A Bluetooth Timer To Make Life More Convenient

A timer? Now that’s what I need. My kids like to sleep with a small lamp on so that it is not pitch black in their rooms at night. Trouble is, more often than not, they forget to turn that same lamp off in the morning, head off to school, and if I don’t catch it, it is on all day.

In general I want to be more conscious of my energy usage and to conserve more than I currently am. In order to make that happen, I need something that is going to be easy-to-use and convenient.

Recently, I got the opportunity to try out the Avi-On Bluetooth Smart Dimmer and Switches by GE. With the use of the Avi-On app (free download for Apple and Android), you are able to wirelessly program and control lights and other devices, using a connected timer from your smartphone or tablet.

Set-up was extremely easy. You plug the device you want to use into the dimmer or switch and then plug the dimmer or switch directly into the wall outlet.

There are two ways that you can use is a a timer to control turning the device on and off. There is a manual timer control button on the dimmer or switch that you can press to turn the device on and off.

Or, you can use the Avi-On app to create your timer. When the dimmer or switch is plugged in and you open the app, it will guide you through adding switches, allow you to control them and set up a timer to program schedules.

Control & Timer Options

What I like about the app is that it allows you to control the switch several different ways. You can:

• Turn the device on and off at any time (and it will not mess up any timer schedules you have in place.
• Program switch to automatically turn on and off at a certain time of day (and pick all or some of the days of the week)
• Turn the switch on and off at actual dusk and dawn times in your area with automatic seasonal adjustments
• Turn on and off at random times to create a lived in look
• Turn on or off after a pre-set amount of time

There are a number of different Smart GE devices that are available. We looked at three of them, the Smart Switch, the Smart Dimmer and the Outdoor Smart Switch. The dimmer does everything described above as well as allows you to adjust the brightness level of a light from 0-100%.

The dimmers and switches have a great space-saving design. When they are plugged in, the second outlet is completely free to use. On the dimmer and switch itself, the outlet that you plug your device into is on the side rather than the front. This is useful if you have the switch plugged into a narrow space such as behind furniture.

Multiple Uses

When I first started using the switches, I started out using them for mainly for my boys’ bedrooms to help out with their bedtime routine. I used the timer to turn on at bedtime and then they go off at 4:00 a.m. so I never have to worry that the lamp is on all day. But I quickly realized that there are so many other ways that you can use these switches.

My son that sleeps in the top bunk tends to complain that he is hot when he goes to bed. He has a little fan that he uses but really, he only typically needs it for the first couple of hours. I can either use the timer option that will turn the device off after a certain amount of time or I can program the fan to go on and off at a designated time.

I have a decorative floral arrangement that has lighted twigs in it. Typically, it never got turned on because I didn’t think about it. Now, the timer turns on in the early evening and goes off around bedtime. I get to enjoy it and don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn it off. 

The countdown works great if I don’t want to turn on my Crock Pot first thing in the morning and I am heading out of the house. You simply program the timer for the amount of time that you want to wait until the Crock Pot turns on. If I leave at 8:00 a.m. and I don’t want my Crock Pot to turn on until 10:00 a.m., I can program a 2 hour countdown. You could also potentially turn the Crock Pot on in the morning and program it to turn off after a certain amount of time.

Another way that it can be useful is when plugged into a device that is rechargeable such as a toothbrush or razor. You can program the timer toturn on an hour or two in the morning before you get up so that it is charged when you need it. But, you don’t have it plugged in all day, wasting electricity.

If you are out of town, there are several devices that you could plug into the switches that would give the house a “lived in” feeling. By using the feature that turns devices on and off at random times (or putting them on a specific timer), you can make it seem like someone is home.

The Outdoor Smart Switch can be used for Christmas lights or for backyard summer lights. Or, anything that you want to plug in and enjoy outside. It is weather-resistant and has a protective outlet cover.

Pros:

• The Avi-On app is simple to use
• All of the dimmers and switches in your house can be controlled with the one app
• The design of the dimmers and switches works great – they don’t cover the second outlet and plugging devices on the side rather than the from allows you to push furniture closer to the walls

Cons:

• You can’t plug two of the switches into the same outlet. This can become inconvenient in my boys’ bedroom if I want to control both a lamp and a fan
• The outdoor switch is set up to be mounted and does not plug directly into the outlet but has a super short cord. This makes it a little difficult to move it to different spots
• You can not control the switches from the Avi-On app if you are away from your home (out of Bluetooth range.) If you forget to change something before you leave the house, you are out of luck

The GE Bluetooth Smart Switch is available on the avi-on website $39.99. The Dimmer and the Outdoor Switches are both $44.99. I also found them on amazon.com. The Smart Switch is currently available for $29.99, the Dimmer is $31.99 and the Outdoor Switch is $37.10 – all with available Prime free shipping.

A Mom’s Perspective

I’m finding that by using these dimmers and switches with the timer, that I am conserving energy because devices are always getting turned off that sometimes would accidentally be left on. This is especially true in my boys’ bedrooms. While I can’t say that I’ve noticed a big difference on my electric bill, it makes me feel good to know that I am not using energy that I don’t need to be using.

I also appreciate that the switches are so versatile. A traditional timer with the 24 hour dials really only allows for one option. If you want to use it for something different, you have to reprogram it, losing the programming from the first device.

But with the Avi-On app, you can program multiple items and choose which one you want. You can also choose which days you want it to turn on and off, set a timer, set it for dawn and dusk and for random programming. Wow! There is an option for whatever you need!

* I was given the GE Smart Dimmers and Switches for my honest review. All opinions are my own.