Hi @Tucker90
Please be aware that products like these may be an invasion of privacy. Do we really need voice-controlled extension leads? And just in case anyone thinks I'm a Luddite, my professional life was spent in the field of electronics. I just don't like electronics being used to listen in on people.
Here's an article that may be of interest:
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...privacy-the-dark-side-of-our-voice-assistants
JPC
Not fussed about the voice side of things!
I have used the TP Link Kasa smart plugs in my tanks for about three years (originally as a timer for lights). I now have about 10 of them across the house (particularly useful for Christmas lights)
I have recently replaced the four gang for my Betta tank with one of these https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082LK6KPY/ and again this has been surprisingly reliable.
I expected them to be a bit rubbish and end up binning them but they have been rock solid. Now when feeding the fish I have Alexa turn off the filter and skimmer and then turn them back on after 30 minutes. Unlike some other devices these actually have a feedback mechanism so if you it only says the device is on when it actually is. It is also adjusts for daylight saving.
I think TP links data usage isn't the greatest but at the basic level they have your basic details, a number of named plugs and whether they are on or not. They don't listen. Connecting them up to Amazon / Google is another question.
I see that TP Link seem to have replaced the Kasa line up with a Tapo range which I have no experience of.
The extension seems to work well but it has only been running a month or so and as with all these things it is reliability that is the most important thing. So far nothing to suggest it is any different to the plugs.like you I’m running a couple of those smart plugs and am very happy with them. Was only looking at that strip last night. Shame they only do a 3 gang rather than 4 gang. You’d recommend them though?
IOT and security is a whole thread on itself. I work with a lot of infosec bods and if you look too closely you will never use the internet again .Almost all of them use the esp8266 wifi module, very small very cheap... But it comes with a few minor security flaws.
But for home use, you must be extremely unlucky to have a naughty script kiddy living next door fooling around with your network for fun. It's quite a hassle to get in and fiddle around with someone's equipment.
Hi @zozo
That's fair enough but voice assistants are a different kettle of fish (pun intended). We're not talking about eavesdropping via WiFi and packet sniffing. No, this is audio via a microphone. And, if a voice assistant is connected to the internet, this provides two-way traffic, i.e. upload and download. So, data (digitized voice) can be sent over the internet to some remote location.
Anyway, enough said.
JPC