Electrical Receptacles

Adding smart electrical receptacles to your home or business can really make your life easier. You are undoubtedly familiar with the standard electrical outlets that you can find in any building. The smart electrical receptacles sold by Alarm Grid look basically the same. The difference is that these smart outlets can communicate with a central hub, such as a Z-Wave controller inside your security system. You can then use a connected platform or interface, such as Total Connect 2.0 or Alarm.com, to control the connected devices remotely. Both Total Connect 2.0 and Alarm.com have their very own mobile apps that allow you to turn a connected device on or off from pretty much anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter if you are across the street or across the globe. You will truly love the convenience and ease of use that comes with smart electrical receptacles.

When installing your new smart electrical receptacles, you must always remember to cut the power at the breaker first. Leaving the power running is a serious safety hazard when performing the installation process. Test the standard outlet to make sure that no electrical current is still running before you attempt to install the new outlet. Then simply use a screwdriver to remove the existing electrical receptacle, and install your new smart electrical receptacle in its place. Once all the connections are nice and secure, restore power at the breaker. Make sure that the smart electrical receptacle is receiving power and that electrical current is flowing as it should. You can test this using a voltmeter. Or if you don't have a voltmeter, simply plug in an electrical device, and see if it will power on.

After setting up your smart electrical receptacle, you will still need to connect it with your smart home network. Most of the electrical receptacles sold by Alarm Grid use Z-Wave Plus technology and will connect wirelessly with a Z-Wave network. Remember, Z-Wave devices are universal, and you can use a Z-Wave Plus smart receptacle or outlet with a standard Z-Wave controller. Just remember to always clear your device from the network before attempting enrollment. This is true even if the device is brand-new and fresh out of the package, as it may have been paired with a different Z-Wave network for factory testing purposes. Once you have the device paired with your Z-Wave network, it will be ready for use. Remember, most smart electrical receptacles will have a "pass-through" outlet that does not offer any smart control or functionality, as well as a designated outlet for remote smart control. Make sure you are aware of which is which. The pass-through outlet will just be for a standard connected device that you do not need to control remotely. It is the Z-Wave outlet that will offer you the smart control. You can even include your Z-Wave smart electrical receptacle with smart scenes so that the connected device turns ON or OFF automatically with customized smart scenes for automatic operation. This can really help you cut down on energy bills and save you money in the long run.