The other day I received an email from a client whose cable box wasn’t working. It turns out the cable box just needed a restart. Restarting cable boxes and other electronic gear is a common part of our modern world – from the most simple self-installed TV system up to mega smart homes. But what can you do to help people who aren’t comfortable with technology? You can use remote power management.
Please unplug your cable box
When you phone your cable or internet provider with an issue, the first thing they 
ask you to do is unplug and replug your devices. This is because resetting a device fixes the vast majority of issues. Since your cable provider isn’t sending your cable box to the moon, its just more economical (and therefore affordable for us consumers) to build cable boxes that aren’t nearly invincible. So, they need to be restarted from time to time.
I’ve restarted your cable box
To help my client, I restarted his cable box from my smartphone. I did this using a remote power management device. Within a few minutes his system was recovered, and he was able to watch TV. My client called me “a miracle worker!”, but I wouldn’t have been able to do this without remote power management.
Remote power management
Remote power management devices are basically really smart power bars. We recommend remote power management devices to clients who aren’t 
very comfortable with technology or just want to have more support available. Remote power management devices, such as WattBox and BlueBOLT, allow restarting individual power outlets. We can also schedule proactive restarts in the middle of the night for trouble devices like cable boxes. Depending on the smart power device, they can also offer auto reboot, surge protection, power conditioning, and energy monitoring. If clients are fairly tech savvy and comfortable with it, we can even configure a smart phone app to allow them to restart common devices like that tricky cable box. This way they can correct issues on their schedule.
It may not be a matter of life or death, but getting someone’s home tech back up and running quickly is pretty sweet. Everyone wins when this can be done without scheduling the cable company or a costly visit. Some clients can even have this support as part of a service plan. Remote power management can be part of great home tech solutions to simplify technology in your home.