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The 5 most useful life hacks with Smart Plugs

3. March 2022 Published by Raphael Doerr

Smart home, happiness alone? True enough. The smart home enhances the quality of life. And nowadays, as a builder of your own home, it is easy to make your house smart. Lighting control, heating and security technology can be included in the planning right from the start. But there are also good options for beginners who want a smart home at a low price. The simplest and cheapest are smart plugs.

Useful life hacks with Smart Plugs

The term “smart plugs” refers to power plugs which can be fitted between power cords and sockets to function as a remote controlled power switch. You can then conveniently access the device from anywhere via a smartphone app. With its Plug ONE X, Gigaset also offers such an intelligent plug. It uses DECT instead of WLAN because this technology has a greater range in buildings.

Sounds like a gimmick? Not at all! Intelligent plug sockets, switchable plug sockets or radio-controlled plug sockets, as some call the little helpers, have many convincing advantages. What are they? We reveal them here in the 5 best life hacks with smart plugs.

Lifehack #1: Coffee is ready…

For many, the day only really starts after their first cup of coffee. So why not move the (perceived) start of the day forward by a few minutes? That way, there is more time before work starts, which can be filled with reading the newspaper or tidying up.

It’s very simple: connect the coffee machine with a smart plug – and start it via app directly after waking up while still in bed. With portafilters, fully automatic machines and capsule machines, you can preheat the machine. With filter coffee machines, it is advisable to fill the machine with water, the filter and coffee powder the evening before. This way, a freshly brewed, steaming cup of coffee will be waiting for you right after you get up.

Lifehack #2: The cheapest air conditioner in the world

Especially residents of old city flats know the problem: it’s too cold in winter and too warm in summer. Smart plugs can help with this too. In combination with an electric fan heater, they provide cosy warmth in the bathroom in the morning, for example, even in the cold season.

On the other hand, a fan on the wall socket can provide pleasant coolness even before you get home. Simply activate it in good time via app or integrated timer and you can look forward to a temperature-controlled flat.

Lifehack #3: Save electricity with Smart Plugs

In an average three-person household, standby devices account for about eight percent of electricity consumption. This is not a small amount – and brings considerable costs with it, especially in times of high energy prices.

Smart plugs help to save electricity – even though the smart helpers also consume a little bit of electricity. This works especially well if you combine several devices with a multiple socket to form a group. An example? Simply plug the TV, the soundbar and the games console into a multiple socket, connect it to the mains via a switchable socket – and you can start up the flicker box and all its accessories conveniently via smartphone directly from the sofa. However, as long as the devices are not needed, only the Smart Plug consumes a very small amount of electricity compared to standby.

Lifehack #4: More security for anxious people

Let’s stay on the subject of ironing. Many people leave the house every day with a bad feeling. The reason: they are afraid of leaving the iron or other electrical appliances on – and thus causing disasters of biblical proportions. This fear is widespread and even leads to real obsessive-compulsive disorders in individual cases.

But before this happens, a smart socket can help. With a glance at the app, you can see whether the appliance is supplied with electricity at all. If necessary, the connection to the power grid can be cut with a tap of the finger. That’s incredibly reassuring, isn’t it?

Lifehack #5: Smart Plugs as the perfect holiday stand-in for your home

Security and Smart Home – a perfect combination. And intelligent plugs as an entry-level solution for the Smart Home also offer a simple way to increase protection against burglars. Quite simply by simulating presence. For example, lamps or the television can be conveniently switched on while on the move. This creates the illusion that someone is at home. And that is sure to deter many a thief!

Smart security products offer additional security. They access sensors and cameras and can – if necessary – also trigger an alarm. The police also provide further tips for security against burglars.

The following applies to all lifehacks with Smart Plugs: Safety first

Smart plugs make life easier – and give a good idea of what connected living is all about. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that electrical devices must be safe when they are operated in the absence of people. Especially important: If heat is involved – as with coffee machines or lamps – the topic of fire protection should definitely be taken into account. And that’s where smart smoke detectors can help.