This deal has been on Officeworks for a while now and I have personally bought over 15 of these around the house.
If you purchase 2 or more plugs. They will be $9 each!
It's Tuya and works with SmartHome. No idea if you can flash them.
Lenovo Smart Plug - 2 for $18 + Delivery ($0 in-Store/ C&C/ $55 Metro Order) @ Officeworks
920
sureyoucan on 08/03/2022 - 21:15 officeworks.com.au (4022 clicks)
Last edited 08/03/2022 - 21:57 by 1 other user
Last edited 08/03/2022 - 21:57 by 1 other user
Related Stores
closed Comments
- 1
- 2
they are not as slim.. but the measurements are close..
Use SmartHome its pretty easy.
Is smart home an app?
yeah take your pick from Tuya, Connect Smart home, Grid Connect (Arlec/bunnings), all basically the same
Do you mind sparing a link? Cannot find an app with that name. Do you mean the Smart Life app?
Just get whichever app
Trying hard to find a valid use case for these. Only thing I can think is for the fan but it would only switch it off I suppose, since you need to press the remote to switch fan on anyway. What do you use 15 of these for?
Desktop computer is on 24/7
Mobile phone charger doesn't require it
TV switches off with PS5 anyway
Kitchen appliances don't need it
Lighting maybe?
Automatically turn on your George Foreman Grill in your bedroom before you wake up.
George foreman is always turned on
Just not automatically
Bedroom is a strange place to keep your grill. Where do you sleep? ;-)
Lighting if you have dumb lamps, but if you're going to buy these you might as well get wifi bulbs (and have the option of dimming or colors depending how much you're going to spend).
I have several, I've only ever found a use for one though - it's connected to one of those huge work lamps in my shed, which has a bunch of automations to run it.
I also have an energy monitoring wifi switch on the TV. When the TV goes off at night the lights in the lounge go off a few minutes later. I don't actually use it as a switch though.
That's very clever - what's the energy monitoring switch you use?
Electric blanket
Lamps
Fairy lights
Left bedside powerboard
Right bedside powerboard
Desktop PC
Left side home theatre
Right side home theatreBy turning everything off at the powerpoint, except for the fridge of course, you save electricity from devices on standby.
Have you actually tested to see if those devices on standby use more than having those smart plugs running?
I didn't know a PC used power went turned off and it's not like you're going to have a computer asleep and then turn it off with a plug remotely?
If you're trying to save money ditch the electric blanket firstlyAgree with everything you said except ditching the electric blanket. They are a very cost effective way of staying warm using about 15W on low and 75W on high. You could run it 24/7 for about $25-$50 per year.
Compare that to a 2000W heater.
So I mean, you could save some money by not using one but not all that much considering the comfort provided.
Yes. I have old video game consoles like NES, SNES, Megadrive, etc that have power paks which are always on, despite the console not being switched on.
Enable wake on power. The PC detects power, it’ll turn on.
I’m trying to find a balance between convenience and saving money. Voice command electric blankets are great. I command it to turn on ~15 mins before we head to bed.
Also having the ability to turn everything off in my home via voice when I leave or via the app when I’m away from home is handy. Worried that you may have left the electric blanket on whilst away? No worries. Turn it off via the app. Easy.
@pogichinoy: "I command it to turn on ~15 mins before we head to bed."
Now if only that would work on the missus…
Ehh, PS5 uses 1.5w on standby, TVs are less than 5w and AV receiver about 4w. How long would it take to save the $9 cost for one of these units? I think you're grossly overthinking it.
Devices like this use 0.7W-1W each, according to the Lenovo website. So they could save you some power, but it's not as effective as just turning off the switch
Please refer to the other older devices I have connected to my home theatre.
Ehh, PS5 uses 1.5w on standby, TVs are less than 5w and AV receiver about 4w. How long would it take to save the $9 cost for one of these units?
Going with your example, 1.5+5+4=10.5W. We'll deduct 1W for the smart plug's power consumption. With a tariff of 22c/kWh, 9.5W will cost $0.00209 per hour.
