It’s interesting to see how Wyze Labs is evolving from a security camera company to one that has diversified across a wide array of home automation products. The Wyze Plug is one of their latest entries into this product line.
We have looked at several cameras from Wyze Labs including the Wyze Cam and Wyze Pan. Very well priced, reliable and free cloud. Their cameras are hard to beat in terms of what you get for the price. Following in those footsteps, Wyze Plugs are also reasonably priced and come with some nice features.
Smart plugs aren’t new. They have been around for almost a decade. We have utilized an array of WeMo plugs to control our cameras in the past. They are great for remotely rebooting almost any wireless camera.
There are a lot of smart plugs available today. They all work the same. A phone app controls the plug allowing remote on/off and setting a schedule.
So let’s look at what’s different about these smart plugs.
Wyze Plugs are a Little Different
The Wyze Plug has done a nice job integrating with Alexa. This means you can tell Alexa to “turn on the living room light”. The integration is reliable and works every time.
Wyze Labs also integrated their product with IFTTT. IFTTT is an acronym for “If This Then That”. It’s a free service that allows you to do stuff based upon events that have taken place. So for example, you can turn on a light plugged into a Wyze Plug based upon detected motion, time of day, or a door opening. Wyze has a tutorial that shows how to do that.
The third and most notable differentiation for these plugs is that it uses an app that you probably already have on your phone. The plugs use the same app as the Wyze Cameras. Everybody has so many apps, so integrating the plugs with the cameras in the same app is appreciated.
Controlling the camera, motion sensors and plugs from the same app allows IFTTT like integration directly from with the app itself. It’s very easy and doesn’t require an IFTTT account.
Wyze Plug Setup
The plugs come with a sparse set of directions that don’t necessarily align with what needs to be done. So let me help you to set these up.
First turn off mobile data. For some reason, mobile connectivity caused an issue for me.
Plug in the Wyze Plug and press the button on the side until the blue light rapidly blinks. Push the button even if the blue light is already blinking when plugged in.
Most buyers of these plugs will already be Wyze owners so open the Wyze app that controls your cameras. Now tap the three dots at the top and add a new device. The app will walk you through entering the WiFi passwork and will prompt you to connect to the plug’s WiFi connection.
The setup should take roughly a minute. It will prompt for a name of the plug. I suggest using the location of the plug. For example, if using it in the living room, call it that. This way, you can tell Alexa “turn on the living room light”.
Using the Wyze Plug
The Wyze Plug has a reasonable form factor. It doesn’t block the outlet below or above. A photo of the device plugged in accompanies this article. Just plug the light or device into the Wyze Plug.
Once the physical setup is complete, access the plug with the app. The simplest use will involve turning the device on or off from the app when ever you want.
You can also setup a schedule for activation and deactivation from the app. Day or the week, time of the day can be accessed from the rules section of the app. The rules section is the place where you can integrate the plugs with other Wyze devices like a camera or motion sensor.
Is the Wyze Plug Worth Getting?
If you are already invested in Wyze Cams and have that app installed on your phone, the Wyze Plug is an excellent extension of the product line. It allows easy integration and won’t clog up your phone with another standalone app. So if you already have the camera, and want to further automate, these plugs are an inexpensive and easy addition.
All of these articles are written by someone (me) that figured out how to do this stuff the hard way. I have owned and tested dozens of cameras. Manufacturer support varies. There are a few good companies that provide timely answers when you have questions. There are several that sell you the camera and seem to have little interest in post sales support (which leads me to finding out stuff the hard way).
