Reliable Smart Plugs

[sburke781]

I made this post last year about a faulty Kasa / TP-Link smart plug that failed, producing a constant on/off cycle which was not good:

Issue with Kasa plug in rapid on/off cycle

I'm not expecting this is a problem with HE... But in case it somehow is, I have a C-7 running the last release of 2.3.8, still using the custom Kasa integration. I noticed the other day that one of my EM plugs, KP125's from memory, was making the mechanical noise as though it was switching off and then immediately on. It would do this on -> off and off-> on cycle maybe every 3-4 seconds. The dehumidifier plugged into it did not seem to lose power, but I was not taking the risk, so I unplugg…

I would be interested in other peoples preferences for smart plugs, in particular those that are know to have a reliable switch component.

For me one's that are sold in Australia would be of most interest, but happy to broaden it to other markets for the benefit of all here. Also happy to entertain different network protocols, i.e. Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc. Energy monitoring is a common component for my use-cases, so this would be necessary for me, but again, don't let that stop you from posting other reliable smart plug-only options.

[jkudave]

I use these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092DBFFBY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Not sure of availability in Australia though.

[sburke781]

When I search for Sengled smart plugs on the Aus Amazon site all I see is Meross plugs..... But they have this "sponsored" tag... that is surely a good thing isn't it....

[garyjmilne]

I rather like the IKEA ones. I can get a power monitoring plug for $12 and no issues with them at all.

[jlv]

@garyjmilne

I rather like the IKEA ones

At this point, 6 of the 8 IKEA Trådfri outlets I bought have failed (some in as little as 18 months). I don't know if their newer ones are better, but the Trådfri ones seem to be junk. They did work fine until they fritzed, however.

[garyjmilne]

Mine are the Inspelning but I've only have them about 8 months.

@jlv

They did work fine until they fritzed, however.

Longevity is often the problem with Home Automation devices.

[OldChicagoPete]

Is Third Reality available in Australia? My experience has been excellent with the non-monitoring plugs, but they make a version that does monitoring as well.

[sburke781]

I did start to look at some of there stuff the other day. It was mostly Zigbee sensors rather than plugs. Just took another look and it doesn't appear that they have any smart plugs for Australia

[bbrannon]

I have good luck with those Kasa plugs but I only use them for very low current applications. A dehumidifier may be a bit too much for them to survive long term. For dehumidifiers I've had good luck for several years with the Zooz Zen 15.

[sburke781]

I had in my mind I had at least one fail where that was not the case, possibly one that I used to charge a tablet... But I could be wrong...

[stueyhughes]

@jlv

At this point, 6 of the 8 IKEA Trådfri outlets I bought have failed (some in as little as 18 months). I don't know if their newer ones are better, but the Trådfri ones seem to be junk. They did work fine until they fritzed, however.

I have 6 of these for over 3 years with no issues.

@garyjmilne

Mine are the Inspelning but I've only have them about 8 months.

Now discontinued in the UK. This is devastating news as they are fabulous!

[jlv]

@stueyhughes

I have 6 of these for over 3 years with no issues.

The 5 I bought in 2020 initially worked fine for 2 years, so I bought 3 more. They started dying the year after that. They were great for the price ($10 each) but not so much for reliability.

The other 10 smart plugs I have (made by Centralite, branded SmartThings or IRIS), have all been great and are now going on 9 years service. Sadly, they are no longer available.

[sburke781]

Where's the sad re-action to a post...