That means it will take 4,306 hours to pay for itself if it was in standby the whole time, which is 179 days, or about 6 months. If you use your TV, PS5, and amp for 5 hours every day, that'll increase it to about 7.2 months.
After that, with that sort of usage you'll be saving about $15 a year. That's $60 over 4 years.
@eug: Yes it's more for convenience and automation, people shouldn't be buying these types of things expecting to save heaps of power.
I just use for fan, coffee machine (particular useful in the morning routine to heat up before you get up), turning on active monitors (speakers) that have switches on the back etc.
The Bunnings ones do the trick nicely just wish most were av lot more compact so as not to block the plug next to it on powerboard etc.
@eug: Friend turns off his TV every night. Saves him 20c a year. You will save more money turning the thermostat down 1' on your hot water service.
These products make very little cents or savings… just designed for lazy people.
@Tradey: Love mine on a fan. Use it when WFH and in meetings or turning it off to take calls.
The ability to check something is off is also great. Eg kids electric blankets.
Lazy people is a bit of a stretch.
@Tradey: It's actually not for lazy people , takes more time and cost setting it up
more about the convenience &automation. Standby power uses stuff all in general@Tradey: just designed for lazy people
Finally. Something designed for me.
I also love those other lazy people items such as
Remotes
Microwaves
Cars
ATMs
Uber Eats
Paywave
Running water (though lately, that's not been something everyone has been appreciative of)Being lazy is a highly developed form of efficiency !
I have wifi access point that drops internet at its will. I have installed this plug on wifi access point - where plug wifi is connected to main internet modem. The plug is scheduled to restart access point every 12 hours - keeps access point awake. Similarly, this can be used to switch off the network when not needed - as per schedule or on demand - remotely.
Turning iron on and off to make sure
Turning Xmas tree lights on and off
That's about it for now 😂
Non standard lights/lamps I'm Looking at you IKEA & Kmart. They're very handy to set timers on.
The other one is my electric scooter charger, I'd prefer it turn off over night when I'm not awake.
I use it for my aquarium lights but have the TP-link one and love it. It is on a schedule and is very handy (can access it remotely).
I use these with a Home Assistant setup on my fish tanks.
I have a button press for feeding which will turn off both tanks' canister filters. I then let them eat undisturbed for 20 minutes before the automation restarts everything.
I also use a smart plug on my CO2 regulator. My lighting rigs already run on wifi (Magic Home integration in HA).
You use the TP-link one with Home Assistant, you mean? Do they work out of the box or do you have to flash firmware or whatever first?
Been trying to find something that works out of the box; I bought an Arlec one from Bunnings but it was too much effort.
@trawg: Not this one specifically, but once they're integrated to HA, they all work identically.
I use a few Chinese Zigbee plugs, plus a bunch of Kogan Tuya ones (these Lenovos are also Tuya) around my place.
I use the LocalTuya integration (install it from HACS). LT takes a bit of work for the initial setup, but it means you don't need to flash anything, and you get full local control from HA.
Otherwise, you can use these out of the box with the built-in Tuya integration from HA. It's a very simple setup, but doesn't give you local control (commands are sent via tuya's API).
@encoderboy: Legend thanks for the info! I really only want local stuff; I don't have any real problem with an online one but to me the beauty of HA is knowing I can control all the stuff on my LAN even when my Internet is down (… like it has been since the QLD floods).
Trying hard to find a valid use case for these.
Yes, especially as they lack power metering.
My fans are hard-wired, so I uses a sonoff mini.
Lights? I want dimming, so use smart-bulbs and strip drivers.
Generally, there are 2 main types of usage for these (and yes, they involve working with older type of devices).
- Remote on/off a device. Using them on bedside lamps is quite common. Turn them off from your tablet or via voice. Could extend the usage to remote control on/off when you are away / outside.
- Multiple schedules on a particular type of devices. Electric blankets in winter for example. One schedule for weekdays, and another schedule for weekends. More sophisticated scheduling might be possible if these can be firmware flashed (could be temperature based or weather based).
Saving electricity might be just an excuse, these are mainly for convenience or being lazy. The reality is that these smart plugs aren't that smart, if there is a wifi issue, they might miss an event. So for usage type 2, you might want to say turn off electric blanket say at 7AM, but once again at 7:05AM if the wifi coverage can be a bit iffy in the room.
