New User, Ugh....

Cribbj

So I’ve been away from home automation for a few decades and I don’t have good memories of it. Mostly finicky devices that sometimes worked but mostly didn’t, along with steep learning curves, etc.

Anyway… I recently purchased the Gen3 Smart Plugs, solely for energy monitoring and was hopeful I could use them straight out of the box, however I “think” I’ve discovered I’ll need a Zigbee hub and Home Assistant in order to actually use these things? I do have a couple of Echo Dots, but they’re Gen3’s so they probably won’t help?

Although I was a techie back in the day, I’m an aging boomer and prefer stuff that’s PnP and doesn’t require a steep learning curve.

Could someone confirm the above and thank you kindly!

p.s. I’m intending to use a Smart Plug for a minitank HWH from Stiebel Eltron that I recently installed, which pulls 1200 watts or 10-12 amps. Hoping the Smart Plug can handle it…. I’ve read where many of these 15 amp rated devices die at about half that….

Siyo

Cribbj

Our plug supports up to a 15A resistive load. Since your water heater is a resistive load and consumes 1200W, it should be within the supported range.

Please make sure the water heater plug, the smart plug, and the wall outlet are all firmly connected. A loose connection may cause extra heat while the water heater is running.

If you are looking for a platform that can manage most smart devices, Home Assistant would be a good option. You will also need a Zigbee dongle to use Zigbee devices with Home Assistant.

Echo Dots do not have a built-in Zigbee hub, and Alexa does not support the energy monitoring function for this device. Alexa would only provide basic on/off control, so it may not be the best option for your use case.

When setting up Home Assistant, ChatGPT can also be a helpful resource. :)

Please let us know if you have any further questions. We will be glad to help.