I'm about to change to a new way to control my home. I'm leaning towards Z-wave, but I like the Plugwise interface and offcourse the abillity to monitor the power usage.
Now that Plugwise has been around a little bit longer and the pro's and con's are clearer what is your opinion?
Is it a gadget which is nice as an extra, or is it good enough to control a whole house domotica system.
(I need micromodules and dimmable modules)
Greertz,
Willem-Bram
Plugwise Gadget or not?
Plugwise Gadget or not?
Last edited by glabbeek on Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
Posts should be in english, so I will reply in english.
Personally I don't think it's "just a gadget". You can use it to switch devices (which works really fast)
An added plus is that you can view the energy usage of your devices.. and after a few months of monitoring it hels you to identify the "big spenders"
I will be using plugwise as the standard for all socket devices (fridges, standing lamps etc.)
If you compare the prices of plugwise vs z-wave, plugwise actually comes out "cheap"
I just bought a home extension set for 99 euro's (includes current discount code)
That makes it 33 euro's per module. If you compare that for example to a duwi z-wave socket at 45 euro's, it's not badly prices at all.
What I use plugwise for:
- Turn devices on/off.
- Get current status from these devices.
- Identify when a device is "on" behind the plug (by measuring the power usage)
- Get trending of power usage per device.
Personally I don't think it's "just a gadget". You can use it to switch devices (which works really fast)
An added plus is that you can view the energy usage of your devices.. and after a few months of monitoring it hels you to identify the "big spenders"
I will be using plugwise as the standard for all socket devices (fridges, standing lamps etc.)
If you compare the prices of plugwise vs z-wave, plugwise actually comes out "cheap"
I just bought a home extension set for 99 euro's (includes current discount code)
That makes it 33 euro's per module. If you compare that for example to a duwi z-wave socket at 45 euro's, it's not badly prices at all.
What I use plugwise for:
- Turn devices on/off.
- Get current status from these devices.
- Identify when a device is "on" behind the plug (by measuring the power usage)
- Get trending of power usage per device.
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
I wouldn't call it a 'gadget'. If it was, there wouldn't be a myriad of people on the forum using it.
One thing that can be annoying, depending on what's plugged in:
- There is no ON/OFF button on Plugwise plugs, this can make local switching a pain. (They're said to be working on a plug that has one, but thus far none has been released afaik)
One thing that can be annoying, depending on what's plugged in:
- There is no ON/OFF button on Plugwise plugs, this can make local switching a pain. (They're said to be working on a plug that has one, but thus far none has been released afaik)
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
@Esteban:
I don't know if this is of any use for you. But you can use a really simple kaku WST-8800 (or similar) to add local switching capability.
I don't know if this is of any use for you. But you can use a really simple kaku WST-8800 (or similar) to add local switching capability.
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
@Mdamen: I was referring more to redundancy should the domoticaserver be down. (WAF/GAF)
Plugwise has several ideas that would solve this problem (the switch on the plug, the stick-on wallswitch) but all of these still have yet to see the light of day.
Plugwise has several ideas that would solve this problem (the switch on the plug, the stick-on wallswitch) but all of these still have yet to see the light of day.
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
I agree that the Plugwise is cheaper per unit, but why have a switch for the fridge. There are many sockets that don't need to be switched. Currently I use the X-10 and KAKU units to switch the lights on and of and the appliances that can be turned off when I go to bed. If I would connect ervery socket with a plugwise it could cost thousands of euros.
Still if Plugwise could convince me that they will be around for the next 10 years (with a growing productline) I would love the product. Ideally I would like the Plugwise technology in the Z-wave product range.
Are there any people not happy with plugwise and think they overspend on this product, or should have choosen a other product?
Still if Plugwise could convince me that they will be around for the next 10 years (with a growing productline) I would love the product. Ideally I would like the Plugwise technology in the Z-wave product range.
Are there any people not happy with plugwise and think they overspend on this product, or should have choosen a other product?
Re: Plugwise Gadget or not?
In case of failing domotica server, take a plugwise plug out of the wall socket for a few seconds and plug it back in, then it will switch on.Esteban wrote: - There is no ON/OFF button on Plugwise plugs, this can make local switching a pain. (They're said to be working on a plug that has one, but thus far none has been released afaik)
I am eagerly waiting for bnext to release their "Plugin switch with energy measurement"... expected after the summer.
see their website HERE.
They explicitly aim to provide lowcost devices.
So this type of device is not a gadget to me, it's the second most used device in my house after the Kaku plugin switch ( 2 for 17 euro @ Gamma, including a remote control!)