Busy Days Call for a Plug-and-Play Home Automation System with Evolve Technologies and Smart Plugs

As the days get shorter, more devices, like smart lighting, will be switched on earlier in the day. Less sunlight, more night time, more scheduling stuff in your phone or tablet, or through some dysfunctional scheduling plug-in that your daughter's ballet studio set up as a "free" option with their web designer.

More in and out of the house, then back in, then back out. Despite having less sunshine, there is still much hay to make.

Unplug and Make Home Automation an Easy Task: Weird Chatbots Not Included

Smart plugs can switch things on or off. They can do so automatically at scheduled times or via an app. They can also adjust specific devices based on your needs. Chomping your way through a dense roughly-translated manual, trying to find the answer in maze-like company website help forums, or being at the mercy of another freaking chatbot--forget about all that. Evolve has done all of that. You can be free of it.

The one-and-done convenience of smart outlets and smart plugs, integrated into your smart home technology suite installed and serviced by Evolve, really can make it easier.

You don't need to chat with a chatbot: you can just chat with the original chatbot, that is, Alexa or Google.

Let's take a look at smart home automation as it pertains to smart plugs.

Not Just a Convenience Anymore

In the late 1800s, A.H. Woodward invented a device to mechanically determine train fares. Then, in 1945, his company, which came to be called Intermatic, invented a mechanical timer for wall outlets.

If you've ever used one of these, they appear to be essentially unchanged since World War II! Even in the 2020s, they still have the little pins you need to raise or lower with your fingernails, and they still make an audible creaking sound as the clock mechanism inches around.

Fortunately, we've come a long way in automating the daily routine.

What Are Smart Plugs and What Does a Smart Plug Do?

Many manufacturers are eager to make this sound like we're living in the time of the Jetsons. Smart plugs are not quite that, but they're a pretty big deal and can genuinely make life easier.

There's a particular convenience to automatically turning appliances, light switches, a home theater system, garage doors, and security system devices off and on. It's not some standup comedy routine: "What, you can't flip a light switch?!" The answer is, "If I'm not home, then no, I can't!"

A smart plug is a plug that responds to data. It operates or adjusts the device to which it supplies power, generally by Wi-Fi. But many can work through Bluetooth. And there's even a way to communicate device-to-device.

There is a growing consolidation of appliances, home theater devices, a security system, and much more into the wheelhouse of automation. With that consolidation, a new type of wi-fi has been created. Zigbee and Z-Wave are mesh-style networks wherein devices communicate with other devices instead of ricocheting every piece of data back to the router.

And with a smart socket or plug, you don't even need the appliance to be smart.

Analog Plug: Simple Access, Smart Plug: Easy Access

Existing home plug-in devices have a connector with two options: in or out. The analog or "dumb" plug only works when physically connected to the wall outlet and when the connected devices are turned on.

It's as if the smart plug has been gifted a primitive brain, i.e., that it knows what to do based on information and not just physical direction. There are app interfaces that Evolve can install on your phone, tablet, hub tablet, or even configure PC access.

See All That's Possible with Smart Home Automation

Modern living and the slow cooker are synonymous (the #slowcooker hashtag has 768k tags on Instagram), and now it's even easier. By way of data communicated to the plug through an app on your phone, you can make dinner. As the first half of the soccer game winds down, you can switch on that lamb curry with mango chutney (yes, that's right) from the bleachers in under 60 seconds.

Smart home automation with smart plugs can work in your media room, your living space, and even for outdoor entertainment. It can regulate multiple devices.

Evolve Is Still Rocking and Rolling Through the Fall

The fall might be busy for you. But Evolve can make it easier. Smart home integration is not a time-consuming or drawn-out process. Whether it's just a smart speaker system or simply getting smart thermostats to fall in line, we're ready in season and out of season to get things going in your home.

Call for a consultation today!