I tested a tiny plug-in that claims to prevent electrical fires – can something so simple really bring peace of mind?
Ting Smart Sensor
Ting quietly monitored the wiring but thankfully detected no problems after months of use.
Weekly reports show appliance cycles and household power usage trends.
Outage maps are limited compared to utility and PowerOutage.us
How do you review a product that does absolutely nothing except sit there with a little green indicator light on?
As background, I should tell you about the pitch I got. Product vendors often employ press representatives who reach out to journalists, writers, bloggers, and influencers, whatever you want to call us, to try to convince us to cover their products.
Back in July, I had just published an article about finding electrical circuits in my Fab Lab when I got a pitch from a PR person saying, „Given the Fab Lab has electronics with high electricity demand, Ting could give you some serious peace of mind, especially when you’re away from home.“
I have a lot of robots here. The Fab Lab (short for fabrication lab) is a room filled with 3D printers, servers, and a laser cutter. It uses quite a bit of electricity, which is why I wrote that article about mapping electrical use.
Now, to be fair, I almost never run the Fab Lab machines when nobody is home. It has happened, but it’s a very rare occurrence. Even so, my interest was piqued. I would like to know more about the power profile in my home. Ting Smart Sensor
The smart home security device can detect and notify you when there are fire risks within your wiring.
When the Ting device arrived, I opened it up, set it up, and plugged it in. Setting it up involves loading an app and connecting that app to my wireless network and to the device. That process works just about the same as connecting any other smart home device.
After that, you wait. The device takes about seven days to „analyze the electrical background signal levels to establish a baseline before electrical fire hazards can be detected.“ It looks for indications of electrical arcing events, which often get worse over time, leading to fires.
I’ve been running the Ting for a few months now. Home monitoring
Fortunately, the device has done absolutely nothing. That’s a good thing because it means that there’s nothing wrong with the electricity or electrical circuits in my house.
