Smart plugs, UPS's, and multiple devices behind them

Technical Questions
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So I’m about to get a set of HS110’s and plug them into various things around the house… I’m more interested in having sense better identify what does and doesn’t run than I am control or exact utilization data - I’ve read a number of threads around the idea of the smartplugs helping to train sense… which is in general what I’m hoping to do.

A more specific question: I have three separate “UPS blob loads” that I’m interested in. The first is the TV, the AV receiver, a tuning adapter, and a TiVo. These are a combination of “off” and “idle” when not being used – the TiVo for instance has at least 3 different power modes I’ve found. All of this stuff is behind a UPS, but not a line-interactive one so the signatures should pass through most of the time. The other two blobs are computer desks with pretty typical setups, either a laptop or desktop PC, a monitor, and a few other network/accessories that are some combination of always on, standby, and off.

Questions:

  • Is there more value in having the smart plug measuring the entire UPS? Or just the stuff that cycles on/off/idle more often like the TV, the computer monitors, and the TiVo?
  • Can I just completely ignore the UPS for all these purposes as it’s just a pass through?
  • Is the answer to “can I move the smart plugs around over time and help train sense?” still “mostly no”?
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A couple thoughts.

  • Probably worthwhile hooking smartplugs directly to devices that Sense stands a reasonable chance of finding in the next couple years. I’m still leery of whether things like routers, switches, modems, AV equipment, computers, and many monitors/TVs, TiVos, etc. will ever be found, mostly because their signatures are so activity-dependent.
  • For things that are not likely to be recognized, like AV systems, you might as well keep them on a single outlet strip. Better to regard them as a single system with an idle (standby) and an active state that is highly variable. Unless of course, Sense decides to support the really cool HS300 outlet strip - then I would move to that…
  • Guessing if your UPS has a relay based transfer switch, it would let signatures through
  • And right now, you really want to have your smartplug mated with a single device for the long haul to see the maximum benefit. Sure, there will be point where Sense can use the data to learn the device, but don’t count on that for a while, especially when HS110s can be had for 14$ a pop.
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