FAQ

No, not at all! The $59 cost is a one-time investment for the GFI Notify App which includes two free smart plugs. This is also true for any additional smartplugs you purchase for $24 to be monitored. There are no ongoing monthly fees. Our excellent GFI Notify software on our website does all the monitoring on a 24/7 basis.

A few ways a GFI outlet may fail are: having an overloaded circuit or ground fault occurrence, conductive dust or debris, worn out insulation on electrical wires, or having moisture in the receptacle box or a close lightning storm.

Yes, you can set up the SmartPlug in any convenient electrical outlet before you eventually plug it into any circuit you want to monitor. The initial set-up requires you to see flashing lights on the plug. Do this where you are comfortable.

Yes, your first WiFi SmartPlug is used to monitor a GFI circuit. The 2nd included SmartPlug is plugged into a non-GFI outlet. With both plugs, GFI Notify will notify you if just a GFI outlet has tripped or if your entire house has lost power. You can also order additional SmartPlugs at an excellent price. These additional plugs can be used for everyday “smart home” purposes; they are NOT monitored by GFI notify

When the smart plugs are installed, in the process, you are able to name the location of each plug. For example, “GFI garage” or “GFI sump pump” or “Living Room”. Therefore, the plug’s given name is attached to any power outage notification (and restoration). You can change the name at any time in the GFI Notify setup screen. Go to SmartPlug Notifications. Click in the box under Device Name; delete the existing name and type in the new one. The new names will be automatically saved.

We cannot guarantee the proper functioning of the GFI Notify detection and notification system if you use your own plug. We have rigorously tested the SmartPlugs that we are providing with your order. We are confident that they will do the job they’re intended to do on a consistent basis. We are providing additional plugs, as an option, at an excellent price. Additional plugs that you need monitoring for must be licenced by GFI Notify.

All smartplugs that you want to monitor require a license.  The first two smartplugs that come free with the purchase of the GFI Notify App are automatically licensed. Any additional circuit that you want to monitor must also be licensed for a one-time charge of only $24 each which includes a smartplug . As with the first two free smartplugs, all monitoring is done on a 24/7/365 basis.

After placing your order, you will receive your SmartPlugs by First Class mail. You first install the SmartPlugs according to the enclosed manufacturer’s directions. Next, you log back in to this website to complete the installation following the provided steps. We provide very detailed instructions every step of the way, including excellent YouTube tutorial videos.

Yes, this is another important benefit of GFI Notify that is included with your purchase. GFI Notify’s server will let you know of that whole house power loss generally within 6 minutes, even if there is a loss of your wifi signal. We intentionally wait 6 minutes to avoid false alarms as much as possible such as would occur with a router reboot. And, GFI Notify’s server will also inform you when power to your entire house is restored.

Yes, you can plug any device into the SmartPlug that draws up to 12 amps of current. However, because there are so many other open outlets that are available in series with the GFI outlet, we do not recommend plugging in a freezer or refrigerator into the SmartPlug outlet itself.  You can certainly plug your monitored device, like a vending machine, directly into the smartplug if you neeed to occasionally reboot it from a remote location.

The free SmartPlug that you will use along with the GFI Notify App to notify you when your GFI outlet trips can be plugged into any electrical outlet that is in series with the GFI outlet that you want to monitor. Generally, there can be up to 7 electrical outlets in series “downstream” from this GFI outlet.

You will receive a total of 6 in 20 minute intervals up to 1 hour. You will be able to input up to 3 cell phone numbers and up to 3 email addresses to simultaneously receive those notifications. Of course, if power is restored in the meantime, you will be notified of that once and all notifications will stop

No, and you wouldn’t want to. As you saw on a previous page, a GFI outlet is a sensitive circuit breaker and there are several reasons why a GFI can trip. You would want a trusted person to check things out personally.

In some cases, the GFI can be reset by simply pushing the reset button. If it keeps tripping, there could be a more serious problem.

