The home automation It is growing every day and we can find more and more devices available. In addition, each time we can find cheaper devices. But what about household appliances and old gadgets what do we have at home? The truth is that you can automate many of them. You can control them remotely easily. This can also help you save energy. In this article we explain which ones you can automate.
What old devices to automate
For make an old device smart, what you need is to have a plug with Wi-Fi. It is a small device that will allow you to control that appliance through your mobile, no matter where you are. It is simple and they are not expensive. For little money you can take advantage of this option.
Radio
One of them is to be able to automate a radio that plugs in to electricity. For example to listen to music or any radio station. It’s as simple as plugging it into the smart plug instead of directly into the wall. So we can select when to turn it on or off.
You will not be able to change the station, or touch anything in the settings. The only thing you can do is set the power on and off. It is useful if, for example, you want the radio to turn on every day at a certain time. Also being able to turn it off or on even if you are not at home. It is basically as if you connected or disconnected the current.
Coffee maker
A kitchen appliance that you can make smart in a simple way is a electric coffe maker. It does not matter if it is an old model, since as we said, you will be able to plug it into a smart plug and be able to control it via Wi-Fi, even if you are not at home at that time.
It is interesting if you like to drink coffee in the morning and want it to be ready at a certain time each day. Just set the smart plug for the coffee maker to turn on at one hour. You can also directly send the order from your mobile at any time.
Air-conditioning
if you have a old air conditioner at home, without being smart, you will be able to easily control it remotely. You can even schedule the on or off. It is enough to connect it to a socket with Wi-Fi and in this way you can automate it without having to buy a new device.
In this case it is useful to save energy. You don’t need to always have the air on to maintain a cool temperature when you get home. What you can do is turn it on remotely through your mobile phone for a while before you arrive, for example. Of course, you will not be able to raise or lower the temperature either, but simply turn it off or on.
radiator or stove
Something similar you can achieve when using a radiator or stove. Although they are old models, the operation is normally the same: Turn on and turn off. You will be able to do that in a simple way through a plug with Wi-Fi. Simply connect the device there and be able to control it remotely, even if you are not at home.
As in the case of air conditioning, you can only turn it on and off. You will not be able to adjust the mode, or raise or lower the temperature. Now, it can help save energy and also be able to heat the house for a while before you arrive.
any lamp
Another option that you will have available is to connect any lamp to the smart plug. Although it is a very old model, it is as simple as being able to set when it turns off or on simply by pressing a button on the mobile, without the need for you to be at home at that time.
You can use it for different situations. For example, decide at what times of the day a lamp is turned on or off or also to simulate that there is a presence at home when you are traveling and turn it on and off from time to time.
In short, as you can see, you can automate certain old devices that you have at home. It is very easy to do and it is also not expensive. Very useful if you want to make your home smart without having to make a large financial investment.