but so far have not spent much time looking at GH and what it can do, guess I better sooner that later

 

Cyril




richms
28168 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2472130 27-Apr-2020 15:32
Send private message

Do it all in tuya. It seems to download a control for each device so when I open the arlec plug it has the arlec UI in there. The tuya Google and Alexa skill gets all devices




Richard rich.ms

cyril7

9058 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #2472131 27-Apr-2020 15:36
Send private message

Thanks Richard, the Arlec devices do seem to be the right price for me :), I will take your advice and onboard them to Tuya and then onto GH.

 

Cheers

 

Cyril


davidcole
6029 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #2472184 27-Apr-2020 16:22
Send private message

A Lot of people like the tuya based ones because you can reflash them and that means you can control via something that isn’t their official app. Ie home assistant, homebridge (Apple homekit), openHAB, or node-red.




Previously known as psycik

Home Assistant: Gigabyte AMD A8 Brix, Home Assistant with Aeotech ZWave Controller, Raspberry PI, Wemos D1 Mini, Zwave, Shelly Humidity and Temperature sensors
Media:Chromecast v2, ATV4 4k, ATV4, HDHomeRun Dual
Server
Host Plex Server 3x3TB, 4x4TB using MergerFS, Samsung 850 evo 512 GB SSD, Proxmox Server with 1xW10, 2xUbuntu 22.04 LTS, Backblaze Backups, usenetprime.com fastmail.com Sharesies Trakt.TV Sharesight 


richms
28168 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2472186 27-Apr-2020 16:28
Send private message

When I looked at it, tuyaconvert isnt working right now because they are actually doing firmware updates securly now. Tuya seems to have a reliable cloud and app tho so no to worried in the short term, and at least smart plugs are able to be opened to manually flash if needed - unlike lightbulbs which will be destructive to open mostly.





Richard rich.ms

 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
cyril7

9058 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #2472187 27-Apr-2020 16:28
Send private message

Hi, thanks David, yes just run down a rabbit hole following through the IoT world, but yes from what I can see Arlec and tuya is the right place to start for what I need.

 

Cheers

 

Cyril


everettpsycho
614 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2472199 27-Apr-2020 16:36
Send private message

I'm using the Bunnings one with the arlec app, never crossed my mind to use another app. We use them with Google home anyway. We've set it up to have 3 heaters off them then one feeds a powerboard for our bedside lamps. Added a routine in Google home to turn on all the heating so when our electric kiwi hour of power starts we can turn then all on and off quickly without having to run around the house. Tempted by another 4 pack but not certain exactly what I'd use them for but I'd find a use somewhere.

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.