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Smart plugs are essential devices in smart homes. Besides allowing you to control the power points on your walls, they also offer surge protection against fluctuating voltage.
As such, a smart plug could be the surge protector for the electrical devices in your home.
But you might be wondering whether it is safe to plug a power strip into a smart plug so that all electronics on the power strip can benefit from your surge protector.
The short answer? Yes, you can. But you’re going to consider a few factors before doing so.
Buckle up because we’re taking a deep dive into what to do before plugging a power strip into a smart plug!
The first thing you need to do is ensure you don’t overload the smart plug. If you draw more electrical power than your smart plug can handle, you risk damaging it.
So, you want to make sure you don’t overload it. You can do this by ensuring your power strip’s total amperage use is below the smart plug’s amperage rating.
Plug the smart plug into a surge protector
A surge protector comes in handy when the electric voltage keeps fluctuating. The surge protector will prevent the fluctuating voltage from damaging electrical devices connected to the smart plug through a power strip.
You want to make sure you have connected a surge protector to the wall outlet first, then plug the smart plug into the surge protector.
This will save your precious electronics from possible damages due to high voltage. Besides, your smart plug might not have surge protection capabilities.
Don’t exceed the wattage rating on the smart plug
The next thing you need to do is make sure you don’t exceed the rating on the smart plug!
You can avoid using more than the required wattage from a smart plug if you avoid plugging another power strip into the one you’re already using.
You can also switch off devices that you are not using. Power strips also have a wattage rating on them.
You can find information detailing the wattage rating on the user manual. Ensure the smart plug’s wattage rating is above the wattage rating of all devices on the power strip.
This is a sure way of ensuring you don’t exceed the wattage rating of the smart plug.
For example, a Kasa HS103P2 Smart Plug has a 15A rating. This means it can handle up to 1800 watts of electric power running through it.
But you want to make sure all devices plugged into the power strip don’t have a total rating of 1800 watts since this will overload the smart plug.
Ensure all devices’ total amperage on the power strip is below the amperage rating on the smart plug. You risk starting a fire if you overload the smart plug.
Therefore, ensure your devices use the smart plug’s recommended electric power by not overloading the smart plug!
Plug the power strip into the smart plug
Smart plugs allow you to control the power outlet with ease. When you plug a power strip into a smart plug, you will control the devices plugged into the power strip with ease.
Some users may plug the smart plug into the power strip. But this will mean only one device connected to the smart plug will benefit from a seamless power control.
Therefore, be sure to plug the power strip into the smart plug because doing so allows you to control the devices plugged into the power strip.
Do not forget to plug the smart plug into a surge protector first if it does not have surge protection capability. This setup might be bulky, but it is necessary for smart plugs without the surge protection feature.
You can find smart power outlets with a surge protector on the market. A good example is the Gosund Wall Outlet Extender that eliminates the need for a surge protector.
It also works as a smart plug, and you can plug a power strip into this wall outlet.
What’s the importance of a surge protector?
If your smart plug doesn’t have a built-in surge protector, ensure you plug it into one first before plugging a power strip into the smart plug.
This is because a surge protector is an important device that protects your high-ticket electronics from a power surge.
You might ask yourself the question: what are some of the causes of a power surge? Well, your local transformer may fail due to a damaged coil and cause a power spike.
A lightning strike is another possible cause of a power surge in the power lines. In other words, your electronics may fry during a power spike. Since you never know when the next power surge will happen, ensure you use a surge protector at all times.
Smart power strips with a surge protector – the Ultimate solution
If you’re looking to protect your electronics from a power spike, you have the option of using a smart power strip with a surge protector. There are plenty of smart power strips with built-in surge protectors. One of them is the HEYVALUE Smart Power Strip.
It has four power outlets, and you can use Alexa to issue voice control to this smart power strip. It requires no hub, and you can control the timing of the smart power strip.
What’s more, you can control the power outlets on this smart strip separately. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for a smart power strip.
A smart power strip allows you to control the devices plugged into it with ease. If it has a surge protector, that’s even better.
Final thoughts
It is safe to plug a power strip into a smart plug as long as you don’t exceed its rating. But before plugging a smart plug into a wall outlet, be sure to plug a surge protector first.
This will save your high-ticket electronics from frying when there is a power spike.
You can also buy a smart power strip with a built-in surge protector. Such a power strip does two functions for you – it protects electronics against fluctuating voltage and allows you to control multiple devices with ease!
The key to plugging a power strip into a smart plug is ensuring you don’t overload the smart plug. We hope this article has answered your question and has shed some light on a surge protector’s function.
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