What can smart socket adaptors do, and at £8, is it worth getting a timer, or remote control etc, as the smart socket seems to do it all.
However, the problem is, even downloading the instructions, one has no idea of what they can do until you actually buy on and try it.
It all started for me, when I went to look after my late mother, and social services put in an alarm to warn us when she had gone wheel about (she was in a wheelchair) but we needed the alarm upstairs so we could hear it at night, but turn it off when we got visitors, we tried time clocks set for when carers were due, and they would arrive early or late, and remote controls, and it would fail to reset, so we got an Energenie smart socket, which combined both functions.
It was not perfect, as only had 3 slots, and we needed 4, but talking about around 8 years ago, and things have moved on, so I have a mixture of zigbee, TP-Link, Wiser, and Energenie, all have good and bad points, and I do find I move them around, depending on the features I need.
Most also combine with something else, be it a smart light switch, a smart bulb, the central heating, or energy monitoring, and I am not sure what I can say about them, without it being considered as an advert?
So one question is why you want a digital timer, I have loads, some for central heating although normally have a thermostat built in as well, also the immersion heater, but that has an energy monitor built in so it only runs when I have solar energy, built into light switches to turn lights on in the evening, although those have dusk to dawn features as well. Even to turn off my battery charger, again also have an energy monitor built in so it detects when the load is low.
But we return to the problem, manufacturers don't seem to tell you what they all can do. And you don't want to be like me, with 5 hubs, because I have after getting one, found another make which can do more, or different functions.
Some really clever units, OK seems we call them Smart, will not fit the bill because of some small thing, like a programmable thermostat needing to be hard-wired, or the reverse where a battery powered one fails as you forget to change batteries.
I moved away from installed smart sockets, when a couple turned themselves into flasher units, to have to turn off the mains to replace is a pain, so now in the main use plug in types.
Of late being buying TP-Link, mainly as I already have a hub, it may not be the best, but I have the hub already. I look at other makes, but don't what to get yet another hub. Today even rechargeable batteries seem to connect to the internet, when will it end.