AlertMe SmartEnergy review

For more in-depth monitoring and control, AlertMe’s system really comes into action because the SmartHub is ZigBee-enabled to control other ZigBee-enabled devices.

AlertMe can control ZigBee-enabled devices, such as the SmartPlug, which can monitor power consumption for a single device.

This includes the AlertMe SmartPlug (£25). Using the web interface or iPhone app you can control the SmartPlug remotely, turning it on and off. It’s a useful to save power, as you can use this plug to shut down devices that would otherwise be drawing power on standby, such as TV and DVD player. What we particularly like is that the plug has its own power button on the top, so you can manually turn it on and off without looking for a computer.

As well as being able to be remotely controlled, a dedicated power button gives you a manual override.

As well as controlling power, the plug monitors how much power a device is using, so you can find out exactly how much a device is costing you. It starts to get really clever once you add in alerts.

Using the web interface you can get the system to send you alerts based on certain criteria. For example, with the SmartPlug connected to your fridge, you can get an alert should power drop to zero, or your fridge is broken in other words. Alerts can also be applied to the entire system, so you can get an alert if your home suddenly starts using a lot of power.

You can monitor each SmartPlug individually online and set up alerts, too.

It would be nice if the SmartPlugs could be operated on a schedule, automatically cycling lights, for example, when you’re away to make it look as though someone is in.