The plethora of smart home devices available today deliver all manner of opportunities, but it’s fair to say that interfacing with them is more often done in the browser or an app than in the terminal. WattWise from [Naveen Kulandaivelu] is a tool which changes all that, it’s a command-line interface (CLI) for power monitoring smart plugs.
Written in Python, the tool can talk either directly to TP-Link branded smart plugs, or via Home Assistant. It tracks the power consumption with a simple graph, but the exciting part lies in how it can be used to throttle the CPU of a computer in order to use power at the points in the day when it is cheapest. You can find the code in a GitHub repository.
We like the idea of using smart plugs as instruments, even if they may not be the most accurate of measurement tools. It takes them even further beyond the simple functionality and walled-garden interfaces provided by their manufacturers, which in our view can only be a good thing.
Meanwhile, for further reading we’ve looked at smart plugs in detail in the past.
I use about 15 TP-Link type smart plugs with my Sense home monitor system. They are the best thing since sliced bread to know how much energy you are using every minute in your home. When I switch on my hot water pot for my morning drip coffee, I can see this increase of 1,000 watts immediately. Once you pair the Sense unit with your current rates from Duke Energy in my case with rates that vary based upon the hour. I can access my Sense app even when away from home. As I get older I can use the app to make sure we cut off the stove after we leave the home.
They are very neat, I own about 5 of them. One is plugged on my PC (which is set to boot on power on) so I can remotely turn it on.
Others installed in various places to measure power for various appliances. Induction stovetop, microwave, etc
Honestly, it seems like something more suited to a small wired SCADA system and using cpufreq to scale your processing. Using an IoT device (without even replacing the firmware) just sounds like asking for trouble.
What is SCADA but a system to read sensors and control outputs?
This plug is used as a sensor and the original firmware supports that function.
These plugs work quite well and can be controlled from the local network, no internet required.