Smart plugs are excellent ways to make your regular devices smart. They offer a wide range of convenient options to control your devices remotely. But can you plug your smart plug into a power strip?
You can connect a smart plug into a power strip as it’s generally safe. However, make sure you don’t exceed the total wattage that the power strip can handle. If you plug in multiple devices in the power strip, add up all their wattage capacities and keep it within the power strip’s range.
Read on to learn about safety considerations while plugging a smart plug into a power strip and vice versa. We’ll also talk about what you can’t plug into a power strip.
Can a Smart Plug Be Plugged Into a Power Strip?
You can plug a smart plug into a power strip. However, you should be careful not to overload your power strip by plugging in too many devices and drawing too much current from the strip. Similarly, try not to plug in a single device with a high wattage, such as a space heater.
Check the maximum wattage allowed for the smart plug and the power strip. Then, compare it with the device’s wattage and don’t plug it into the smart plug or power strip if it exceeds the permitted range.
A Kasa Smart Plug from Amazon.com lets you control the power flowing to the devices. You plug it into an outlet and can turn them on or off via its mobile app. If your appliances are smart, you can even connect them to it via WiFi or Bluetooth. It’s also possible to directly attach a device to the smart plug.
You can plug your smart plug into a Bototek Power Strip just the way you do with power outlets. And you won’t run into any issues.
One problem with inserting smart plugs into a power strip is their bulky size. Since they take too much space, you may not use them alongside other power plugs. That said, this might be a blessing in disguise as you won’t be able to insert too many devices into a single power strip!
Can I Plug a Power Strip Into a Smart Plug?
To control several devices with a smart plug, you need multiple gadgets because each plug has only one outlet. But a good workaround is to attach a power strip into the smart plug, changing the regular power strip into a smart one.
This way, you can control all the devices plugged into the power strip.
The same safety precaution applies here, though. Make sure you don’t exceed the maximum wattage allowed for your power strip and smart plug.
Plus, you may run into problems if you use smart assistants like Amazon Alexa. For example, it may turn on and off the devices connected to it whenever you disable/enable it. That’s because Alexa activates the smart plug, turning on all the devices connected to the extension cord.
Can I Connect a Surge Protector Into a Smart Plug?
Using smart plugs, you can control the power going into the smart devices to remotely switch them on and off via the associated smart app. However, you can’t control and protect your devices from power surges.
A smart solution would be connecting them to a surge protector.
By plugging your smart plug into a surge protector, you can protect your devices from power surges and turn them into smart devices simultaneously. Another way is to buy a power strip with surge protection capabilities to avoid potential failures due to power surges.
What Should You Not Plug Into a Power Strip?
Power strips and extension cords allow you to plug multiple devices into the same outlet. However, some devices aren’t fit to plug into a power strip due to their high wattage demands. These devices need more juice than a power strip can handle.
Here are some examples you shouldn’t connect to a power strip:
- Appliances with on and off cycles: Refrigerators, space heaters, and air conditioners frequently switch on and off. They draw a large amount of power when they turn on, overloading a power strip and making the circuit breaker trip.
- Another power strip: Daisy-chaining seems convenient when you don’t have access to a wall outlet and need to plug in multiple devices. However, it’s against fire safety codes and can overload your power strip.
- Heating devices: Most devices that turn electricity into heat need large amounts of current. Slow cookers, microwave ovens, curling irons, coffee makers, and hot plates are all devices you should directly plug into a wall outlet.
Final Thoughts
There’s no safety consideration against plugging a smart plug into a power strip or vice versa. The only thing to remember is to avoid plugging too many devices into the power strip because you may overload the power strip.
In addition, don’t plug high-capacity appliances into a power strip because it may not be able to handle the current and may trip the circuit breaker.