Hello, friends
What's in the package?
The same little white cardboard box. All sensors are packaged almost the same and the socket is no exception.
According to its technical parameters - a current of 10 A, respectively, a power of up to 2.5 kW - this socket is completely similar to its wi-fi version. Differences in the control protocol - to work with this outlet, you need a Xiaomi Mi Multi-functional Gateway.
In appearance, sockets are easily confused. It is made in the form of a white, glossy parallelepiped. On the front part it has a universal socket that allows installation without adapters - European, American and Chinese (Australian) plugs. At the bottom there is a blue LED that shows the status of the outlet.
Her fork is triple, Chinese. An adapter is required to work in European outlets. Sockets with universal connectors - for example, such as in Xiaomi extension cords - become without adapters.
The socket has one physical button - with the help of which it is initially paired with the gateway, and then, if necessary, manual activation / deactivation (here I mean the power supply to the device controlled by the socket).
Temporarily - I use an outlet via an adapter, but I ordered and am waiting for such a Legrand EN15 outlet in order to connect the smart outlet directly.
Socket dimensions - a little less than 4 cm wide
Height - 5.5 cm
If we compare it next to the wi-fi socket, it becomes clear that the ZigBee version is a little narrower, by about 4 mm.
Now to the point.
This outlet was bought with a very specific task - it is control and monitoring of the boiler's energy consumption. I have two separate water inlets in my apartment, and a boiler is installed on one of them, which is in the bathroom. According to observations lasting more than one year, I know that the average monthly consumption of hot water at this input is 3 cubic meters. m. Cost - hot water + drainage * 3 \u003d $ 10 per month. The cost of cold water, including drainage, is $ 1.5. In order to understand whether there is any savings from using a boiler, it was necessary to calculate the electricity consumption. To do this, I used just such a design from a mechanical timer - interrupter and one of the most common energy monitors.
This installation has a lot of drawbacks - firstly, even its price, a little more than the monitored outlet (of course, given that I already have a gateway). Secondly, the timer-interrupter is very inaccurate, and after a couple of months of work it began to stick, lag behind - it had to be twisted every day. And the data from the monitor should be collected manually and recorded somewhere. About appearance and there is nothing to say. Therefore, this whole structure was replaced with a smart socket -
Connecting the outlet - similar to any ZigBee sensor, is carried out through the Xiaomi gateway control plugin. From the list of available sensors - the socket is selected, then by pressing and holding the button - the socket is paired with the gateway, then it is proposed to determine the location of the socket - relative to the apartment.
Unlike its Wi-Fi sister, here you can choose the type of icon for the outlet, depending on the type of load connected. In my case, a water heater. After that, the device appears in the general list and installs the control plugin. In the plug-in, the main and key difference between ZigBee and Wi-Fi sockets is immediately visible - this is the measurement of power consumption. It is she who gives the opportunity not only to control, but also to monitor - what I need for my task.
Since we already have some readings, then we need to compare them at least with conventional energy monitors.
I have a couple of Chinese energy monitors on the farm, let's compare the readings. First - a built-in energy monitor with bangood. Measurements of the consumption of the outlet itself - according to this device, in the off state - the outlet consumes practically nothing
In the active state, consumption rises to 0.5 watts. No load connected.
Comparison with the load. It should be noted here that the readings of the energy monitor change instantly, depending on the current consumption of the load, and the readings on the smartphone, due to the long path from the outlet to it, with a certain delay. A relatively small load, determined by the energy monitor at 101.3 watts, and the outlet (and that the socket and the connection itself through the energy monitor) - at 105 watts
At a high load (kettle) the discrepancy with this energy monitor is even greater - 1764 watts, versus 1827 watts at the outlet.
It would seem lying, but let's not jump to conclusions. Compare with the more common energy monitor, which I previously used to calculate the energy consumption of a boiler. To begin with - measuring the consumption of the outlet in an inactive state - also, 0, below the sensitivity limit of the device.
In the active state - 1 watt, the reading is higher than that of the previous device.
Now the same loads. The discrepancy here is much smaller, and if we take into account some delay in updating information on a smartphone, then it is practically absent. For example - 103.2 watts on the monitor and 105 watts (as in the test with the first monitor) from the outlet.
The same situation with a greater load. 1811 watts on the energy monitor and 1818 watts on the outlet. Again, taking into account the fact that the data on the monitor is updated instantly, and on the smartphone - with a delay.
Comparing all 3 at the same time, we see that the readings of the outlet and the second monitor almost coincide, and the first device also underestimates the readings. Also, according to my control measurements of the boiler consumption, which was carried out just with the help of the second energy monitor, I saw that its readings completely fit into the calculated ones, and I trust him more.
