I am currenlty using 7 for common what I consider low draw devices.
Fridge, Small Oven/Microwave, Dishwasher, Washing Machine, Tivo etc. Computrs & Printer (the latter on a non smart power strip via a smart plug)
Am I over doing the use of Smart Plugs?
I dont think I need to mico manage my usage but as I am new to the Sence I am looking at everything that is going on in my house as I constantly monitor my usage and smile whenever I see a new bubble.
@Brightonuk,
No, I don’t think you are overdoing it, for a few reasons:
The originally Sense limit was about 20 plugs, before servicing the plugs took up enough CPU power that it might affect the Monitor performance of other duties. That restriction has since been loosened - I don’t know if there is a definitive limit, but I know a few users in the community who are using 30-50. Our house is currently at 34, plus a few Wiser wall switches.
In my books, your smart plug deployment should be driven by a few factors:
The set of devices in your house that Sense can’t find
How much you want to whittle down Other
The power usage characteristics of the devices that Sense can’t find, but you want to monitor.
The general strategy I have used is:
Install Sense and wait a few months to see what is discovered by native detections.
While you’re waiting, do an inventory of the plugin-in devices in your house, by rotating one or two smart plugs around various devices that haven’t been detected, to get 48 hour traces on the usage patterns for each device or outlet strip.
Those usage traces will give you the info on where best to deploy smart plugs. For every device / outlet strip you put on the roaming smart plug for 48 hours, you can glean a few key numbers - Dynamic power is the difference between the highest usage and lowest usage during that 48 hour period. Always On power is number computed by Sense that is the near lowest usage of the device over the 48 hours.
Decide on where to deploy smart plugs based on those numbers. For me decision points are Dynamic power = High happens around 25W, and High for Always On about 5W.
Dynamic Power
Always On Power
What to do ?
High
High or Low
Use smart plug
Low
High or Low
Use Always On measurement from smart plug to itemize Always On power in Always On Devices list. No need for permanent smart plug.
Hey, funny you should mention smart plugs. I just ordered a couple more of the WYSE smart plugs. I have 2 already and are satisfied with them. I wanted to fix one up with a DPST dry contacts to interrupt my current probe on my grid zero inverter. It is to make sure i dont drain my solar batteries on cloudy weather days. I love it when I’m in control of things.
Sense has integrations with TP-Link Kasa, Wemo, and Wiser.
TP-Link Kasa and Wemo info here.
I think Wemo stopped making their single power monitoring model that worked with Sense, the Wemo Insight, but have some they still work.
Wiser is a bit more confusing because Sense has a partnership with Wiser/Square D/Schneider Electric and there is a Wiser (green instead of orange) version of the Sense monitor, that uses essentially the same software, though slowly evolving into Wiser/Square D smart panel products. There is a Wiser integration, even in the orange Sense monitors and app, but support is a little iffy. I have two Wiser X-Series smart plugs and one X-series wired smart switch in my house that work with my Sense, but they occasionally send huge power spike measurements back to Sense. I have learned to live with the issue, but would recommend folks that want to use Wiser smart plugs and switches go with the Wiser (green) Sense monitor here: