Smart plugs, thermostats and blinds: which ones are really useful?

Smart plug: the easiest start

A smart plug is an adapter that goes between the wall outlet and the device. You can turn it on and off from your phone, set times and, with some models, see how much electricity the device draws. Since it is fitted without touching the wiring, it is also suitable for tenants.

Where it is useful is clear. Turning on the kettle before you get up in the morning, remotely switching off an iron left on when you left home, cutting power to the game console in the children's room at a set time, turning on a lamp in the living room in the evenings during a holiday break. If you are curious how much electricity a device uses on standby, a plug with energy metering shows that too.

Where it is not useful is with appliances that have their own electronics. Cutting and restoring power to a washing machine or dishwasher does not start a program; the machine just turns on and waits. For these appliances, the only point of the plug is measuring consumption.

Expert note: For high-power appliances such as air conditioners, electric heaters and water heaters, check the maximum current and power rating written on the smart plug's box. If the rating is below the power the appliance draws, the plug heats up. For these appliances, you need higher-capacity models or a relay controlled from the fuse box.

Smart thermostat: makes a difference in homes with a combi boiler

A room thermostat measures the temperature of the home and tells the combi boiler when to run. A smart thermostat brings this to your phone and makes it programmable. It starts heating before you get up in the morning, lowers it when everyone leaves, and warms the home before you return in the evening. On a day you will be home late, you can change the program from your phone.

The main point to watch is boiler compatibility. Boilers communicate with thermostats in different ways. Some only receive an on/off signal, while others support a more advanced connection that adjusts the boiler's flame in stages. Find out from the boiler manual or its authorized service whether the thermostat you plan to buy works with the connection your boiler supports.

The thermostat's location also matters. A thermostat mounted on a wall that gets sun, above a radiator or next to an exterior door that is opened often measures the wrong temperature and runs the boiler at the wrong time. Choose an interior wall away from drafts that represents the average temperature of the home.

Smart control for air conditioners

In Şanlıurfa, the air conditioner carries the main load in summer. For air conditioners operated with an infrared remote, a small smart remote transmitter placed on the wall lets you turn the air conditioner on and off and set the temperature from your phone. There is no need to replace the air conditioner itself; the transmitter imitates its remote control.

With this device, you can start cooling the living room half an hour before you get home, turn off an air conditioner left on in an empty house, or raise the temperature by a degree or two at a set time at night. The transmitter needs a line of sight to the air conditioner; if there is a cabinet or door in between, the signal will not reach it. Some newer air conditioners come with their own Wi-Fi module. In that case no extra device is needed, but check whether the air conditioner's app works in the same ecosystem as your other devices.

In homes with several air conditioners, each room needs its own transmitter, because the infrared signal does not pass through walls. Most transmitters also have a temperature sensor; with this sensor you can set up a scene that turns on the air conditioner when the room goes above a certain temperature.

Curtain motor: who is it worth it for?

Motorized curtains open and close from your phone, a wall switch or on a timed schedule. They are seen as a showy gadget, but in the right home they are genuinely useful. In a living room with large windows facing west or south, closing the curtains in the afternoon reduces how much the room heats up and eases the load on the air conditioner. You can run this schedule even when no one is home.

Installing a curtain motor takes more work than a plug or thermostat. The existing curtain track is checked for compatibility with the motor, and replaced if necessary. There needs to be a power point next to the motor; if there is none, either a cable is run or a rechargeable model is chosen. There are separate motor types for roller blinds and venetian blinds.

In a home with small windows, little sun or where the curtains are rarely closed anyway, motorized curtains are often not the best use of the budget.

Where should you start?

Priorities vary with the budget and the layout of the home. The order below is a starting suggestion that works in many homes.

The logic of the order is simple: first devices that are easy to install and easy to undo, then devices that involve the wiring or the curtain track. That way, you find out at a small cost which automation you actually use. If there is an app feature you never opened in the first months, take that type of device off the list for your next purchase.

• If you are a tenant or want to try it out, start with a smart plug.
• If your heating bills are climbing in a home with a combi boiler, add a compatible smart thermostat.
• If you want to control the air conditioner remotely in summer, add an infrared smart remote.
• If you have a living room with large windows facing the sun, consider a curtain motor.
• Choose the ecosystem that will bring them all together in one app from the very start.

Questions to ask before buying

Asking the same few questions for every smart device prevents regret later. Is the device compatible with the app and voice assistant you use? Does it keep working manually when the internet goes down? Is the device's software updated? Can the seller or installer tell you where to go if the device fails?

Also think about habits. If someone in the household is used to opening the curtains with the wall switch, a system that works only from the phone will frustrate them. The purpose of a smart device is to make life easier. An installation that makes things harder to use, no matter how new, ends up switched off after a while.

Desa Bilişim evaluates these devices based on your home's wiring, your combi boiler and your facade, and recommends in writing which ones will be useful in your home.

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