‘Energenie Home Automation’ Review

As we move into the future of energy usage the ability to monitor how much we are using becomes important, and being able to have control over what is turned on and off from an app on your devices can be even more useful. This is what the Energenie set of devices give you, the ability to automate your home.

energenie-hub

The idea of the Energenie is simple in design but effective. Using a gateway system that connects to your internet router it then connects to a selection of plugs, light switches, home heating and other devices. With the connection to the router, you can connect to gateway device to obtain energy usage and as a way to automate your home. The devices that are available for the Energenie are:

  • Gateway (required)
  • Mi Home Lighting socket
  • Mi Home Relay (controlled switch)
  • Mi Home Power Socket
  • Mi Home Multi Plug
  • Mi Home Adapter Plus (control and monitor)
  • Mi Home Adapter (Control)
  • Mi Home Monitor
  • Mi Home Heating

However, you don’t need to use all the devices. In my test I used the Mi Home Adapter Plus which connected to the Gateway system for testing.

mihome

The setup easy, with the Energenie devices controllable with an app or browser. This means that the system is easily controllable through a computer or a downloadable app. If you decide to use the browser you simply need to log into mihome4u.co.uk and sign up, then set up your devices that you want to control. Adding any new devices is easy enough to do, and you are good to go.

In the options you are able to monitor your electricity usage for your devices, showing averages for the current day, the recent usage, average usage and total bill (if you’ve set up your rates). This functionality is similar to other devices that monitor the same usage and is easy to use. The user interface is intuitive and I found no problems finding what I needed.

Adaptor

With the system being connected to a router, this gives you access over the internet too. This gives you the ability to use Mi Location, which allows you to turn things on at home through the app. This can be particularly useful for example to turn heating on for when you get home. There is also the ability to set up a schedule if you need it with Mi Schedule.

The Energenie system is easy to set up and easy to use and for those who want to automate their home, it works surprisingly well. Giving the ability to monitor and control your electrical devices, lighting and heating it works better than some of the more expensive options that are also available at this time.

Be sure to like Pissed Off Geek on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to keep up to date with all the news and reviews.

Leave a Reply