Has anyone used smart power strips in their setups?

[DrewT]

Smart power strips are getting stupid cheap these days. Is anyone using them? Is so what do you like most about them? What do you wish could be added to them for your specific situation?

 

[TorturedSoul]

What do you wish could be added to them for your specific situation?

Guaranteed reliability! And not "it's guaranteed - if it pooches on you, we'll send you another one just like it," either. I'm talking about something that would convince me that it'd be absolutely bulletproof, long term.

I recently considered that option. But then I thought, "What use would the ability to turn lights off and on from anywhere in the world be when I'm putting them on a schedule anyway?" Another reason (for me) not to go that route is that those "stupid cheap" items are cheaply made in the PRC (probably mostly in the same factory, lol) with the cheapest components that can possibly used in order to achieve an acceptable rate of failure during the warranty period. Often, that can equate to as high as 25% or even higher, especially on items that have about five dollars of material and a dollar or two of labor in them but sell for $20+, because they're still manage to make a profit even if half or more of them have to be replaced during the warranty period.

That's "in general," and it doesn't mean that I might not win the lottery get lucky and buy one that lasts through the warranty period without suffering a catastrophic failure. <SHRUGS> But do I really want to depend on the roll of the dice where my cannabis garden is concerned? And even discounting catastrophic failures, what about little "oopses" such as the schedule getting off-kilter, the thing somehow forgetting to turn on (or off, during the flowering phase), et cetera?

So, yeah... No thanks. As with most things in this universe, the phrase "Your mileage may vary" applies, though. Use your own best judgment (but I hope, when doing so, that you consider my thoughts on the subject ).

If you do end up trying these things, please post a review for us - and please return after a complete grow and give us an update.

 

[odam2k]

There seems to be a fair bit of info out there on controlling it from an arduino (haven't read any of it yet) so it looks interesting!

 

[HomeGrown007]

I have purchased a smart power strip along with individual smart outlets.. The power strip is ok, other than being able to turn on individual outlets from your phone it doesnt do much more. The Individual smart outlets allow you to turn on and off from phone as well as lets you set up schedules (timers) that even with a power outage they maintain current time unlike the ones that you have to push individual pins down. They also tell you power consumtion for the item plugged into it and give you daily and monthy usage. Theres a few other cool options. I attached some pics of the app you can access them from on your phone.

Smart Power Strip

Individual Smart Outlets ...

Pictures of the APP on phone

Power Consumption Real Time

Power Consumption Accumulative monthly

Scheduling cycles

I havent had any problems with them, I had a transformer blow and power outage the other day for about 3 hrs... When power kicked back on all outlets that were suppose to be on were back on and the ones that werent suppose to be on werent.. Also the time was updated and didnt have to re adjust timers...


Anyone else out there have any issues with these failing??

 

[Emilya Green]

I have used an x-10 computer controlled system around my house and gardens for years, but compared to these new strips, my old system has become a dinosaur. It is too expensive, breaks down too much and the only good thing about it has been the computer control.
I am about to experiment and probably convert my entire system over to these new smart strips. I see no downside.

 

[HomeGrown007]

@Emilya The power strips only allow you to turn on and off from your phone, the individual outlets give you scheduling timer options, power consumption in real time, daily and monthly. as well as manually controlling each outlet.

 

[Elvin]

If these strips will do what you want via your phone and you are willing to pay the higher cost over a conventual manual set-up then go for it.
For me, even if I could find a set-up that would fit my needs (reliability is a very big need by-the-way) the "convenience" (it's not like I'm making daily or even weekly adjustments and to tell you the truth, I don't care how much each outlet of my grow is costing me; I'm not dimming my QB's to save money) is not worth even a few dollars of extra cost to me. Single outlet digital timers and power strips with included surge protection are all under $10 and are relatively foolproof (which in my case is sorely needed)

 

[HomeGrown007]

My setup I wanted to alert me when temps or humidity get too high via an alert to my phone. If lets say my portable AC goes down, I can turn off certain outlets that control certain lights to bring temps down, or say turn on or off other fans, etc. As I rather have the option and not need it rather than not have the option when I need it.. For around 75 bucks in smart outlets I have total control to all things in my grow rooms via my phone.. Shit I even have wifi cams in my tents to check on my girls while im away.. I plug them into the smart outlets and turn off the camera outlets when I am not checking on them so no one else can intercept the camera and turn the outlet on when I want to check on them. I also have my A/C with a wifi controller to adjust the temps from my phone if needed.

