Hidden Downsides To Smart Plugs

Smart plugs have quickly become a convenient investment for homeowners who want more control than ever before over the devices in their homes. As an example, these nifty gizmos can provide you remote control over your internet router so that it can quickly be reset if you experience a lull in your home network's bandwidth. However, smart plug technology is far from infallible, and can even cause major issues such as a cybersecurity breach.

According to Tech Radar, budget-priced smart plugs might cost you a lot more than the ten dollars advertised on their price tag. This is because some cheap and popular smart plugs can actually be infiltrated by hackers for nefarious reasons, such as gaining access to private information stored on devices that are connected to your home network. Unfortunately, there isn't just a single vulnerability when it comes to cheap smart plugs, so a seasoned hacker will have several avenues to try prying into your network. However, these vulnerabilities are far less common in premium smart plugs from major brands, since far more time and money goes into making them as secure as possible.

While some people may envision smart plugs as a perfect solution for turning their abode into a fully-functional smart home, it's important to remember that they are not an ideal product for every situation. For instance, some homeowners have undoubtedly discovered that using a smart plug to remotely control their home's air conditioner can quickly create far more problems than it solves.

Although a smart plug may serve as a means of remotely turning an older AC model on and off, it is not a substitute for an intelligent AC controller, warns CIELO. Due to the high-tech design of modern air conditioning systems, a smart plug won't be able to modify the air conditioner's most useful settings and features. Even worse, by powering off your AC system via a smart plug, you may lose many of the customized settings that you took the time to optimize for your particular routine, such as the unit's scheduling functionality. Although this is just a single example, air conditioners are far from the only product that is not tailor-made for smart plug use. Before implementing smart plugs throughout your home, it's best to consider whether or not they are truly compatible with the appliances they are meant to control.