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ESPHome Feature Guides

The ESPHome Smart Hut plug firmware exposes more than a simple on/off switch. These guides explain what each feature does, when to use it, and the settings to check first.

Firmware source: Smart-Hut/Smart-Plug

Feature Guides​

After adding the plug to Home Assistant, review these settings first:

  • Power loss behaviour: choose whether the plug starts off, starts on, or restores its last state after a power cut.
  • LED Behaviour: choose whether the LED follows relay state, stays off, or stays on.
  • Electricity Rate: set your price in GBP/kWh if you want cost estimates.
  • Auto Off Enabled and Auto Off Minutes: use this for devices that should not be left running indefinitely.
  • Local Button Lock: enable this if the plug is somewhere the button may be pressed accidentally.

Suggested Use Cases​

  • Chargers: use auto-off to stop charging after a chosen time.
  • Washing machines and tumble dryers: use appliance detection to notify when a cycle has finished.
  • TVs and media equipment: use standby killer to turn equipment off after it drops to low standby power.
  • Heaters or dehumidifiers: use auto-off as a safety backstop.
  • Energy monitoring: use daily and lifetime energy sensors to understand running costs.
  • Presence-sensitive areas: use LED behaviour and local button lock to prevent unwanted light or accidental switching.

Notes Before You Change Settings​

Power readings vary between appliances. Threshold-based features such as standby killer, load detection, high power detection, and appliance detection work best after you observe the connected device's normal power usage for a few cycles.

Start with conservative settings, test them while you are nearby, and then adjust thresholds once you know the device's real behaviour.