Will the Sense Monitor eventually identify all the items in the Always On list?
Not a chance, because there are lots of types of devices Sense simply isn’t designed to detect. Wish their marketing had been more forthcoming about expectations.
Hi @bmarcella1948 - not without some sort of assistance (via smart plug or Dedicated Circuit Monitoring). Since detection is in real-time, Sense detects devices based on their on/off energy signature. Devices that are grouped under “Always On” typically don’t have an on/off signature. Plus, a lot of the devices typically in the “Always On” bubble have a low operating wattage (<10W) that make them extremely difficult to identify.
That being said, you can get an idea of what devices are Always On pretty easily - they’re often low-wattage devices that are on “Standby” mode (TV’s, Computers, Speakers) or are on 24/7 (Routers, Modems, etc.). I have a Kasa HS-300 Smart Strip that integrates with Sense with all of my Network and entertainment devices monitored through it. This enables me to click on “Always On” in my device list and see some of the devices that account for my Always On. Screenshots below - to reiterate, this only shows up because the devices are integrated via Smart Plug and are being directly monitored.
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Thanks. I appreciate the information. Only had my Sense Monitor for a out 3 weeks. Stil learning how it all works.
Not a problem at all, I’m here to help. Always reach out if you need assistance or just want to ask a question!
I have only had my sense installed 2 days now but my always on is showing at 592w. Will this adjust as it detects things? Because that seems incredibly high. I’ve tried unplugging a few things that I would think it might see as always on and saw no change.
Hi there, welcome to the Sense community @mshulman.
Always On is a calculation of the lowest power of each of your mains, added together, where “lowest” refers to the 1% bin of the observed wattage histogram over the previous 24-48 hour period. It is updated every half second, though most users will not see significant real-time changes given the 48 hour lookback window.
Sense will continue to learn your home and detect devices, but Always On devices are things that are constantly running in your home. Turning off computers (instead of leaving them on Standby) and other devices that use vampire energy (remain on all the time, even when not in use) will remove them from your Always On, but not necessarily immediately (as mentioned with the 48 hour lookback window).
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Thanks, that is very helpful. I’ll see how it does over time.
Thanks for the explanation. You seem to have conquered some of the easy targets with smart-plugs. There are some devices that I guess will never be detected, and honestly conquering them is really tough too, here are some examples
- Hard-wired smoke alarms / security system
- Transformer used by doorbell and/or mechanical chime
- Furnace / Thermostat that would be constantly consuming power
- Electronics in a garage door opener ( I was surprised that the mechanical portion /motor was detected - albeit, it has the same signature as my condensate pump)
I know that seeing these show up as bubbles/devices in the device list are nice to have, but in the grand scheme of things most of these devices (unless they’re a version I’m unfamiliar with) use <10W of electricity while operating and account for a very low percentage of your overall usage.
I’m being a bit hypocritical, as I have several of my networking devices on an HS-300 just so i can see them split out from my Always On 
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