The smart works well, it was easy to pair with the phone and it has not failed to turn on or off the plug in the last two weeks I have been using it. I used it both within the house using WI FI as well as while being away from home using a external network.
However, I had some security concerns with the app used for the plug. The documentation leads to get the app from an untrusted website located in China. I am software engineer with a lot of experience in web security. Downloading apps from untrusted web site is not safe, such app can comprise your entire home network. I contacted the seller and told them that this smart plug is not ready to be sold in USA until the app is available in Googlplay. The seller was very responsive, not only provided answers but asked questions on how best to provide this information to those who already purchased the product. It showed me the level of concern for the customers that I liked.
The seller told me that the app is now available in GooglePlay and told me that its name of the app is e-Control. I installed e-Control app from Googleplay however as soon as I installed the software recommended that I download an updated from the vendor's web site. The update prompt warned me that without the update I may not be able to control my devices from external networks. For security reasons, I did not perform this upgrade and again notified the vendor that all updates need to come directly from GooglePlay.
On the positive side, even though I am running a version without the update I have not encountered any problems turning on the plug while I an on a remote network.
Bottom line - use e-Control app from Googleplay, do not get any apps or updates from other websites.
This smart outlet was provided to me by Broadlink for beta testing and review. I always honestly describe pluses and minuses of my experience with the product. I have a long history of leaving critical reviews when the product deserves it. I also post updates when I have new information to share, and I will do so for this smart plug.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.
Ali Julia review ★★★★☆
No comments:
Post a Comment