Monostrip Wi-Fi Enabled Smart Outlet Launches At $49

One thing that many home automation products have in common is a high price tag. Getting your home set up with automation can cost a huge amount of money with many products available on the market today. A company called Visible Energy has announced the launch of a new home automation product for the US, and Canada called the Monostrip.

The Monostrip is available for $49 plus shipping during its introductory pricing period. The device is a dual plug smart electrical outlet that is Wi-Fi enabled. The device can be controlled using an app available for iOS devices. Users can also access the outlets to control things plugged into the Monostrip over the Internet.

Control of the Monostrip over the Internet is accomplished using Visible Energy's cloud-based energy management platform. The app is called EnergyUFO, and allows the user to monitor energy usage of the outlet and its connected devices and the app also provides remote control and programming capabilities. The Monostrip offers the first year of secure use for the device over the web and remote energy data collection at no cost.

After the first year of service expires, users can sign up again for $4 per year. Visible Energy has a similar device with four power outlets called the UFO Power Center that has been on the market for almost a year. The smaller and cheaper Monostrip should make it easier for users to get basic home automation and remote control of lighting and other devices.