Do you already have a balcony power station or are you planning one – and want more than just generating electricity? Then take a look at the EcoFlow STREAM series. This storage solution is not only powerful but also amazingly flexible: It can be combined with well-known smart home systems like Shelly , Tibber, or Tapo , becoming the centerpiece of your intelligent energy management.
What does this mean in concrete terms? You can actively manage your electricity consumption, set up automations that react to electricity prices or solar yield, and keep track of how much energy you're currently generating or consuming at any time. This article explains how this works, which devices are compatible, and how to proceed step by step.
Interfaces & Standards: How EcoFlow STREAM communicates
EcoFlow STREAM supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connecting to your home network and mobile devices. It's controlled via the user-friendly EcoFlow app, where you can monitor all energy flows, storage levels, and charging processes in real time.
Furthermore, EcoFlow STREAM is compatible with third-party services such as Tibber, Shelly, and Tapo via defined interfaces and protocols. This integration allows you to automate and fine-tune your electricity usage to a new level.
Requirements
To successfully integrate EcoFlow STREAM into your smart home, you should meet a few basic requirements:
- Stable Wi-Fi connection: A functioning internet connection is essential, as both the EcoFlow app and third-party services rely on constant online communication.
- EcoFlow App (iOS or Android): The app serves as a central control and monitoring hub for your energy management. It is required to set up the STREAM system, retrieve real-time data, and activate automations.
- Compatible smart home devices: Depending on the services you want to use, you'll need the appropriate hardware. These include, for example, the Shelly 3EM for consumption analysis or Tapo Smart Plugs for device control.
- Account with Tibber, Shelly, or Tapo: To connect the EcoFlow STREAM series with the respective smart home platforms, you must create an account there and activate the integration via the respective app.
Compatible systems & devices at a glance
In addition to the well-known platforms, EcoFlow also offers its own intelligent hardware to expand your system: This includes the EcoFlow Smart Plug, which allows you to control household appliances such as washing machines and coffee makers directly via the EcoFlow app. Furthermore, the EcoFlow Smart Meter provides a precise energy manager that records electricity flows in real time and helps you optimize your self-consumption.
EcoFlow STREAM can be seamlessly integrated with various smart home platforms, allowing you to not only monitor your energy flows but also automate them specifically. Depending on the system, you can benefit from dynamically controlled charging times, precise consumption analysis, or easily configurable scenes for everyday devices. This allows you to use your electricity precisely when it's cheap or plentiful – all without any manual effort.
Here you will find a compact overview of the supported systems:
|
system |
Functions |
Special features |
|
Tibber |
Dynamic electricity tariffs, price optimization |
Ideal for automatic control of storage charging according to electricity price |
|
Shelly |
Real-time consumption measurement, control via cloud or MQTT |
Particularly suitable for visualizing and analyzing power consumption with devices such as Shelly 3EM |
|
Tapo |
Scene control, smart sockets |
Easy to use and ideal for beginners to automate household appliances |
|
EcoFlow Smart Plug |
Device control directly via the EcoFlow app |
Perfect for automated control of devices such as washing machines, coffee machines or lights |
|
EcoFlow Smart Meter |
Real-time energy measurement, consumption optimization |
Precisely measures the power flow between PV, storage and home grid – ideal for maximizing self-consumption |
How the integration works
With the EcoFlow STREAM series, you can seamlessly integrate power usage and control into your everyday life. Imagine your storage system automatically charging when electricity prices are lowest – for example, at night or in the early morning hours. Thanks to its connection to dynamic tariffs, the system recognizes favorable times and intelligently adjusts charging times accordingly. This way, you start your day with a fully charged storage system, without you having to actively intervene.
EcoFlow also offers clear advantages when it comes to household energy consumption. With a suitable energy meter—such as the Shelly 3EM or the EcoFlow Smart Meter—you get detailed insights into which appliances consume how much electricity. Instead of making assumptions, you can see exactly where savings potential lies: Perhaps your old refrigerator is running more efficiently than expected, or you decide to shift energy-intensive processes to times when there's a surplus of electricity.
You have several options for controlling your appliances. This is especially easy with the EcoFlow Smart Plug, which connects directly to the STREAM app. For example, you can specify that the washing machine only runs when your battery is sufficiently charged – or that your lights turn on automatically when the sun goes down.
Tapo also offers a simple way to automate devices. Using smart plugs and the associated app, you can, for example, set your lights to turn on at sunset or your coffee maker to start automatically on weekends. Tapo is a user-friendly solution, especially for beginners, for implementing initial automation in their daily lives.
The interplay of intelligent metering, flexible control, and automated planning not only makes your home more comfortable, but also helps you use electricity where it's most beneficial. All this is tailored to your daily routine, your appliances, and your electricity tariff.
Advantages of smart home integration
Integrating EcoFlow STREAM into your smart home offers numerous benefits:
- Full transparency regarding storage and consumption: You have access to all relevant energy data in real time at any time – whether via the EcoFlow app or integrated devices. This allows you to always keep an eye on how much electricity is being generated, stored, or currently consumed.
- Automatic optimization: The EcoFlow STREAM series uses intelligent algorithms to adjust charging and discharging times based on electricity prices, time of day, or current energy demand. This ensures efficient and targeted operation of your storage system without requiring manual intervention.
- Efficient self-consumption: By combining intelligent metering, smart plugs, and targeted load shifting, you can control your devices so that the electricity generated is used as directly as possible in your own household – for example, by automatically switching on energy-intensive devices when there is a surplus.
- Cost savings: By prioritizing charging during times of low electricity prices and utilizing excess energy, you reduce your grid consumption and thus your electricity costs in the long term. The savings potential is particularly evident when combined with dynamic tariffs like Tibber's.
In short: You use the electricity you generate yourself exactly when it makes the most sense.
Integration step by step
Before you begin setting up, you should make sure that your devices are compatible—such as a Shelly 3EM or Tapo Smart Plugs—and that a stable Wi-Fi connection is available at the installation location.
Then install the EcoFlow app on your smartphone and connect your storage device to the Wi-Fi network. Once the app is ready, you can link your STREAM unit with third-party providers such as Tibber, Shelly, or Tapo. Integration takes place via the respective platform, where you log in and set up automations or scenes.
Finally, we recommend conducting a test run. Observe how your system behaves and, if necessary, adjust thresholds, schedules, or priorities to your liking. This way, you can ensure that all components work together smoothly and that your smart home benefits optimally from the EcoFlow STREAM integration.
With the EcoFlow STREAM series and the matching smart home extensions, you can take your electricity usage to a new level. You can automate, control, and optimize your energy consumption in a targeted and flexible way – thus increasing convenience, control, and cost savings.
Want to get more out of your balcony power plant? We're happy to advise you on the right configuration and help you get started with smart electricity.