If you have a freezer or refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet on a GFI circuit, we suggest that you keep a long extension cord available so that, if the GFI cannot be simply reset, at least your freezer or refrigerator (or other critical device) can be plugged into a live outlet elsewhere until you will be available to deal with the problem that is causing the tripping.

Remember that two SmartPlugs are free and come with your order. The first SmartPlug should be plugged into the GFI circuit that you want to monitor where you have a freezer or refrigerator or other crucial device plugged in.

A SmartPlug can be plugged into any circuit that you want to monitor.  The GFI Notify App will monitor all licensed SmartPlugs acquired from GFI Notify to give you excellent information.

For example, if you receive a notification that power has been lost to the entire house has been lost, you can conclude that a particluar GFI did not trip. When power is restored to the entire house, the appropriate message will be sent.  If, on the other hand, a SmartPlug monitoringa GFI circuit reports a power loss,  you can conclude that only that GFI outlet has tripped and you need to take remedial action.

You may also want to purchase additional SmartPlugs to monitor all critical GFI circuits you may have in your home or business. Many homes have sump pumps and swimming pool pumps plugged into GFI circuits. Note: Our SmartPlug is suitable for outdoor usage as long as it is covered. One GFI Notify App will monitor each and every licensed SmartPlug on the premises linked to it.

When you purchase the GFI Notify App which comes with TWO FREE SmartPlugs, you are buying a license for a one-time installation for your own use. Please note that the GFI Notify App settings allow you to establish up to three cell phone numbers and up to three email addresses that will be notified when power is lost and restored. If you need to monitor more than 2  circuits, you can purchase additional licenses for a one-time charge of just $24 each which includes the smartplug.

Yes. That can happen if your Internet service is not working. You must have a wifi signal on the premises for GFI Notify to function properly. If not, you will receive a notification that the monitored SmartPlugs have lost power. When the Internet service is restored, you will receive a notification that power to the monitored SmartPlugs have been restored. We have attempted to minimize such false alarms by intentionally not reporting a power outage by checking the plugs’ status for up to 6 minutes. This should be adequate time if you desire to reboot your router or modem, for example. That rebooting results in a temporary loss of your wifi signal.

Remember that the smart plug can be plugged into any open electrical outlet that is in series with the GFI outlet you want to monitor. So, the first thing to try would be to use an outlet that is closer to your router, the source of your wifi signal. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you need to buy a wireless signal booster. There are other steps you can take first. Please refer to one of our blog postings.

We recommend that you do a test about once every three months for each plug you are monitoring. The only test that actually simulates a power loss at the circuit or outlet is to physically unplug the smart plug. You should receive the notifications within 6 minutes. If there are others on your notification list, be sure to let them know that you will be conducting a test or temporarily remove their contact information.

Yes, you can. The other locations must have wifi. You simply install the smart plugs under the same Meross account you set up at your home. At the new location, you will use the User Name and Password for that location’s router.  All of your installed plugs will appear in your GFI Notify account. Any additional smartplugs to be monitored, after the first two free plugs, must be licensed for $24 each including the smartplug.

Our webserver tries to ping the plugs 3 times over a period of about 6 minutes. If the plugs are not reachable after the 3rd attempt, GFI Notify will send notifications that the whole house has lost power. So, if your wifi is down, the plugs will be unreachable. At this point, we are not able to distinguish between the loss of wifi by itself and a true whole house power loss due to problem with your local power company. A power restored message is sent when either the wifi comes back on or when your local power company restores power.

All monitored smartplugs must be licensed for notifications to be sent.  As shown below in the Devices section, the Status icon for that plug will change color from green to a dark red. That means that the power to that plug is out and notifications will be sent.  Note: it takes from 30 to 45 seconds after unplugging to see the status change. (Refresh your screen).

Yes, you will. Some of our “competetors” require a continuous wifi signal. With GFI Notify, our server is always looking for the monitored smartplugs to ping. If the plugs are unreachable due to the loss of your wifi signal, you will receive a message that the entire house has lost power (if you have at least 2 plugs installed).  We try to avoid false alarms by purposely waiting for 3 unreachable attempts before sending out the power out message. You will also receive a power restored message when the router comes back online.