I found this feature made my smart plug do a better job of deterring burglars

Date:
Fri, 18 Feb 2022 10:55:45 +0000

Description:
Randomizing when appliances connected to a smart plug switch on could be the key to deterring would-be intruders

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With life starting to get back to normal following the pandemic, more and
more of us are leaving our homes unattended for longer periods of time. Ive fully embraced trying to get life back on track Im going back into the
office a couple of times a week, and Ive booked a holiday for later in the year.

But alongside the excitement of life returning back to normal, Ive once again found myself worrying about whether my house will be secure while Im away. Im quite a security-conscious person, and have home security cameras installed
on the exterior of my property, which will alert me if anyone is creeping around outside.

But Im always looking for any other steps I can take to deter intruders and many smart plugs , and some smart lights which are among the most affordable of all smart-home devices have a little-known feature that can give the impression that youre at home when your house or apartment is empty. More sophisticated than a schedule

Long before smart-home gadgets started to become the norm, when I was leaving the house empty for long periods of time I relied on old-fashioned timer
plugs to make lights in the house switch on and off at set times to simulate occupancy and hopefully deter burglars. It was something my dad did, and it seemed sensible for me to use the same method.

Even though I eventually upgraded to smart light bulbs, which I used on a schedule, so there was no need for the timer plug, there was a little snag in this plan. Anyone watching the house would have figured out very quickly that the lights switched on and off at the exact same time every day, making it clear that the house is likely to be empty a fact thats even raised by
Harry, one of the two wet bandits in the Home Alone movies.

Really what I needed was a way of getting the lights to turn on and off at random times throughout the day and at night, making it less obvious that the house was unoccupied. And such a feature does, in fact, exist: its called
away mode, and its available on many smart plugs, and some smart light bulbs.

Away mode randomizes the times the appliance connected to the smart plug switches on and off, making it ideal for connecting a lamp to the smart plug to simulate occupancy. Its available on the majority of smart plugs on the market right now, although there are a couple of notable exceptions,
including Eve Energy Smart Plug and the Amazon Smart Plug .

Each smart plug differs slightly in how you enable the feature, and at how many points in the day away mode can be used. Ive got the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip KP303 , and to set up away mode I need to select the smart plug from the main screen in the companion app, and then choose Away from the four options at the bottom of the screen.

I was able to assign a start and end time for away mode to operate, as well
as select on which days it was activated (on this particular device, away
mode cant be set to activate at multiple times during the day). Once away
mode is activated, the appliance connected to the smart plug in this case a lamp which Id placed in a window at the front of the house, would be switched on and off at random times during the away period.

Its not just smart plugs that offer away mode some smart light bulbs, including those from Philips Hue and WiZ, offer the same function, so if you already have one of these theres no need to invest into additional gadgets. Youll find away mode in the settings menu.

Im in the UK, and at the time Im writing this its still getting dark fairly early, so Im making use of away mode on the days when Im in the office, as well as when I pop out for the evening or go away for longer periods. Its a simple, affordable and effective way to upgrade your home security setup, and throw would-be intruders off the scent.

Now want to get your hands on a smart plug or smart light to boost your home security? Then check out the best deals available right now. Check out even more great smart home device deals



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/i-found-this-feature-made-my-smart-plug-do-a-be tter-job-of-deterring-burglars/


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