The ability to see real time wattage usage and daily and monthly graphs is just an added feature that is pretty cool. Also the built in timers and schedulers are awsome, much better than the traditional timers that you have to push down pins.. If you have a power outage you have to reset the traditional timers where these are sync to your phone and the time updates automatically.

Maybe I went a bit overboard but I like to have the ability to control everything in the grow rooms whether im in them or away from home.

 

[Elvin]

Why am I thinking of what one does in regards to their first born compared to what happens 3 or 4 kids in ? I keep my girls fed, watered, and provide them with a nice home but I just kind of go with the flow right now
However, if I ever get to the point where I want to dial in humidity via machines this type of systems management likely will be the way to go. But I'm pretty sure I'm not slipping any nanny cams into my tents anytime in the future.

 

[HomeGrown007]

I cant wait for the app that lets me smell them from my phone...

 

[odam2k]

Why am I thinking of what one does in regards to their first born compared to what happens 3 or 4 kids in ? I keep my girls fed, watered, and provide them with a nice home but I just kind of go with the flow right now
However, if I ever get to the point where I want to dial in humidity via machines this type of systems management likely will be the way to go. But I'm pretty sure I'm not slipping any nanny cams into my tents anytime in the future.

For me it's not the need to micromanage the growing process, as much as it is about having found the perfect application for my other hobby (Arduino)

 

[DrewT]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! I really appreciate getting your thoughts and experience on this type of solution.

convince me that it'd be absolutely bulletproof, long term.

@TorturedSoul Tell me more! How can we measure bulletproof? I'm thinking at least the following:

1. Maintains state after power loss (all outlets return to what they were before power loss)
2. Can be managed remotely with a phone as well as locally in the case of a network outage
3. Scheduling and timer functions, configurable both locally and remotely
4. Can maintain constant power consumption of x watts over n hours a day for z days with no errant behavior or signs or physical fatigue/failure
5. Has surge/overload protection either on the mains or per outlet
6. Has manual override functionality (pysical buttons that allow temporary manual override)
7. What else?

The power strips only allow you to turn on and off from your phone

@HomeGrown007 Do you think it would improve the device if there were physical override buttons locate on the power strip? Could this become a potential shortcoming down the road due to inadvertent button pushes? In either case, what would be your ideal solution if it's not already implemented on the device?

Single outlet digital timers and power strips with included surge protection are all under $10 and are relatively foolproof

if I ever get to the point where I want to dial in humidity via machines this type of systems management likely will be the way to go

@Elvin Foolproof design is a requirement for most folks and I agree that adding technology to any solution increases the chance of failure. You also bring up a great point about migrating to a system like this if you needed more control. Can you describe the way you might begin this migration process and what would determine its success compared to your existing setup?

The reason I'm asking all these questions is because I've ordered one and I plan to do a teardown/hack of the device. I'm fairly confident I can flash the firmware on it with a version of Tasmota and at the same time add a few extra inputs like override buttons. You will be able to configure/manage the device even when it's not connected to the internet and trigger state changes by sending it a simple HTTP request (REST api). Also, @odam2k, I expect to find an ESP-01 or ESP-12 in there, in which case I'll attempt to break out spare GPIOs to provide direct i2c communication (software serial). HTTP REST and i2c will share a common command library.

More to come! I'll provide the summary tear-down here as well as post anything I write (code wise to Git). Please do let me know what you think during the process and fire away with fresh ideas or feedback!

 

[Elvin]

Can you describe the way you might begin this migration process and what would determine its success compared to your existing setup?

