to do or not? This is our advice
Today, even the HEMA and Action sell smart home gear, but at a fraction of the price at other stores. But is it also useful to buy a smart plug from the Action or HEMA? This is our advice.
Read on after the ad.
Contents
Want to buy a smart plug from Action?
The HEMA and Action have been selling smart plugs for some time now. These plugs are called ‘smart’ because they are able to make ‘dumb’ devices smarter. With a smart plug you can, for example, create a time schedule for your lamp and indicate that it will switch on at 07:00 in the morning and shut down at 22:00 in the evening.
The Dutch are currently under the spell of smart homes and that popularity has not escaped the attention of shops. Where domotics used to be only available at specialist shops, you can now simply get smart home items from Action and HEMA.
The smart Action plug costs twice as little as that of the HEMA. You get the (grounded) entry-level model 7.49 euros at home. With the HEMA you spend considerably more for a smart plug. The ‘smart WIFI plug’ costs 15 euro.
Price is the main selling point of these budget options. Other smart plugs easily cost between 20 and 60 euros, so 7.49 (or 15 euros) is certainly not a bad price tag. The price difference between the smart plugs of the Action and HEMA is striking, because it concerns (almost) exactly the same products.
Get to know the underlying company
That’s the way it is. Action and HEMA are retailers, not producers. The stores do not make the smart home stuff themselves, but call in the help of other companies for this, in this case Tuya. This smart home company was founded by ex-employees of Alibaba, the gigantic Chinese webshop you might know from the iPhone chargers.
Stores like Action and HEMA knock on Tuya for white labelstuff. Tuya makes the smart plugs, and Action of HEMA then puts their own sales label on them and puts them on the shelves. The underlying infrastructure is also ‘borrowed’. In other words, Tuya makes the app to control the smart plugs and makes sure everything works on the back.
This is useful for resellers such as Action and HEMA, because they don’t have to make their own smart home items – something that requires a lot of technical knowledge. Nor does the company have to worry about warranty claims. If your smart plug is broken, you will simply receive a new one and the defective one will be sent to Tuya.
Privacy of the smart plugs
Sounds ideal, right? Although there is little to be said about the quality of the smart plugs, you do have to pay attention. Tuya’s privacy policy is a point of attention. The LSC Smart Connect app, which you use to operate the smart Action / HEMA plug, collects a lot of personal data, for example.
Your exact location, GPS data and contact details (such as your phone number) will be sent to Tuya, among other things. On top of that, the privacy terms are pretty superficial. For example, the company promises not to misuse your data, but that’s it. It is not clear exactly how your personal information is stored and secured.
The fact remains that your data goes back and forth to China, and it is quite unclear what exactly happens with it. Whether you have anything against this is a personal consideration. Tuya has not yet suffered from data breaches, but security has been cracked before.
Safety is a point of attention
For example, in 2018, a German hacker showed how to hack and remotely control Tuya smart home products. This has to do with the fact that the Chinese manufacturer is installing a back door in all its devices to be able to perform updates silently. As a result, Tuya (technically and theoretically) always has full control over the device. As a user, you will not notice anything of this.
The ‘hack’ has now been closed and – as far as is known – there are no known cases in which the security problem has actually been exploited. It is worth mentioning that the option to perform ‘secretly’ updates is available. No one knows exactly how well Tuya products are protected.
Another point of attention is the price. Because Action and HEMA purchase exactly the same Tuya plug, they sell an (almost) identical product. Even the accompanying apps are very similar. This is because Tuya also provides them. Action and HEMA do not make their own applications for the smart plug.
→ Also read: Advice: Is it useful to buy a smart Action doorbell?
Why pay more for HEMA smart plug?
The question therefore arises why you would go for the smart plug of the HEMA, instead of that of Action. Again this is a personal consideration. On a technical level, both smart plugs do the same: make your ‘dumb’ lamp smart.
With a smart plug from the Action or HEMA you can remotely switch your lights on or off, dim the lights or set all kinds of time schedules via the LSC Smart Connect app.
You therefore pay for the ‘brand name’ and packaging. The HEMA smart plug has its own packaging, while the smart Action plug comes in a more general box. You may also expect a little more service at HEMA for that additional price.
Conclusion: why you (g) should buy a smart Action / HEMA plug
In summary, is it smart to buy a smart plug from the Action or HEMA? That depends on your wishes and requirements. In terms of price, the smart plugs are unsurpassed and therefore a very cheap way to design your smart home.
It is also not the quality of the products. The smart plugs of the Action and HEMA are cheap, but certainly not messy. After all, they do what they have to do.
You do have to accept any security and privacy concerns. If you prefer not to do this, it is better to work with a reputable provider that has proven itself in this field for a long time. Very cunningly, the information from a smart plug can give away a lot about your personal life and that is not a nice thought if you do not know exactly what happens with that data.
More about smart living
This whole month stands iPhone all about (smart) living. For example, we list the best smart doorbells without a subscription, compare Google Home and Apple HomeKit and compare the best smart thermostats.
Would you like to read more articles from our monthly theme? Click on one of the links below or go to our Housing overview page to check all the documents.
