SenseSense can detect what’s going on in your home primarily through machine learning. It’s constantly collecting information that’s helping our Data Science Team. But we also count on users like you to help Sense learn, and that’s why we’re rolling out new features like “Device Is Not On.”
Is This Thing On?
Sometimes Sense will show a device as on, but in reality it’s not. What’s happening is that Sense sees the device turn on, but misses when it switches off. This is one of the most common errors users report. Of course, these “false ons” will decrease as we collect more data, but you can help make Sense more accurate by using the Device Is Not On feature through the app. To do so, go to a device's 'settings' page by clicking on the gear icon in the top right of the app, select "Report a Problem" at the bottom, and then "Device is Not On" from the menu. Note that the "Device is Not On" option will only appear if Sense is reporting the device as 'on' at that point in time.
We Love Your Feedback
Every time you share your real-world feedback, we have another data point to fine tune our models. This crowdsourced learning helps Sense understand what’s going on in your home and across the entire Sense community. Each notification helps, so don’t hesitate to share your experience.
Log These Scenarios
Your Sense app says your dishwasher is on, but you’re standing right next to it, and you can see that it is not on. Just take a second to log that event as “Device is Not On.” Or, what if you turn on your toaster, but Sense sees this as your coffee pot? This is another scenario that you should label as “Device Is Not On.” So keep an eye on how Sense is identifying devices in your home, and help us make Sense more accurate.
Help Train Sense
We have introduced a variety of features that take advantage of user input to help improve device detection in your home and for the entire userbase.
- Network Identification allows Sense to see some of the simple “handshake” messages put out by your networked devices.
- Integrations with smart bulbs from Philips Hue and smart plugs from TP-Link Kasa and Belkin Wemo will net you instant detections for connected devices and provides great data to the Data Science team.
- Renaming your devices, supplying the make/model, taking advantage of the Community Names feature, and filling out your Home Details feeds the Data Science team great data that improves detection for everybody.
- When Sense finds a device, but you’re finding the detections to be inaccurate, you can report it as “not on.” This feeds our Data Science team valuable information so they can continue to refine the detection model.
Remember, even without native detections, you can still take advantage of Sense insights. The Power Meter is a fantastic tool that provides a real-time view of your energy consumption. Try turning on and off your devices while watching in the Power Meter, to identify how much they consume. You can do the same for the “Always On” devices in your home, identifying how much they’re costing you every day.
All these other data sources help build out a robust database of device signatures that will help the Sense technology grow and improve!
