Setup / Can’t Connect
The Emporia devices use the following ports to communicate with the Emporia Cloud: 80 (outbound), 443 (outbound), and 8883 (inbound/outbound).
Not at this time. Offering an API is a feature that is on our roadmap, but right now we don't have a specific release date. We are a small team with limited resources. We appreciate your feedback and hope you understand that we're working very hard to prioritize the many enhancements that have been requested.
- Ensure you have a strong WiFi signal nearby the Smart Plug.
- Try both Quick Mode and Hotspot Mode for setup.
- Double check you're trying to connect to a 2.4GHz network and that your mobile device is also connected to the same WiFi network (won't work on 5.0GHz networks).
- Check router settings:
- Double check WiFi password - is case sensitive.
- Security protocol set to WPA, WPA2, WEP.
- WiFi/802.11 protocol set to B, G and/or N (not AX, AN).
- Channel Assignment set to "Auto" or "Automatic".
- No firewall settings preventing communications. Also possible that another device or program is scrubbing network traffic like Pi-Hole or a VPN.
- If still having connection issues, contact Customer Support
Quick mode is a fast and easy way to send WiFi credentials to the Smart Plug via a general broadcast. Generally works most of the time without issue. Hotspot mode will connect your mobile device directly to the WiFi network provided by the Smart Plug (as a "hotspot") where the WiFi credentials are then sent directly to the Smart Plug rather than a general broadcast. Hotspot mode was added as a fallback connection feature if Quick Mode isn't working and should work in the majority of use-cases.
Installation
No. The Smart Plug has a 15A spike limitation and 10A continuous use limitation. Continuous use is defined as a load running constantly for an hour or longer.
It can - but it will be quite limited in its functionality. Without an internet connection it would not be able to report its metrics/measurements to the Emporia cloud and will not be controllable through the app.
- An electrical system that doesn't exceed 120V/15A on a single phase circuit.
- A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi router within broadcast distance of your Smart Plug
- Knowledge of your Wi-Fi router SSID and password
- A mobile device running iOS 10 (or higher) or Android 4.1 (or higher) with the Emporia Energy App installed with Bluetooth and location services enabled
The Smart Plug is currently only designed for 120V circuits usually found in US residential electrical systems. We're in the process of designing and building a 240V UK and European compatible Smart Plug that should be available later in 2022.
Emporia App
Not at the moment. We're looking into additional integrations to provide in the future. If you have a specific integration/application you'd like us to add, contact Customer Support.
Not at the moment but we'd like to add this feature in the future.
Yes, you can add additional Smart Plugs to your account by tapping the menu icon and going to "Manage Devices" where the first option will be "+ Add Device". Once setup, you'll see each Smart Plug listed on the Home screen.
Yes, only available on Android mobile devices at the moment. The Smart Plug will need to be connected to the internet and you can set a Timer by tapping the menu icon (three bars, upper left corner of the app), going to "Device Management", selecting your plug and then "Timer" in the following menu.
- Open the Alexa App and navigate to Skills (More > Skills & Games)
- Use the search function (in the top right corner) and enter "Emporia Energy"
- Select the Emporia Energy Skill and select Enable to Use (sign in with your Emporia Energy account email & password and once it's successfully linked return to the Alexa app screen)
- Select Discover Devices so Alexa can find your Smart Plugs
- To see you Smart Plugs, select Devices (on the bottom)
- Select Plugs
- Your Emporia Smart Plugs will now appear on the Plugs list and you can tell Alexa to turn your plugs on or off
- Ensure you have Google Home downloaded as the app and you have it setup.
- Once that is ready, you can add a new device to the Google Home app. You'll want to tap on the "+" (plus) icon in the upper left corner of the Google Home app.
- Select "Set up Device"
- Select "Works with Google" (rather than New Device which is for Google products only)
- On the next screen, we'll tap on the magnifying glass (Search Icon) in the header, top of page towards the right hand side.
- Search for Emporia Energy.
- Once we tap Emporia Energy it will bring us to a Login page where you can enter your Emporia account credentials.
- Once we've linked our Emporia account, you should be able to see your Smart Plugs listed within the Google Home app.
- Select the Settings Menu (three horizontal bars in top left corner)
- Select Manage Devices
- Select the Smart Plug you'd like to add a schedule to
- Select Schedules
- Select Add Schedule at the top and select the Time, Repeat (frequency), and Switch (On/Off) status you would like the plug to run
That enables (or disables) the ability to toggle the Smart Plug power supply to the connected appliance on or off directly from the Home screen in the app. When that option is enabled, you can tap on the plug icon to the left of the Smart Plug name on the Home screen to turn the plug on/off.
Yes. The Smart Plug will need an internet connection to setup (and edit/remove) schedules, but once added they'll be downloaded directly on the device firmware and should be followed even when offline.
Readings
No. We'll be introducing a new feature called "device grouping" to help with these situations. For the time being you'll want to add them together with the CSV Export functionality or other method outside of the app.
Yes - the Smart Plug does monitor voltage for the most accurate measurements, but at the moment that voltage measurement is not displayed in the app. We're going to add voltage measurements to the app at a future date.
The Smart Plug should be within 98% accurate as compared to similar measurements that would be provided by your utility.
On a daily basis, you can expect the Smart Plug to send ~3MB of data across your network.
If you have changed the Billing Date settings for the device the App will start tracking usage for the next billing cycle and show next month as the date on the graphs.
Hardware
Yes, simply install the Emporia Energy app on the other phone/mobile device and login with the same email address and password (account information) that you used to set up the Emporia device.
No. The Smart Plug can certainly allow power to flow in both directions as generation and consumption, but it will only be able to record the total usage as consumption.
Yes, the Smart Plug is ETL certified by Intertek (5015249)
Not at the moment. That is a hardware model we're looking into for the future. If you'd like to see a 240V split-phase Smart Plug model or "Smart Strip", feel free to reach out to Customer Support and let us know
3.3" x 1.5" x 1.1" (84mm x 38mm x 29mm)
The Smart Plug is designed to stay under 15A spikes of usage and continuous use limitations of 10A. Continuous use is defined as a constant load for an hour or longer. If the Smart Plug has detected any usage over those thresholds - it'll be turned off immediately due to safety concerns. It will also continue to be turned off for the following 24 hours since the last time that threshold was crossed. We will also send an email to the email address connected to your Emporia account stating the reason. Contact Customer Support if you have any questions/concerns.
This can be caused by a few issues:
- Check to see if any schedules or other Energy Management features are managing the Smart Plug behavior.
- Check to make sure there are no external programs managing Smart Plug behavior
- Ensure your Smart Plug is not exceeding its amperage limitations (outlined here) - if this has happened within the last 24 hours, your plug may still be turned off even after load has changed.
- Contact Customer Support
A red blinking light on a Smart Plug indicates it has lost its network connection. You can try a WiFi reset through the app to get it reconnected. Reconnect my Smart Plug to WiFi FAQ. If the Smart Plug is unable to connect to your network, please contact Customer Support.
Account
- Check your Spam/Junk folder in your email app.
- Double check that you entered the correct email address when creating your account.
- Be patient. Sometimes it can take a few minutes.
- Feel free to contact support.
- Make sure you enter the 6-digit code as it appears in the email.
- Do not hit the back button at the top of the app or the code will be invalid and you'll need a new one.
- Do not request multiple codes. It will invalidate the previous code.
- Feel free to contact support.
Cost / Warranty
There is no subscription fee to use the app or the service. Just the initial cost of the hardware.
Emporia Warranty Information can be found here. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, just let us know and we will make it right.
