8 Neat Smart Plug Hacks for the Bedroom

A smart plug is an Internet of Things device that can help you turn any device on or off remotely. You plug it into the wall, plug your device into it, and then you can easily turn power on or off via your home network or Bluetooth. Some smart plugs have timers and some come in strips. Here’s how you can better automate your bedroom with a few humble smart plugs.

Pre-Heat Your Room

If you don’t have a smart thermostat (and honestly, we’d really recommend one) you can rig one up yourself with a smart plug. Just plug your space heater into a smart plug and you’re go to go. Either set a timer so it starts heating up an hour before you go to bed or do it manually with your phone.

Pre-Cool Your Room

Same problem, different temperatures. Plug your air conditioner into a smart plug and you can start and stop your air conditioning remotely or on a timer.

Wake Up Better

Instead of just setting an alarm for 7, what if your lights and radio turned on too? You can do this with a few smart plugs with timers.

Power Up Your Toothbrush

If you aren’t powering up your electric toothbrush all night (remember vampire energy?), plug it into a smart plug and have it power up a few minutes before you wake up.

Heat Up Your Hair Straightener & Curling Iron

Don’t want to wait for these guys to heat up? You can turn them on via smart plug with a timer or just remotely via your phone while you’re doing something else.

Automate Your Electric Blanket

Here’s a problem that plagues election blanket users everywhere: you need it to keep you warm when you crawl into bed on a cold winter’s night, but about halfway through you wake up with the night sweats. Well, you can solve that problem with a smart plug on a timer. Turn off your electric blanket automatically a few hours after you hit the hay and you’ll wake up with night sweats no more.

Remote Start & Stop Your Box Fan Cooling System

Let’s say you’re cooling your house with negative pressure ventilation, an easy solution to summertime heat and one that only requires a humble box fan. You can manage the system remotely (i.e., from your living room where you’re watching TV and eating chips) via your phone and a smart plug you stuck between the box fan and the wall.

Bacon in the Morning

Know how Michael Scott could have avoided burning his foot? If he automated that George Forman grill with a timer enabled smart plug. You shouldn’t do that though—leaving raw bacon out overnight can’t be healthy.