As many of you know I am a fan of big, commercial espresso machines. The machine I use every day is a Francesconi one-group with a big boiler and a 3kw heater. Because of the amount of power it takes and for safety reasons I don't really like to leave the machine on 24/7 when I am not at home. I had a small remote-controlled socket that allowed me to turn the machine on and off from other rooms in the house, but not when I was away.
What I wanted was a possibility to turn the machine on (or off) when underway. That way, when returning from a shopping trip, the doctor, etc. I could turn the machine on half an hour ahead of time and it would be hot and ready for use when I got home. I guess it sounds silly, but that's the way I am.
A few months ago I stumbled over a company called Energenie and discovered that they sell ethernet controlled sockets that can be controlled world-wide via the Internet. Since I had recently caved in to buying a smartphone it made sense and I bought one of these units. With it I can turn on or off the espresso machine in the kitchen from anywhere in the world as long as I have a GSM of Internet connection. The unit is inexpensive, comes with apps for IOS and Android and has a built-in web server so that it can also be controlled from any browser. The Android app is rather flakey so I use Chrome and access the web server to control the sockets. The unit I bought has 4 controllable sockets, but there are also individual ones available (there is dealership in the UK, btw). The unit is connected to my house ethernet network via a so-called "Powerline adapter." Wireless Lan is also available.
The pictures below tell the story.