This article helps troubleshoot smart plug usage with Sense. For an introduction to the topic of Sense and smart plugs, please see How to use Sense with smart plugs. Other frequently asked questions and their answers follow:
What do I do if I change the device plugged into my smart plug?
To change the device plugged into your smart plug:
- Go to your smart plug device and navigate to Device Settings > Manage.
- Tap “What’s plugged into this?” near the bottom of the screen.
- Uncheck your previous choice(s) and check something(s) new. If you’re going from “Other” to a new “Other” device, you can just edit the device name and type.
What happens if I plug a device into my smart plug that Sense has already detected?
For any smart plug device, you will see a “What’s plugged in?” option in Device Details. When answering this, you can assign the smart plug to an already detected device. Sense will now merge the smart plug data with the data of the identified device.
Note: if you have a power strip plugged into your smart plug, with multiple devices on it (e.g., an entertainment center with a TV, DVR, game console, or other devices), and Sense has previously detected any of these devices, Sense will still combine all of these devices into a single bubble/device in the Sense app. So, if your TV had been previously detected by Sense, and your TV is on a power strip that is on a smart plug along with other devices, you will no longer see your TV individually tracked in Sense. Its historic data will become part of the combined smart plug device. If you choose not to merge the TV, you can keep it as a separate device, but this is not ideal because it will likely be double counted as we are still looking for the TV device while the smart plug is also reporting its wattage.
Will Sense remember my devices if I remove them from the smart plug?
No. For the best experience, we recommend that you set up your smart plug to monitor a device or set of devices and then leave it in place. That said, the new data collected by smart plugs will be of great benefit to our Data Science team in improving our device models and detection.
Why are my wattage numbers incorrect?
If you are experiencing strange or incorrect wattage numbers, please check to make sure your smart plugs have the latest firmware. You can do this via the Tapo and Wemo apps. If this does not solve the issue, please contact Support.
Is there a limit to the number of smart plugs I can connect to Sense?
The number of smart plugs is limited primarily by Wi-Fi network bandwidth. Typical Sense users can use about 25 smart plugs without issue. Note that each plug of the TP-Link HS300 smart strip counts as 1 smart plug, regardless of status.
How do I remove a smart plug from the Sense app?
At this time, to remove a single smart plug from your list of devices, you must disable the smart plug integration for Sense. Doing this will delete any other plugs that you currently have discovered by Sense as well under the specific integration. You can then re-enable that integration once it's been disabled and the previously found smart plugs are removed from your list. Once re-enabled, Sense should only find the remaining active plugs again. The other option is to simply rename the inactive plug, but the drawback is that the historical data will not be accurate.
What are the differences between On, Off, and Standby?
There are three states associated with smart plugs: On, Off, and Standby. “On” means that Sense has detected that the device is active. “Off” means that it’s inactive, and drawing zero or nearly zero watts. “standby” means that Sense has detected that the device is drawing significant power, but doesn’t seem to be active right now. For example, a TV might draw 5 watts while idle, but 200 watts when on. Learn more about customizing the standby threshold here.
This can be particularly useful to know since some devices we assume are off are actually constantly drawing energy. Learning the amount of constant idle energy draw can help you decide if it’s worth completely unplugging a device or not.
I’m getting too many timeline notifications for a smart plug
If you want better control over the frequency of your smart plug alerting or bubbles, you can use the Standby feature. To alter the Standby Threshold for a device, learn more here.
What smart plugs are compatible with Sense?
Sense is currently compatible with:
These are the only smart plugs or strips that we support at present. Kasa Matter smart plugs, whose product numbers end with an M, (e.g., TP-Link Kasa KP-125M) are not supported.