Same Wi-Fi
Phone and plug on one home network. Guest Wi-Fi or a different band usually fails.
Plug install
Set up the Shelly plug
This is the part that makes PowerPlay real. The app counts steps. The plug is the referee. About ten minutes, no tools.
Already have a Fitbit, Galaxy Watch, or Garmin? Skip to watch setup
01
Buy a Shelly US plug
Use a Shelly Wi-Fi plug made for US wall outlets. One plug runs one screen. If the TV and the Xbox are on two different outlets, you can add a second or third plug later — PowerPlay can drive up to three at once.
Buy a Shelly US plug02
Plug it into the wall
Put the Shelly in the wall outlet behind the TV or console. Then plug the TV, Xbox, or PC power cord into the Shelly — not back into the wall. You are not opening the wall. You are not hiring an electrician.
03
Put the plug on home Wi-Fi
Install the free Shelly Smart Control app. Add the new device and connect it to your 2.4 GHz home Wi-Fi. The kid’s phone and the plug must sit on the same network so PowerPlay can turn the outlet on and off.
Get the Shelly app04
Copy the plug’s IP address
In the Shelly app, open the device and find its local IP — a number like 192.168.1.45. That is how PowerPlay talks to the plug on your Wi-Fi. You do not need a cloud hub.
05
Paste it in PowerPlay
Open PowerPlay, tap Parents, enter the parent password, and put the IP in the first plug field. Save. Tap Turn Power ON and OFF once to confirm the TV or console actually switches. Add a second or third IP if you have more screens.
06
Keep the plug out of reach
The US Shelly plug has no software button lock — Shelly confirmed that. Kids can press the button on the plug to turn power on. Put it behind the TV, on a high outlet, or in an outlet lock box so they cannot press it or unplug the cord.
Watch & Fitbit
Connect a watch
Live now on Android. Fitbit, Samsung Health, and Garmin share today’s steps through Health Connect. Apple Watch is iPhone-only and still on the roadmap.
01
Install Health Connect
On the kid’s Android phone, install Google Health Connect from Play Store if it is not already there. This is the bridge between Fitbit, Samsung Health, Garmin, and PowerPlay.
Get Health Connect02
Share steps from the watch app
Open Fitbit, Samsung Health, or Garmin Connect on that same phone. Turn on sharing Steps to Health Connect. If the watch app never shares, PowerPlay has nothing to read.
03
Pick Watch in PowerPlay
Open PowerPlay → Parents (lock) → enter the PIN → Where steps come from. Choose Watch / Fitbit / Samsung, or Auto if you want the higher of phone vs watch. Save. Phone and watch numbers are never added together, so one walk cannot count twice.
04
Allow Steps for PowerPlay
When Health Connect asks, allow PowerPlay to read Steps. You can also open Health Connect → App permissions → PowerPlay and turn Steps on. Home should then say “From watch / Fitbit / Samsung.”
Before you hand them the phone
Parent password
Kids never see the IP fields. Default password is 1234 until you change it.
Phone or watch
Phone only needs the phone to move. Watch mode needs Health Connect sharing. Auto keeps the higher number — it never adds both.
No wall workaround
If they can reach a free outlet, they can skip the whole system. Hide spare sockets near the TV.
Stuck on the IP or the Wi-Fi step? The Setup tab inside the app repeats this list, and you can always open the Shelly device page again to copy the address.