A Smart Plug with No Limitations

Smart Plugs you can find online limit you to using Amazon Alexa or Google Home for controlling them. What’s worse is they are inextricably linked to the cloud. Unlocked Automation sells high quality Smart Plugs that you can use how you want.

  • Can be used directly with MQTT or HTTP requests
  • Comes with current Tasmota firmware out of the box
  • UL Listed
  • Rated for up to 15A and 1800W
  • LED Indicators for status
  • Onboard switch for manual control

Open Control

The open source Tasmota firmware supports MQTT as well as HTTP requests as control mechanisms. Cheap smart plugs typically have a smartphone app to setup and control them and the ability to link to Amazon Alexa or Google Home services. While this is great its not helpful if you want to be able to control AC devices programmatically.

Hacking these devices is no guarantee either. The Tuya software they often come with is regularly updated to prevent you from putting open source firmware on them. You can open them and solder wires to the PCB for reprogramming but this can be time consuming and challenging depending on the design of the plug.

Security You Can Trust

Low cost smart plugs use proprietary apps to configure devices. Research has shown there are security concerns about communications between IoT devices and smartphones using these apps. Additionally requiring the use of Amazon Alexa or Google Home is unacceptable for some people. 

Other solutions for networked home automation such as Z-Wave or ZigBee are proprietary and require additional hardware for a hub. IP based smart devices are more accessible and with Unlocked Automation can be trusted too. 

Tasmota firmware is open source which means it’s free to use and anyone can help improve it. Tasmota has a huge community of users and is being actively developed which means there is excellent support quality. If you want to know what code is running on your smart switch you can see all of it.

Ready for Custom IoT/HA Integration

Many home automation tasks require monitoring and switching AC devices. This can be achieved using hobbyist hardware such as Arduino modules or ESP8266/ESP32 boards. All of these solutions rely on relays to perform the switching task.

Dont switch AC power yourself

Switching AC power, especially high wattage loads, can be a fire hazard. A bad soldering job or a loose wire can create sparks. Using an insufficient relay may overheat or break prematurely. Our switches are made using high quality mechanical relays and are UL certified. This means you can switch air conditioners, fans, space heaters, lamps, air compressors, and more.

Rather than integrate your own relay into your sensor and control logic it is just as easy to control an Unlocked Automation relay over HTTP/MQTT. 

This means your packaging can be smaller and located where sensing is needed rather than where AC switching is occurring. For example: window air conditioners can be connected to their own Unlocked Automation plugs but controlled centrally from a control module or home automation cloud platform.

If you are having trouble setting up your MK100 or have questions about applications and how to use it for your situation please reach out to admin@unlockedautomation.com

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