Let's go back to the plug-in for the outlet control. From the main page of the plugin, you can turn off, set timers or a countdown timer - just like in the Wi-Fi version of the socket. In the main menu, to the standard options - smart scenes, descriptions, basic settings and the ability to add to the list of main devices - their own unique ones have been added. This is the ability to change the icon, depending on the controlled device - the second screenshot. The ability to set the resumption of the state of the outlet after a power outage, the option - charge protection, apparently turns off the outlet after the load current drops - has not been verified, I still have another task, and the ability to turn off the LED indicator is relevant for those who are disturbed by its glow.
What is convenient - an icon that shows the state of the socket's activity and allows it to be turned on and off appears in the Control Panel line of the gateway control plug-in.
The most important thing for me is the calculation of energy consumption. From the main page of the plug-in, from left to right, there are data on consumption per day, monthly and in the form of a time graph in the context of days, weeks or months. For example, now, I have configured the boiler in such a way that the consumption is 3 kWh per day, so I go out at about 90 kWh per month, which will be about $ 4.5 at a rate over 100 kW. Coupled with $ 1.5 for cold water, I get $ 6 versus $ 10. 40% savings are already tangible.
In the rest of its capabilities, the socket is similar to the wi-fi version. Setting the on and off is possible through the menu - timers. In this case, the outlet does not depend at all on Chinese clouds or on the Internet - it works in offline... In scenarios, the socket works only as an action and offers three triggering options - on, off, and state switching. The advantage of smart scenarios is the ability to control them flexibly - for example, using external sensors and controllers - or using other scenarios. The disadvantage is work through the Xiaomi cloud. However, there are and are rapidly developing alternative options for managing the ecosystem of the Xiaomi smart home, in future reviews I will definitely touch on this topic.
As for the problem under consideration, it is most advisable to control the boiler precisely with the help of timers - by setting operating modes for weekdays and weekends. By experimentally determining how much time is enough to provide the required amount of hot water.
As a result, the outlet perfectly suited my task of managing and calculating energy consumption during boiler operation. The plans are to consider options for either a couple of such outlets, or if the price is good, take the Aqara built-in outlet. Since at its standard price - twice as much as the option under consideration - is not yet interesting.
Video version of the review -
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On the musk of reviews on xiaomi products, there have been countless accumulated. Some products have been viewed multiple times. Today we will add another device from a famous Chinese brand to this list:
Smart Wi-Fi socket with additional USB output. We will find out what this outlet can do, why it was called smart and find out what disadvantages are inherent in this outlet.
Frequently visiting a country house, I thought about how great it would be to turn on the heating of the boiler in advance. And in winter, also start the heater in the bedroom ... But progress does not stand still, and every year the elements of a smart home are becoming more accessible. So 2 months ago I received, which I installed on the boiler. I was very pleased with her work. But recently they gave us a permanent Internet connection and therefore it was decided to take a wi-fi socket for a test. I chose this particular outlet only out of interest in Xiaomi products. Moreover, winter is still far away and I can, if something happens, buy something else.
So, the outlet came packed in a white box stylized with the Mi inscription, exactly the size of the outlet itself. The box itself is sealed in foil. On the back there are almost all the characteristics 
In principle, everything is clear:
Dimensions 62x55x33mm
Working voltage 180-250V
Output voltage USB 5V, 1A
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz b / g / n
We open the box. The outlet at the outlet is quite universal. Only the ground at the European plug will remain unconnected. 
Inside we find the outlet itself and instructions that are useless for our person. True, it contains a QR code for downloading the SmartHome application, but only the official Chinese version. 
We immediately notice the Chinese 3C plug. So far, this outlet is only available with such a plug, and for its use in other countries, you will need a quality adapter. The thickness of the plastic is also striking. It does not bend or creak in any way. According to the manufacturer, this is a special refractory plastic that can withstand temperatures up to 750 degrees.
On the side of the protective film, there are inscriptions that say that for this device to work, you need to download the “SmartHome” application from the instructions. 
At the top there is a USB connector and an on / off button. By default, this button controls the USB connector and the outlet itself at the same time. However, the actions of this button can be changed through the application. Also, holding it for 5 seconds leads to a reset of all settings to factory defaults. 
Well, let's try it at work. When connected for the first time, a yellow status light will blink to indicate that the outlet has not yet been configured and is in discovery mode. After completing the registration procedure, the indicator will change its color to blue and will be continuously lit during operation 
To connect and configure, download the SmartHome application. Basically, I plugged in the outlet using the original Chinese version of the app. However, then I found that on w3bsit3-dns.com. Therefore, I will show the whole process in the Russian version.
plug into an outlet
Naturally, like any other xiaomi device, you also need a mi account. At the first start, we will be asked to log in, after which we can proceed to the selection of the device that we want to connect 
Then we need to choose a network and its password. You can also connect to a hidden network. 
And that's all. Our device is available for control from anywhere via the Internet.
After the successful registration of the device, according to the good tradition of xiaomi, the application offered to download the updated version of the firmware for the socket. After a quick update, our device appears in the application list and becomes available for control.
