If you have an electronic house, you’ve probably become insanely spoiled. After all, it’s awesome to be able to peek at and tweak temperatures, security cameras, DVR recordings, and so much more, all from faraway places. Thankfully, the smart meter category can add remote control to some of your not-so-smart devices. These products also allow you to keep all of those energy hogs in check.
Smart meter devices typically come in the form of an outlet or a power strip. The latter is probably the easiest electronic device you’ll ever own. You literally plug it into an available outlet, plug in the devices that you want to control, and download the app. That app will provide remote on/off functions from across the house or across the world.
The latest smart meter is the i-BRIGHT 7x Smart Surge Protector from Tri Cascade. However, this WiFi-enabled energy management solution goes beyond the on/off switch. It also features online scheduling and power consumption metering on the Microsoft Cloud. That scheduling option means that you can set the lights and/or appliances to go on to make it appear that you’re home when away from home. Of course, you can also power on devices manually, via the BRIGHTenergy website or app for the iPhone.
Besides those added perks, this smart meter has seven outlets, including two “always on” options and five “simultaneously schedulable.” It even has two USB charge ports. Other features include an 802.11n WiFi range extender, parental controls, one-touch power for up to five devices, 3,150 joules of surge protection, and the ability to support power loads up to 1,875 watts.
“The i-BRIGHT7x is one of the most comprehensive products of its kind, allowing consumers to more closely monitor and manage their energy usage while eliminating standby (phantom) power consumption when not using a device,” said Danielle Lennon, Tri Cascade’s VP of strategic marketing. “This product will help consumers save money on their energy bills, thus providing a return on investment within the first year.”
Tri Cascade is currently selling the i-BRIGHT7x smart meter, with an MSRP of $119. The company plans to release a second version early next year, with an interface for Android and Windows 10 devices.
This article was originally published by our content partner EH Network.