"Existing setup"? I guess you might call not emptying the trays under my elevated plants for the humidity (evaporation) now that winter has brought in lower humidity, a "setup" but that's the extent of it. Even with the summer humidity, it doesn't spike in my house to cause concern. If it was one and the usual tricks of towels in water or increasing/decreasing airflow is overwhelmed by the situation then a humidifier/dehumidifier would be used.
I can't imagine a need even then for real-time monitoring but I can certainly see a want. (Heck, once these strips become common I can see myself buying one and downloading a "420 Weed Growing" app for it) obviously, if your devices are able to be monitored and adjusted remotely they are certainly capable of maintaining a previously set parameter without any added devices.

 

[HomeGrown007]

The reason I'm asking all these questions is because I've ordered one and I plan to do a teardown/hack of the device. I'm fairly confident I can flash the firmware on it with a version of Tasmota and at the same time add a few extra inputs like override buttons. You will be able to configure/manage the device even when it's not connected to the internet and trigger state changes by sending it a simple HTTP request (REST api). Also, @odam2k, I expect to find an ESP-01 or ESP-12 in there, in which case I'll attempt to break out spare GPIOs to provide direct i2c communication (software serial). HTTP REST and i2c will share a common command library.

More to come! I'll provide the summary tear-down here as well as post anything I write (code wise to Git). Please do let me know what you think during the process and fire away with fresh ideas or feedback!

Let me know when you have finished this project, I agree that the making changes to the individual sockets timers or schedules without it being online would be an improvement, They do have a manual override to just click the button on them to turn on and off without internet or phone.

 

[CannaBytes]

Avoid smart technology if you live somewhere that growing is illegal. All that data you have access to on your phone that you can monitor and alter remotely is generally being uploaded to a corporate server to be monitored and monetized and potentially altered remotely. So if you want to grow on the quiet, avoid smart technology.
Also, wireless radiation has been classified as a Class 2B Possible Human Carcinogen by the World Health Organization since 2011, and "the evidence published since 2011 fulfills the requirements to re-classify RF radiation as a “Group 1 carcinogenic to humans” agent" so if you value your health and the health of your plants it's probably best to avoid wireless smart technology wherever possible, but if convenience is more important than privacy or health then go for smart tech.

 

[DrewT]

Avoid smart technology if you live somewhere that growing is illegal. All that data you have access to on your phone that you can monitor and alter remotely is generally being uploaded to a corporate server to be monitored and monetized and potentially altered remotely.

I absolutely agree with this. For that very reason I'm planning to wipe the factory firmware and load something that does not require an internet connection. The idea is to minimize external dependencies and make cloud integration an opt-in feature. Unless you manually turn on cloud integration, the device will never connect to the internet or upload and kind of data.

 

[DrewT]

Update: I've torn down the unit I received and so far so good. It has an Espressif ESP8285 which should be straight forward to flash. At first glance it looks like only 5 of the 17 GPIOs are used (4 outlets and the function button). This is a shame because I was hoping to control the indicator LEDs separately. More updates as they come!

 

[TorturedSoul]

@TorturedSoul Tell me more! How can we measure bulletproof?

Well, if you want to convince ME, lol, get the things made somewhere other than totalitarian communist China. But that's not going to happen until we stop buying their crap.

Now that I think about it, we get pretty much what we deserve.

 

[plugger]

I want the George Jetson grow package

Place seed on table, add 1 drop of water POOF!
Fully Grown Plant along with pot, ready to harvest

add 1 more drop of water POOF!
Buds all cured and in Mason jars with humidity packets and everything else has been cleaned up

Almost instant gratification Whew! I don't know about having to do all this work. lol

 

[DrewT]

But that's not going to happen until we stop buying their crap.

Agreed. I would gladly build one of these things but it would cost 3-4x including time and materials, and that's small batch manufacture. The design isn't horrible, but it could be improved for relatively little cost. If people were willing to pay for better gear, it would exist. Sadly, it's either cheap imports or very expensive stuff produced domestically (search digital loggers pro switch). There is very little in between.