I’ve read contradicting information regarding Thirdreality smart plugs. One article said that the plug needs to be turned on for it to act as a repeater. Another said it does not have to be turned on, only plugged in. I believe the latter is the case. Can anyone tell me which is true?
-Thanks
According to the zigbee spec, repeating devices always repeat.
Unless they also provided proof that this device does not follow zigbee spec you read BS. Same goes for zwave.
I would go by the official response you posted from Third Reality support.
I have their model 3RSP019BZ. It’s only on at 7pm - 12am, but even when it’s off all day, it always shows up as a Router in the ZHA Virtualization map.
I think you what was meant on the site you got the information from is that the power have to be on for the outlet the smart plug is connected to.
They were probably not talking about the power output of the plug.
Some sites cater to users that are new to mesh networks and those users might need to be told that mesh repeaters should not be disconnected from power.
Just to confirm all of the above, I have a number of Third Reality smart plugs, and they all act as repeaters, even when the switch part is “off.”
This question usually comes up when talking about smart bulbs, which are often put in a socket which is controlled by a physical switch. Some home outlets are also wired to a switch (like, for a floor lamp.) Again, this would be a problem. That’s probably where the confusion comes in.
you are misunderstanding chatgpt. no device can repeat w/o power and in the gpt responce turned off = no power. That is not how we interact with the devices. As long as a repeating zigbee or zwave has power… plugged in or hard cabled… it has the ability to repeat. As long as the zigbee / zwave repeating device is is paired to a network it knows what to repeat.
If you have a repeating zigbee / zwave device that is not behaving like this… it is faulty. full stop.
We still have to be smarter then AI 
I completely understand, it says plugged in AND turned on though. Two separate actions. I understand how it works and you obviously understand how it works. I’m not sure why you’re not seeing the inaccuracy here.
This should help you see it for yourself. turn the device on/off all you want. you should see it’s still repeating in the UI.
Just a little note.
Mains powered Z-wave devices is required to repeat in the protocol standard and because it is a certified protocol devices will repeat.
Zigbee devices is not a certified protocol and there are some mains powered devices that do not repeat
I explained that I completely understand that it works (after pairing) by just plugging it in. It does not have to be turned on, just plugged in. Read the quote from AI again, it plainly states that it needs to be plugged in AND turned on to act as a repeater. It is obviously wrong.
Let me try again, the incorrect info from ChatGPT, which is what prompted this thread:
It is not shocking that ChatGPT (or any other AI) is wrong or has made something up.
Using AI requires critical thinking skills.
While I welcome our future AI overlords, I think in this case AI is not telling the whole story.
If you happen to have an outlet which is controlled by a wall switch, which used to be common in some places in the US, then that switch needs to be turned on for the smart plug to work as a repeater. Same as if it were a smart bulb in a switched light fixture.
At least until it totally takes over, you might be wise to avoid taking everything AI says as factual.
Uh, I don’t take everything AI says was factual. Which was the reason for this post to begin with, and why I confirmed the facts with Thirdreality support. (See previous post).
Just a guess, that text was written by someone in the UK where they have a switch on every outlet?
No, it says it needs to be turned on at the receptacle.
That means the plug input, not the output.
In the US, that means any wall switches controlling the outlet need to be on so the plug is provided with power.
In other countries, there are switches built into the plug receptacle which do the same thing. Google “UK power socket” & you’ll understand what the AI is trying to tell you.
Quoting an LLM to help others is much frowned upon…
Agreed to the above. And waste of time.
And, Bernie, there should not be any “contradicting information” to begin with. You said it yourself - you do not (and should not) believe ChatGPT for any factual statement.
When in doubt, you could have just dismiss what ChatGPT said and go what the product support email. There is nothing to be confused by / nothing needs to be clarified here.
I didn’t, that’s why I sent email to Thirdreality support who clarified the issue. See my previous post.
