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Teckin SS31 wifi smart plug installation with Alexa

March 30, 2020

Traditionally I've used a photocell timer plug for controlling my holiday Christmas lights. These plugs have a light sensor that turn on for a desired amount of time after it detects darkness. Teckin recently released the SS31 outdoor smart plug, outdoor smart outlet, that allows for greater control through scheduling and remote control with Alexa or the SmartLife app.

The Teckin outdoor smart plug includes two outlets you can independently control and has an IP44 waterproof rating

Installation Experience

I review and demonstrate installation instructions for the outdoor Teckin smart plug in this video below or continue reading on for more.

What's included

  • SS31 2 outlet outdoor smart plug
  • Instruction manual

WiFi Pairing

WiFi pairing was very fast compared to other smart devices I've looked at recently.

  1. Download the SmartLife app onto your iPhone from the app store
  2. Click the + sign to add a device in the upper right corner.
  3. Select "Electrician" on the sidebar and then "Socket (Wi-Fi)" on the right list.
  4. Enter pairing mode by holding down the power button the the Teckin plug for 5 seconds.
  5. The light will start flashing on the smart plug.
  6. Click the Confirm flashing button in the SmartLife app.

The app quickly located and configured the plug.

IP44 Waterproof Rating

IP stands for ingress protection and IP44 means this plug is rated to prevent ingress of objects over 1mm or splashing water at any angle. This would make it acceptable for most outdoor use under some basic cover.

You would not want to use this smart plug where it could get submerged or receive heavy blasts of water. In the video above I tested this out by spraying the outlet with a hose for some time and it lived up to its claims.

Features and Performance

I like that I can control the switched outlets independently which gives me more control than my current photocell timer. The SmartLife app let me create schedules on a 24 hour clock. This allows more control than a photocell timer and let's you vary the schedule on a per day basis if desired. There was no input lag when manually switching the outlets on and off from the app.

Alexa automatically discovered the outlet and switches based on their names in the SmartLife app. Voice control through Alexa worked without issue.

As far as Wi-Fi strength, the device is separated by a concrete stucco wall and some interior walls from the Wi-Fi access point, but still had a fairly strong Wi-Fi signal.

Summary

The Teckin SS31 outdoor smart plug is very close to the price point of a standard photocell outdoor timer and would be a good pick if you would like independent control and scheduling of two outlets.

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David Mello

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