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iHome's iSP5 SmartPlug Is Far From Perfect, But It's a Cheap Way to Give HomeKit a Try
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What most people want is auto lights when someone walks into a room,and you can set a scedule for lights to come on when not home.
Most people are afraid of home automation being hacked from the outside Internet.
Most people are afraid of home automation being hacked from the outside Internet.
Instead of dealing with light switches for lazy people, I wish Apple (or Google or someone else) would do something about the abysmal state of home security camera DVRs.
Timers are great - if you have a rigid schedule.
I dislike coming home to a dark house - but I seldom stay out as late on a work night compared to a weekend night.
So - this requires multiple timers - or at least a timer that is aware of the day of the week.
I have schedules for the interior and exterior lights via Insteon "scenes" - but when I find myself out later than the lights would normally turn themselves off - it is nice to have to be able to remotely turn them back on from where ever I happen to be.
Guess it's good I still need to get up to get something tasty from the kitchen, then, huh?
Might be best if you leave "most people" out of your posts when all you actually know is how YOU feel about things. I have zero worry that someone would randomly choose my house to hack. And if they made the lights in my house turn on until I noticed, what's the big deal anyway? I enjoy my current X10 setup in my living room and look forward to migrating to a central system via the TV. Hoping I can coordinate my projector/electric screen and lights to be on a single THEATER command. Right now, they are all separate buttons on two remotes. "Hey Siri! Let's watch a movie" and BAM!
I'll second the "I'm not worried about somebody hacking my microwave" post...but it is a symptom of a larger potential problem...you don't secure your home network, you may have bigger problems.
My perfect little solution would use geo-fencing to some degree - when I get within a certain radius of my home (and the software would learn my "routine" over time), and my home "knows" that nobody else is home - it would check the internet to see if the sun is down and if within a certain time frame, turns on the outside lights, adjust the thermostat, etc...that to me would be great. The interior lights on/off things is fine - it would certainly be handy to "shut down" the house at bedtime...kills lights, adjusts thermostat, etc. by some pre-defined set of things that we prefer...I know that exists already...but pre-wiring is the key to all of that.
Until then, $40 per plug is way way too much...I'm sure prices will come down as it becomes more mainstream - until then, I don't need the newest/latest way to blow through a pile of cash...I can do that on my own already, thank you very much!
My $0.02 anyway
My perfect little solution would use geo-fencing to some degree - when I get within a certain radius of my home (and the software would learn my "routine" over time), and my home "knows" that nobody else is home - it would check the internet to see if the sun is down and if within a certain time frame, turns on the outside lights, adjust the thermostat, etc...that to me would be great. The interior lights on/off things is fine - it would certainly be handy to "shut down" the house at bedtime...kills lights, adjusts thermostat, etc. by some pre-defined set of things that we prefer...I know that exists already...but pre-wiring is the key to all of that.
Until then, $40 per plug is way way too much...I'm sure prices will come down as it becomes more mainstream - until then, I don't need the newest/latest way to blow through a pile of cash...I can do that on my own already, thank you very much!
My $0.02 anyway
I have a few WeMo device - work very well. I wouldn't change to these items and nor do i see i'd ever use Siri, it's a pointless tool/app that's never really worked!
I have a lot of HomeKit devices set up. I use the iHome SmartPlugs and their iHome Control app. I read a review where the reviewer said he could see all his HomeKit devices in that app and create rules including non-SmartPlug devices in that app. On mine, I can only see SmartPlugs. I can't see any of my others. How about you?
If you don't mind, what sorts of things are you controlling with the SmartPlugs?
I would be surprised if anyone can see non-iHome devices in the app, if that's what the reviewer was saying. (?)
Right now I use mine to control the baby monitor cameras in my kids' rooms, and their noise machines, so that they turn on automatically at bedtime, and nap time. I also have other HomeKit devices like thermostats, and Lutron Caseta switches.
Well, many apps from manufacturers of specific HomeKit products actually do "see" and control products they don't make. Thats the beauty of HomeKit. For instance, the Insteon App can control all HomeKit accessories, such as my Ecobee3 thermostats. So can the Elgato Eve app. Only the iHome app doesn't seem to -- on mine at least. But the reviewer says:
"Multi-HomeKit Device Support
Apps for HomeKit products, like the iHome Control app, are designed to recognize all HomeKit devices, and not just those associated with the app. I was able to use the Elgato Eve Energy (another smart plug) in the iHome Control app right alongside the SmartPlugs I installed. I could use them in Scenes and Rules.
Similarly, the SmartPlugs were all accessible to me within the Eve app designed for the Eve line of devices, so I was able to use either app interchangeably to control my devices. I had better luck with the SmartPlugs in the Eve app, because with the Eve Energy in the iHome Control app, I wasn't always able to connect to it."
Thanks. Interesting. HomeKit overrides OEM apps? I guess that makes sense, but it obviously wasn't my first guess.
After much testing, these iHome plugs kind of suck. They lose their connection and become "unreachable" after a few days. Then you have to plug and plug back in. This happens all the time. It shouldn't. I don't know why I trusted this company when they screwed up their AirPlay devices also.
I definitely think they have their limitations but I've had one of these plugged in for over a month with no issues about the plug going offline or failing to respond to a single iOS device. However, the plug simply will not communicate with more than a single device from a single user. In other words, I can control it from my iPhone, but not my iPad, and my wife can't control it at all.
BIG FAIL.
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The very advantage of smart switches and plugs is that, it can be controlled remotely via some application in your smartphone an few other things you must consider are the automation controlling, compatibility, connectivity and weather endurance.
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