After writing an in depth review on the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser some time ago, and suggesting to pair the diffuser with a smart plug, I received a lot of questions about the approach. Based on the response, I felt it could benefit the wider community to share the questions and feedback. In this article, we will cover using the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser with Smart Plugs.
About the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser
Firstly, lets quickly touch on the diffuser and its intended purpose for those who need a more detailed report, I have written quite a bit on the diffuser in my blog posts along with a review which can be found here. For now, we will quickly cover the diffuser.
The Calm Home Diffuser intended purpose is to release pheromones into the air that help calm and relax your dog. The diffuser is placed in close range to where your dog sleeps and is most active to ensure optimal performance.
The dog picks up on the mothering pheromones and slowly reduces its stress levels and begins to calm.
Based on mixed reviews, it does not work for all dogs, and can take time for results to be seen, especially if your dog has only just experienced a change that has impacted its behavior. You generally need to give it 4-6 weeks before you make any meaningful decision in the outcome.
Next I will cover smart plugs to provide a little background for anyone who has not had exposure to these devices.
About Smart Plugs
Years ago, we had power plugs with a manual timer that we could set to turn a light on at a set time. Often used to turn on Christmas lights and lamps when away from the family home. We would turn the dial, pull out red or black buttons to set the on/off status. It would take time to program and limited flexibility but did the job.
Skip forward to now, with the merger of electronics and internet, we can now control devices from our smartphones, including easier programming and management.
We have all seen Google home devices control appliances, we now can use this technology to turn on power outlets or sockets. By placing a small plug into the point and connecting to your phone, the plug and anything attached to it, can be turned on and off with a simple gesture.
There are many options available when it comes to Smart Plugs, a quick search on amazon will reveal many brands and options. This can range from a single outlet to a large power board where you can control each point.
A great example is Kasasmart, they have many options and are often highly rated online. https://www.kasasmart.com/us/products/smart-plugs/kasa-smart-wi-fi-power-strip-hs300
Most newer devices work with Amazon Alexa or Google Home enabling control from your smart home equipment. Probably not too important for our intended purpose but a nice to have when selecting your smart plug.
Taking this technology and coupling with a diffuser provides flexibility and control from anywhere in the world, especially when away from your home and your dog has started to get anxious or bark.
Scheduling the Adaptil Diffuser
According to Adaptil, the support manual and associated content recommends leaving the Diffuser on continuously, while this is generally a good approach, there are many circumstances where it may not align to each individual household’s workflow, schedule and pets needs.
For example, like in my case, our dog only got anxious in the afternoon around one hour before returning from work, as a result, I didn’t need to keep the Diffuser on for the other 23 hours. In fact, I found that turning on the diffuser around two hours before I came home was sufficient to help support her anxiety.
You will need to take your own circumstances into consideration and work out what provides the best result. The purpose is to not consume the Adaptil Calm Diffuser contents when there is no dog in the house, or your dog is not uptight. If your dog is going through a rough patch and barking all the time, then you will need to reassess your approach until things begin to normalise.
My advice is to use the on regularly for at least the first 1-2 months, then once you have a better understanding of the impact, consider turning it off for periods where it’s not required. Use a camera to keep an eye on your dog while away so you have data to work with around scheduling the on and off timers.
Document the times you need the Diffuser running, as this will help once you have the smart plug and assist with setting the schedule. Its best to have this planned prior to proceeding with purchasing a smart plug to ensure you are ready once you have the device.
Diffuser Location
Its important to determine the right location for the Adaptil Diffuser, otherwise you will not get the full affect from the product. Understand where your pet sleeps, or where it hovers when anxious. Consider placement to deliver the greatest impact.
Its not uncommon to require two or three diffusers if you have a larger house or your dog is pacing back and forth, you may need to start with a higher number and then reduce once the dog has overcome the initial anxiety provoking situation.
If your dog is always generally uptight, then you will probably need to leave multiple diffusers in place at all times. With this approach, using a Smart Plug can really help manage the consumption of the diffuser liquid. It will minimize and eliminate the need to be replacing three or more bottles each month which can get expensive especially if they are not required due to points covered earlier.
Using Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser with Smart Plug
Once you have determined your location and hours of operation, including going through the appropriate period to help manage any initial increase in your dogs anxiety, its time to connect the smart plug.
Purchase any preferred smart plug like the Kasasmart device mentioned earlier. Connect with your mobile app to enable the control functions. Use the app to set up a simple or advanced schedule based on the data captured earlier in the article.
Connect the Diffusers to the Smart Plug and conduct a test to ensure they are turning on as per the schedule and operating.
You are now set, as noted earlier, its best to monitor through a remote camera to ensure you are achieving the required results. Dont be concerned about adjusting the schedule, or starting with a wider scope and then reducing if you are not achieving the desired outcome.
Conclusion
With the primary purpose to keep your dog happy at all times, whilst maintaining cost and efficiency, using a Smart Plug can help connect the dots.
Everyone has unique circumstances, and need to take these into consideration when purchasing a Smart Plug to work with their Adaptil Diffuser. Monitor your dog, and at any time adjust the schedule to get the best result.
Remember the Diffuser does not work for all pets, and can take time, so its best to get the program in place and working correctly before connecting to a smart plug.