Pity these don't have energy usage monitoring feature, but that's why these are at that price.
I use one for my phone /tablet charging cable, so I cna charge my daughters pad and set a timer to turn off when it's done and it's fully charged in the morning.
Another for a manual heater and heated blanket in winter, don't have to get out of bed to turn it on and off. Fan in summer. Definitely comes in handy sometimes.
Not too sure how these are on standby though. I use the tp link ones and they are still very warm when on but not charging anything, and still warm when it's off.
I have wireless speakers that have connectivity issues every now and again. I use these to 'reboot' them once a day. Also have on on the humidifier in the kids room. We run it on/off on 30 minute cycles though the night as thats enough to help them when thay have colds and stops the room building up too much condensation/mousture. Also have on on a lamp that's hard to access to turn on/off.
Name 15 devices you use them with
You only need to find 2
4 uplights in the living room/study
4 uplights in 4 bedrooms
4 bedside lamps in 4 bedrooms
4 fans in 4 bedrooms
1 for all the AV equipment
1 for all the AV equipment in the rumpus
1 for all the computer equipment apart from the tower (monitors, speakers)
1 for the battery chargers (Eneloops, Ryobis)The fans is the only one i could agree on. I wonder if I'm missing the point on the av equipment ones. The rest.. Buy wifi bulbs? Why battery chargers?
Oh… You're using this to automate turning items off with a delay rather than just turn them on/off instantly with a phone?
Good for power tool battery chargers as well.
@10101010101: But.. Don't you just turn the power switch on when you insert the battery for charging?
@10101010101: Agree, I have one in garage for topping up caravan battery.
Turns on twice a month 1st and 5th - only during the day to make use of solar power.I wouldn't bother, if they don't have power monitoring.
I wonder if I'm missing the point on the av equipment ones.
It's to reduce parasitic/standby power drain. I don't do it myself but I know people who do. Instead of having multiple devices in standby mode, just have 1 smart socket instead.
The rest.. Buy wifi bulbs?
WiFi bulbs can definitely work too, but they're usually pretty dim. With a smart socket you can put a huge 40W LED bulb in your choice of colour temperature into your uplight if you wanted.
Why battery chargers?
To reduce standby power drain, or to extend the life of your batteries. Lithium batteries degrade more quickly when they're sitting at 100% SoC. If e.g. you always mow your lawn in the second week of the month, you can set the timer to turn on your charger the day before so they'll be fully charged for the next day. After they're drained you can pop them back on the charger and they'll stay at a low SoC until the next time you need them where they'll charge fully the day before.
Oh… You're using this to automate turning items off with a delay rather than just turn them on/off instantly with a phone?
Personally I use remote control buttons and voice control, I think it's too slow to control lights with a phone. Before you leave the house you can just say "turn everything off" and all the lights, fans, TVs, etc will switch off.
Handy for remote restarting.of devices. Some people put access points on them. I have an old firestick that is hard to wake sometimes from the tv's usb port. I put its power via a smart plug.
Your modem ? 😆
4 Lamps
2 Oil burners
Electric fan on fireplace
Pedestal fans
Hot water system (electric boost when no sun)
Shed air compressor
Shed work bench
Garden pond pump
Car battery trickle charger
Dryer
Christmas tree
Security cameras
and several others
flash them for what?
Local Tuya is much easier and no flashing required. But still cloud connected which may be a positive or negative - i.e. Tuya/Smart Life app still works to control
Why disable cloud? Do you then share a port to the internet so you can control them when not home?
Run via local cloud using home Assistant. Removes dependency on a 3rd party server and potential privacy concerns. I leave mine enabled but some people want total control
Keep in mind it increases the energy consumption in the house with 15, but still curious to know what devices you uses
Kogan ones were cheaper when available and also had energy metering and 2 USB ports (always on). Also Tuya-based.
I use my smart plugs for lamps, Christmas fairy lights, powered sprinkler system, battery chargers
This - Christmas lights, AV gear etc
Very handy around the house, and great value at $9eaLove the fact that the power switch is located on the top of the plug
@julz: Yeah but that was then. They don't sell those any more which is a shame. I have 12 and they work well.
