Leaving index plugged in?

[Ace-Educator]

Hi all! Just got my index (whoop) and was wondering, is it safe to keep it plugged in? Or should I disconnect it via safety breakaway point when not in use?

[--ranXerox--]

i would avoid splitting it from the breakaway point as this might wear it down over time. I leave mines plugged in and when it doesn't register as a device in windows, i re plug the power connection.

[BOLL]

Same here, I power cycle with the power adapter, currently removing it from the power strip, but I plan to have it on a smart switch so no physical disconnect is needed.

[Ace-Educator]

So leaving it in plugged in is fine?

By smart switch you mean turn off the surge protector and on back again? That'd be annoying for me since other stuff is plugged into the protector. Or do you mean unplug the power cord to the vr headset every so often?

[Ace-Educator]

Also, the front of the headset is pretty hot for something that is "off"

[Flashgod_VR]

I always remove the power connection when it's not in use.

[BOLL]

@Ace smart plug, something something, the ones you can control from a voice assistant basically :P Another option is a master-slave power strip, which I have for my PC, it turns off all other sockets when my PC powers down, might use that too.

For me leaving the headset plugged in will have it not getting identified by the system after a day or so, not sure what's up with that, but to fix that I need to power cycle it. So powering it down between sessions is likely not a bad idea.

[Mio Rin]

Originally posted by Ace Educator:

Also, the front of the headset is pretty hot for something that is "off"

The heating is intentional, to prevent the lenses from fogging up.

[lokiss88]

It's more a case of having to unplug mine at the power cable.

My computer won't stay in sleep mode with it connected, and if you power down completely, it doesn't detect on a 108.

Left the old vive constantly powered up for 3 years without a hitch.

[Your Grandma]

Like Boll, I use a smart plug. To turn my headset on and off, I say "Alexa, turn on/off my headset" Works beautifully. No more crawling under the desk.

[Dicehunter]

As others have said, Smart plug is the way to go, Not super cheap but worth it.

[Mx_Echo]

I’ve considered using smart plugs since my whole room is hooked up to google home and Philips hue lights. Any recommendations on smart plugs? Apart of me wants to go with Philips hue but they’re vastly more expensive than some other brands. Any recommendations?

Have you had any issues with accidentally turning it off while playing via voice commands?

And mine gets too warm when leaving it on. If I plan on using mine, I turn it on 15-30 min before I’m ready to jump in and just give it a wipe down for the fog. Works fine for me.

[XtremeDeformitY]

Originally posted by Mx_Echo:

Any recommendations on smart plugs? Apart of me wants to go with Philips hue but they’re vastly more expensive than some other brands. Any recommendations?

I'm using IKEAs lights and smart plugs with my Google Home setup. Just a few devices at the moment, but they work pretty well.

[Chimp Factory [M04]]

Just use a Power bar with switch; these 'smart' devices are a drain of time and money to set up/troubleshoot for saving a quarter second on shutdown?

When I go pick up or put down the headset I arranged the switch a few decimetres away from where I store it. I just spend a extra quarter second to hit the switch on a less than 10 USD switch that took a minute to set up and powers down the headset and base station.

[Lank]

Originally posted by Chimp Factory M04:

Just use a Power bar with switch; these 'smart' devices are a drain of time and money to set up/troubleshoot for saving a quarter second on shutdown?

When I go pick up or put down the headset I arranged the switch a few decimetres away from where I store it. I just spend a extra quarter second to hit the switch on a less than 10 USD switch that took a minute to set up and powers down the headset and base station.

ok so i'm a future owner of a Valve Index and would like to know how does it work. I understand the fact that you plug the power cord of the base stations on the power bar but how does the headset turns off ?

[Chimp Factory [M04]]

Originally posted by 🌌Lank:

ok so i'm a future owner of a Valve Index and would like to know how does it work. I understand the fact that you plug the power cord of the base stations on the power bar but how does the headset turns off ?

Headset require 1 power input like the base stations.
When turning on, it needs power then the prompt from Steam VR. It will make all devices communicate with each other [Stations,Headset,Controllers] and will be ready to go. I do tend to turn on controllers after booting up the Headset and stations when game is loaded.

When steam VR is turned off in headset or otherwise the headset will power down.

For my setup I turn the power bar on/off just for Headset and station and have the switch within less than an arms reach of where I store headset and controllers; so I hit the switch, turn on steam VR and put headset on. When done I go in the in VR menu to turn VR off, and headset + steam VR is turned off, and I go place the headset down and hit the switch to turn off.

TLDR: Headset is powered down when steam VR is off; its just the way I do it. Never had to mess about with standby or sleep states.