For those of you who have started Christmas shopping already, good for you. I have not even thought of it. I mean there is still Halloween candy everywhere.
But for those eager folks who like to lock it down before December, I wanted to share two items that I have been testing out.
They are from TP-Link and are perfect for the Dad who likes gadgets that mix well with his Smartphone.
The first is a handy item that you can use with your phone to power things on and off. It could be a light, a radio or as the box shows, a humidifier. Anything that turns on with a switch basically. Keep in mind it needs to be something where the switch stays on after the power is turned off. Also, it’s based on Wi-Fi, so you can’t leave the house and turn stuff off to toy with your kids.
I tried it with a fan and a few other items before settling on the plug where our bedroom fan is. It’s ideal for lights that you tend to forget about. If only we had this gadget many years ago. Here is how I would have used it when our kids were younger. Where were you then Wi-fi smart plug!
I would have used it in the plug in the baby’s room. Why you ask? Well for those who have not had a baby, you don’t even want to step in the room once they are asleep. It would have been great to turn off the light or radio without having to step in the room and potentially wake up the baby. Even the slightest creek in the floor could ruin a good night’s sleep. Oh imagine turning off the light from the basement or even setting it to turn off at a certain time. Take note parents-to-be.
How it works.
You take the plug part of it and put it in any wall outlet. Then you go through a few easy steps to pair it to your phone. Then you have full control of it. So whatever is plugged into it, you can control from your phone.
You have the simple on and off options. You also have the option of what they call scenes. Scenes let you set the mood of your home in one tap.
Like your lights a certain way for dinner, movies, reading etc, well now you can manage it all from your phone. Have a light turn on in the morning. Have it turn off at night so you don’t have to remember. Dim the lights for TV time. Or whatever you want it to be. Again, turning the light off in your kid’s room without having to go in there is kind of perfect for us.
I found it pretty easy to set up and definitely is a cool gadget.
Oh it just dawned on me that this will be PERFECT for the Christmas tree this year. That alone is worth the purchase for dad. Also you can brag to your wife how much energy you are saving by not leaving the lights on over night.
This gadget is a little more straightforward and we all have a need for one. It’s a power bank for all of our phones and devices. In our house we have four phone and an iPad always on the go and always in need of a charge. This power bank let’s you charge two things at once and even when you are out of the house.
How it works.
You charge it up by plugging the USB into your computer or other USB plug and then you can add two devices for charging as long as you have your charge cords with you. What I like about it is it looks cool and it can be thrown in your bag for travel. It comes with a little pouch so it does not get scratched.
Oh and if you use it on the road (in your car) it has a pretty powerful flashlight on it so you can see in the dark. I can see this being a gadget you get for Dad but Mom throws it in her purse because it does a lot of cool things that Mom needs when out of the house. Charging the phone and having a flash light are two big things for women who get home late from work.
You can never have too many charging options in today’s world. The worst is running out of juice on your phone. Great stocking stuffer for Dad or even an office secret Santa.
