Original post deleted as I must have hit some keyboard shortcut which hit submit.
Based on personal experience and from reading these forums
- laptops & cell phones charging**
Doubtful, but possible. Just haven’t seen it and I think often the charging patters are so variable. Are you using the laptop or phone while it is charging? Is it getting notifications in the background etc…
*motion battery powered night lights
Similarly, I sort of doubt it. Partially due to their low wattage, and also partially because I sort of guess they don’t have a regular usage / charge pattern.
What kind of bulb, and are they on a dimmer. If on a dimmer, I’d say unlikely. If on a switch and incandescent, chances are higher.
I’d say a decent chance depending on how it works. If you can, try to find a “quiet” moment in the house when other things aren’t turning on / off and turn it on for 15 minutes and then post a screen shot of your power meter.
these seem to be hit or me. 2 years in for me and no detection, but others have had luck,
Once would think these should be easy, but again, based on my experience, they haven’t been seen. but I often wonder if the “on” signature gets blurred as often the bath fan kicks on as other switches are hit “simultaneously” in the bathroom.
- desktop computer (shut down everyday)
based on forum history, i’d say not. Computers have a very variable power signature. Everything you do causes the processor to do different things which means more or less power. Bright web page? Webpage with Flash vs HTML 5. Netflix video. Computer game etc… all change the signature. If you want to track a desktop computer, I’d say your best bet is getting a Smart Plug (TP-Link HS110 or Wemo Insight)
- battery chargers (cordless tools, AA/AAA charger, cordless Dyson)
i think it depends on the battery charging tech, but some people have reported tool chargers being detected. My Dyson cordless has not been detected.
- Christmas lights that are connected to a wifi smart plug
I think it probably depends on their power draw and if its enough to trigger as a device. Some on the forum have reported devices as low as 5-10w being detected as a device, but I also feel that at some point, Sense has to sort of ignore that tiny changes and look for a more significant power on spike.
As far as the Space heater. I think your mileage will vary. I had a dehumidifier. I move it between two plugs on the same ultimate circuit and it was detected. Brought it to another room where I knew the plug was on the other half of the panel, and it wasn’t detected. But again, someone else on the forum said they can move their vacuum around and it gets picked up, so you never know. I think things will only improve with time.
Also as for as the “on/off” needing to be seen multiple times. I think it is a combination of both. Sense seeing a device many many times in your house, but then also even more samples from all users. You and I could buy the exact same refrigerator, but it could look different to Sense in your house vs my house. So they need to see it multiple times in your house to then go “hey, that looks a lot like what we call a fridge. its probably a fridge”.
Ultimately, the devices that I said won’t be detected, I don’t think they will be in the short term. Sense is ever improving and gets better all the time. There are certain things I think they will never get (devices that fall into Always On), but I’m hoping to be proven wrong.