Hi all - so I think I’ve finally thrown in the towel after 2 years hoping Sense would improve with device detection. Over 70% of my usage is still classified as Always On and Other, which really diminishes the value in being able to optimize and save with Sense. So …
I am pivoting to hope that a way for it to not be a complete waste of money is the smart plug integration approach. While I’ve seen some of the published ones working real well, I have quite a number of VESync compatible smart plugs that I can see real time usage off of through their app, so they are definitely capable of the task.
Given the etekcity smart plugs are a top Amazon seller in the smart plug category - what would it take to get VESync compatible plugs integrated into Sense?
Do they publish an API? If not I would say “give up”. it’s like pulling teeth to get requested new features from Sense. As long as you like what they are producing, alls good
I consider Always On as a form of categorization though it’s a bit orthogonal to device-based categorization.
I’m guessing it would take a very similar API to the currently supported TP-Link or Wemo plugs, plus plenty of customer demand to add yet another flavor of smart-plug integrations. But it’s tough - If you look at the Wishlist there are a dozen or so different integrations individuals are asking for.
With multiple integrations of different smart plugs would come considerably more complex debugging of inevitable issues. Not all smart plugs are alike and there are many possibilities for things to be very onerous for a small development & support team.
It is not plug and play, but if you’re already using Home Assistant it’s a super simple 10 minute process to get this running and allows you to emulate TP-Link HS110’s from any entity in Home Assistant. Also offers cool MQTT integration for other devices and I’m eyeing some of the Shelly monitors right now for some of my 240v larger amp circuits that Sense still can’t figure out (pool equipment, car, etc)
Using the Home Assistant VeSync integration, I’m pulling power data off those plugs and direct to Sense, works awesome, and the plugs are super cheap, usually less than $10 each, sometimes as low as $7 on sale. far better than the premium HS110’s are going for now, if you can find them at all.
If you’re looking to do something similar, here are the links - they have a normal and now a slim form factor - I have both and they work flawlessly here:
Hi @christopher.olson. If you don’t have Solar, I’d recommend holding off on the Shelly monitors for the 240V devices you’re looking to identify. There’s something on the way in the next month or so that will help you here. It’s worth the wait .
I would avoid those if you are an “average” user … why?
Not UL approved
It’s inherently dangerous having a smart plug that allows higher current devices (>8amps) to be plugged into it that could overload it, potentially catastrophically. Proceed with extreme caution.
I agree with you this is not to solve issues for devices that are > 8 Amps, per their specs. However, I disagree with your assessment that alone makes these dangerous - Most loads are far less than 8 amps/1000 watts.
With that said, they are ETL listed so tested against UL standards.
Again - just throwing out realistic options to solve a very big gap in the value prop that many purchased their sense monitor for, in some cases 3+ years ago, and still haven’t been able to derive that value. I’m glad that the community has come up with creative solutions to fill in these gaps, in this case opening up the TP-Link integration to any variety of smart plugs on the market with energy monitoring capabilities.
Hi @JustinAtSense. I would love to know what this something is on the way from last year. I do have solar but would love to know if I can add something else into my setup that could help me especially to detect the a/c again.
I’m thinking at that point in time, Justin was talking about DCM (Dedicated Circuit Monitoring). Sense solar precludes using your main monitor for DCM, but I have picked up a second Sense so I can use 2 CT DCM.
Ah thanks @kevin1. I bought my Sense when the dedicated circuit was already out. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work well for that purpose since I also have Powerwalls and it mixes up the data. I was hoping there was something else I could put into place. I have 1 heat pump a/c that was detected and lost months ago, a heat pump water heater and variable speed pool pump. I suspect these three items may never be determined. The water heater I think might have part of it detected but I am just not sure. I now have a lot of mystery items that I can’t narrow down.
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