The stock levels seem to come and go
I bought some before Xmas and then everywhere was sold out
Then about a month ago there was stock at a couple of stores near me so I grabbed some more.
Keep an eye out for them…
I have a smart plug (not this one, a Genio) on my espresso machine, so I can use Alexa to program it to switch on 20 minutes before my various wake times, so I wake to a pre-heated machine and can have coffee immediately. Also brilliant when I'm out and want one on getting home, can switch it on remotely before I get home.
This is the only reason I would even consider buying one. It's definitely a nice to have still though.
How does that work though. With my coffee machine I need to press a button on the actual machine to turn it on
It would depend on how your machine works. I have a TP-Link Kasa smart plug for exactly this use, and my coffee machine has a physical switch you push in to power it up. I just leave the switch in the ‘on’ position all the time. If I want to turn it on or off outside the scheduled times then I can either use the app (if I’m outside the house) or just press the button on the smart plug.
If your machine has an electronic switch then you might not be able to do this. It would be easy to test, though: while your machine is on, switch it off at the power point. Leave it for 15-30 minutes (to wait for any ‘power failure’ timer feature to run out) then switch on again. If your machine powers up then you should be good to go.
I do the same thing and it works brilliantly (Gaggia Classic with manual switch). Set it to come on as part of your wake up routine.
As for lights, it's easier getting smart bulbs in general.
Mine is an electronic switch so unfortunately wouldn't work. Breville Dual Boiler Pro
Funny that most people here are using this smart plug to save miniscule amounts of standby power and you are using it to run a power hungry coffee machine that takes a massive 20min to warm up!
Personally I don't care about the energy savings, it would be about the time savings.
That being said the only smart plug I've got is for a pedestal fan which I've set to:
a) turn on when I get home
b) turn off when I leave
c) turn on when temp is above 30°C
d) schedule sleep time to power off roughly when I sleep (I can also do this manually ie put a 20 min timer on it before I head off to sleep)Also can turn on while I'm on my way home so it can start circulating air a bit.
Much easier than reaching for the very inconveniently placed power point.
Honestly struggling to see how I'd use an extra 2 though.
It's a different use case. He is using it for convenience rather than power saving. I would also like something similar like being able to turn on my aircon and have the room temperature as I like before I get back home .
I would also like something similar like being able to turn on my aircon and have the room temperature as I like before I get back home .
If it uses an IR remote, something like this can do it.
@eug: Or the rm mini 4. For the bit of extra cost you can undermount it (like the bottom of a coffee table or bookshelf) and choose a temp sensor cable to confirm it is on after a while.
Funny that most people here are using this smart plug to save miniscule amounts of standby power
Mmmm how did you conclude that it's "most people here"?
I have a few smart switches for my Christmas lights and Christmas tree.
6 sets of Christmas lights and 4 dehumidifiers that run off peak. We have a moist house. At the moment, I feel I need 10 dehumidifiers full time!
Very limited stores have stock, and these are probably stock-keeping errors. For instance, Cannington shows 5 units but only 1 could be ordered for delivery.
What I did was go jbhifi and priced matched.. they allowed me.
The 2 most important appliances in my life. 1. coffee machine. - turns on 20mins before my morning alarm 2. Xiaomi dunny seat, same deal in Winter
Do these work with Google home?
Yes.. through smart home app
Yes. The product description shows as compatible with Google Assistant (which is Google Home) and Amazon Alexa.
No power metre, pass
My lamp has the bayonet head so most smart bulb I can't use.
Huh?
Most smart bulbs come in bayonet and edison screw. I think only edison screw is used in the US hence why it's skewed towards being easier to buy ES smart bulbs
What I meant……what have bulbs got to do with this WiFi plug?
I think they mean that you can turn a non smart bulb into a smart light fitting by controlling the power on/off.
Sure you don’t get the other benefits of a smart bulb, but if you just want simple on/off automation this plug helps
good timing for me thanks
- 1
- 2
are they slim like tp link kasa or do they block the port next to them ? how's the app interface ?