You can control separately both the outlet itself and the USB output. Blue pictogram - output is on. Gray - disabled. If desired, a 5V intermediate relay can be connected to USB and some other load can be controlled.
And now we come to the part because of which the manufacturer called this socket smart.
For each of the ports, we can connect different time intervals to turn on / off the outlet and tie them to specific days. The number of created rules is not limited. It turns out something like a timer that can work differently on different days. However, it should be noted that the time in the program is used according to the Chinese time zone and in fact they will be triggered 5 hours earlier than Moscow. This parameter cannot yet be changed in the program, and you need to take this into account before setting the intervals 
Also, in addition to this, there is a separate menu of scenarios in which you can configure the behavior of the outlet if movement was detected in the Xiaomi Ants camera, or if our phone is connected / disconnected from the home network. 
Let's try it at work. The USB output is listed as 5V1A. Without load, we have at the output almost reference 5V 
We connect the load to 1A 
The device does not hold a load of 2A and falls into protection.
During the testing process, a very unpleasant moment emerged: the socket does not remember its state after a power outage and after the power is restored, both outputs remain off. And no notifications about this are displayed in the application. Until you check it yourself, you will not know that the outlet is disconnected.
I sent them a feedback on this. Perhaps this point will be corrected in further firmware, but at the moment I consider this a fat minus. On a stupid GSM outlet, this parameter can be changed.
And finally, let's look at the guts. It was not very easy to open it, because there are no gaps at all, and the hard plastic did not want to bend back into any. The build quality is, of course, excellent. In principle, I did not expect anything else.
The concept of a smart home is becoming more and more popular and every year the market in this area is growing exponentially. To date, a considerable number of interesting gadgets and technologies are presented that are designed to help a person in solving his daily everyday tasks and problems.
More recently, Xiaomi has joined this tech race and has offered a wide range of products to create a truly “smart home”. In this review, we will not touch upon the general topic of the development of this area, but talk about a very specific and useful device, namely the Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug, a smart Wi-Fi socket.
Main characteristics
Power supply AC 180 ~ 250V
-Maximum power 2200 10W
-Built-in Wi-Fi module and USB output 5V 1A
-Dimensions - 63 x 55 x 35 mm
Packaging and equipment
The smart socket is packaged in a compact box made of thin white cardboard. The packaging design is not burdened with unnecessary elements.
On the lid you can see the brand logo, and on the back there is a brief listing of the characteristics and official information about the manufacturer in Chinese.
Looking closely at the contents of the package, you can find tiny instructions for this product.
Modestly, but perhaps nothing else is required to supply such an outlet, except perhaps an adapter, the purchase of which should be taken care of in advance.
Xiaomi devices are designed for the domestic market only, so the plug may not match the standard of your outlet. But, nevertheless, according to the characteristics of the built-in power supply, the socket is universal and can function in any country.
Appearance
Considering that Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug assumes stationary use, the dimensions do not play a big role. One would like to note the overall compactness of the device in comparison with other competing gadgets. The dimensions of the socket are as follows - 63 x 55 x 35 mm.
At the moment, the Xiaomi smart socket occupies the status of the most compact gadget with such functionality. The body of the socket is completely made of high-quality and pleasant to the touch glossy white plastic, on which it is difficult to see flaws. The back surface is slightly darker and the plastic is rough.
There are not many functional elements on the Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug case - this is a universal connector for a plug of any powered device, as well as an on / off button at the end.
Below you can see the USB port. On the front, in addition to the universal socket, there is a light indicator that notifies of the presence of external power, the activity of the Wi-Fi module and the supply of electricity.
Applications and software
By connecting the Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug to the mains, it must be connected to the smartphone using the Mi Home application recommended by the manufacturer. In the attached instructions there is a QR-Code for downloading of this application... If the blue LED on the outlet lights up when connected, this means that the connection was successful (there are no problems with the setup).
The main idea of \u200b\u200bthe Xiaomi Mi Smart Power Plug smart Wi-Fi socket is the ability to implement remote control power supply of any device connected to the network. When your smartphone or tablet is connected to the Internet, you can remotely turn on and off the outlet, it is easy to trace which mode the gadget is in. If your smartphone or tablet is out of the network coverage area, but you know exactly when you need to turn on the outlet, you can set a time timer for convenience.
Thanks to the customizable profiles, it is possible to set different modes of switching on and off the outlet. For example, when going home, your smartphone connects to your router and at the same time the socket automatically turns on and supplies power to the USB output - this allows you to save unnecessary time without additional costly gestures.
Conclusion
Summing up, one should remember the cost of the proposed product, 2100 rubles. at the time of publication of the article, you can buy by clicking on. An important advantage of the gadget is the unique utility of such a device - it will always come in handy both in an apartment and in a country house. Build quality and dimensions, high level of software development instill confidence in the device.
