You can use home automation to control a wide variety of devices in your home. You will be able to configure when they turn off or on, schedule them, etc. For this you can use a smart plug, which is quite cheap and even allows you to convert old household appliances into smart ones. But you’re going to run into some limitations. In this article we are going to talk about which devices you will not be able to automate through a plug with wifi. You will see that some you will not be able to really control them.
Devices that you will not be able to control with smart plugs
Plugs with Wi-Fi will offer you the possibility of turn things on and off remotely. For example, put it on an old air conditioner, a stove, a coffee maker… Basically devices that you simply have to turn on or off, although in some cases you have to leave certain settings. But sometimes you won’t be able to use them.
Television
An example of what type of devices you will not be able to turn on or off with a Wi-Fi plug is a television. Normally televisions require us to press a button, beyond simply turning them on. If we connect them to the current, what it will do is stay on standby until we give another order.
Therefore, when connecting them to a smart plug we will not be able to turn them on. We can simply make them receive or not receive electricity, but they will continue in Stand By. Much less we can change the channel or raise and lower the volume remotely. However, there are some models that work differently and we could turn them on with a smart plug, but it will not be the usual.
Computer
neither can you control a computer through a smart plug. At least it will not be the usual, although there is always the option of Wake-on-LAN and turning them on remotely. But that will require a certain configuration and you will not be able to do it in all cases, so if we speak in general terms you will have a limitation in this regard.
If you connect your computer to a Wi-Fi socket, you can, for example, charge a laptop remotely. You simply allow it to receive electricity and that’s it. But you’re not going to be able to turn it on, you’re not going to be able to actually start the computer remotely.
Change programs or modes
Any appliance or device that has different programs or modes, you will not be able to use them with a Wi-Fi plug either. For example, a microwave and choose the mode, a dishwasher and adjust the program that you want to use at all times, etc. Although you can somehow get to use them in this way, you will not be able to configure anything.
What the plug with Wi-Fi will do is allow us to turn a device on or off remotely. It will not give any other option than that and therefore we will not be able to switch to another program or make any changes to the settings.
common light bulbs
most of lights that you have at home, you will not be able to turn them on or off through a smart plug either. Yes, you could do it if you have a lamp connected to the wall, since what you would do is first connect it to the smart plug so that it can be controlled remotely.
But if we talk about common light bulbs, the ones you can have on the ceiling, for example, it’s going to be very difficult to control them using this type of plug. You would have to pass cables and it is not a process for everyone.
In short, as you can see, you can use smart plugs in many cases to automate devices and control devices in your home, but on other occasions it will be more complicated. In those cases you will have a difficult time being able to really control the equipment remotely.
