Multiple USB power hub with independent control

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#1

Hi folks, I’ve searched the forums a decent bit and haven’t been able to find a good solution so I’m hoping someone can chime in.

I’m trying to find a HE compatible device that will allow me to turn on/off multiple USB plugs powering a few(3-4) small devices. Ideally it would run on z-wave or zigbee, but a WiFi solution would be ok too. I’d like to avoid having to stack smart plugs with usb power blocks for multiple devices. A compatible power strip with individually controlled usb outlets would probably be ok too.

I’ve found this device that seems promising, but I haven’t been able to figure out if there’s a way to integrate it with HE:

I’m pretty competent with following directions but don’t know how to write code/drivers on my own.

Anyone know if there’s a way to make this work? Or know of some other solution I haven’t come across yet?

Thanks everyone, this forum has been incredibly helpful in getting my system up and running!

#2

what about using something like a Zooz ZEN20?

#3

Close, but it doesn't allow for on/off control of USB power, it can only report the status.

#4

You could get some cheap usb chargers + zen20 and do it that way.

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#5

Or maybe a standard power strip + cheap ZW/ZB power outlets w/power monitoring + cheap USB chargers.

If you really wanted some DIY fun maybe you could hack a switched USB hub with a Zooz Zen17.. or some other relay.

#6

or use an arduino and relays

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#7

That's even more fun :+1:

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#8

That's like so obvious, it never occurred to me. LOL

Good Idea. If you got the Zen20s on sale, it might even be a cost effective approach! lol

S.

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#9

Yeah but if you add up the costs the Zooz is actually cheaper than the straight powerstrip + (5) smart outlets w/power monitoring + (5) usb chargers.

Depends on how badly you need it...

edit: see @bcopeland's post - he totally won that thread.

#10

Do note that Zooz does not recommend using chargers of any kind, including USB chargers, with the outlets on the ZEN20 (or most, maybe all, of their smart plugs, if I recall--it's why they make so many with straight-up USB ports of their own). Apparently something about the way these chargers secretly repeatedly switch on and off is damaging to the electronics on the smart plug side of things.

That being said, because I like to live dangerously, I do charge my laptop from one. That outlet rarely gets cycled on or off, and it's also my dock (it's Thunderbolt 3 and also charges my laptop, so it's not purely a charger, and I'm hoping the extra power the dock likely consumes as part of normal operation offsets any negative effects the charging aspect might have). I blame this for the occasional need I have to "reboot" the ZEN20 to get it working again, but it's a small price to pay for a bunch of smart outlets in one that actually control devices I care about. :slight_smile:

That being said, this does seem like a bit of a void in the market...

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#11

Oh interesting did not know that.. so not a good idea then. It appears that Zooz is very honest about how their devices function and what the limitations are. I am very appreciative of that.

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