Related Sections: Green Tech Household Security
PowerZoa lets you tune in and turn off anything in your house
Smart plugs of all kinds are all the rage these days, but the Powerzoa wraps up everything you need in a smart plug in one small, discreet cube.
Looking like a cross between one of those old-school travel adaptors you took on your first trip to Europe and the pieces from a '70s board game, Powerzoa gets between the wall outlet and your gadget's plug. But unlike some smart plugs that show you your power usage on an attached display, Powerzoa transmits it wirelessly to a secure website, where you can check power usage from a laptop the next room or the next continent.
Then you can turn the plugged-in device on or off via the website — saving you energy and making Powerzoa not just cooler-looking than those ancient "dial-the-hour" timers your dad used, but also making your home a much more confusing target for burglars.
They're still in prototype stage, so no word yet on when the Powerzoa will come to market.
Via Powerzoa
By Old Man Dotes at 1:17 PM ON 11/16/09
Unless it's a buttload cheaper than the X-10 system (which has the world's ugliest Web site at http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm ) it's a non-starter. For one thing, I don't trust Powerzoa to keep their "secure" Web site secure; I don't want my data leaving my house.
By BoredGuyAtWork at 3:41 PM ON 11/16/09
Well this could be really useful, i personally hate the design, but it's nice to be able to monitor you power usage and such. I do like the feature of beingable to cut power to various devices via website, but it seems it could be making something things a bit more complicated. More or less i trust their interent security, since i don't care if people know how much power i use, but i am betting this wont be cheap enough for the average man such as myself, i suppose i will just stick to unplugging things or fliping the light switch when i am done.
By Hank Jekyll at 11:45 AM ON 11/17/09
Im with Bored Guy...
By Nomad at 4:23 PM ON 12/12/09
I think this could be a really useful product as long as they keep the price around $10. Does any body know anything about this Company? Where are they from...just curious.
By sterling at 1:32 PM ON 01/17/10
In this world of ever-increasing technology, we find ourselves making devices like this that seem to save great time saving and power saving features, but we must think about the possible security risks that can be associated with internet home control.
This opens up a new world for hackers, no longer can hackers take your i.d, but also, now they could gain access to electronics and locks in your house. A scary thought.
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sterling:
In this world of ever-increasing technology, we find ourselves making devices like this that seem to save great tim...More »