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Cheap, fast and under the control of Alexa
Yes You have always dreamed of turning on the lights screaming at the wall, Amazon has a product for you. The Amazon Smart Plug ($ 24.99) is a compact dongle that plugs into an existing outlet in your home or office. Any light, appliance, or other device you connect to the dongle can be controlled using Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant (and just Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant, more on that below).
You want to modernize an existinggram desk lamp so you can control it with your voice? Hook the lamp into an Amazon smart plug, plug it into the wall, and follow the setup instructions in the Alexa app on your phone. In about a minute, you’ll be able to control the lamp by name, using the Alexa app on your phone, your Amazon Echo, or any other Alexa-enabled device.
Personally, I use smart plugs for my home office lights. This allows me to perform various types of magic, such as turning them on and off by talking to my Fitbit Sense smartwatch.
At the hardware level, the Amazon Smart Plug probably uses a robust 120-volt relay, connected to a Wifi chip. When it receives a signal from Alexa through your home Wi-Fi network, it turns your device on or off. Relays can control a ton of power: Amazon says its smart plug can handle a current of up to 15A (1,800 watts at 120 volts), which is enough to control high-voltage devices like a coffee maker or window air conditioner.
Beyond voice control, Amazon Smart Plug integrates with other Alexa features, such as Routines. These allow you to perform certain smart household tasks with a timer. I have used smart plugs in combination with a routine to turn off a garden fountain at night and turn it on in the morning.
Whether you consider this as a large amount or evidence of monopolistic behavior (or both) probably depends on your own feelings towards Amazon.
Amazon recommends using Routines and its Alexa Guard feature to turn your lights on and off when you travel (whenever possible again), giving your home an inhabited look. I am planning to use Routines and a hen-proof lamp to keep the chickens in my yard when the days get shorter during winter.
Of course, as with all things Amazon, there is a catch. As Amazon says in the smart plug fine print on its product page, “Amazon Smart Plug is optimized for simple setup and exclusive use with Alexa. Amazon Smart Plug is not compatible with other smart hubs or voice assistants. “
That’s right, this smart plug works well with Amazon, but it won’t work with Google Home, Samsung’s SmartThings, or any other home automation system. This sets it apart from competing devices like TP-Link’s Kasa Plug, which is nearly identical to Amazon’s smart plug in terms of power capacity, price, and looks, but works with most home automation platforms. in the market. In essence, using the Amazon Smart Plug allows you to use the Alexa system to control your smart home.
This is almost certainly deliberate. Smart assistants are fast becoming a staple. There is not much difference between the basic capabilities of a Google Home and an Amazon Echo. Amazon is likely hoping that if you’ve installed a bunch of Amazon smart plugs that only work with your Echo, you’ll keep it and ditch your Google Home the next time you update.
To this end, Amazon often sells its smart plugs at absurd discounts. On Prime Day, I got one for just $ 5.40. Whether you consider this as a large amount or evidence of monopolistic behavior (or both) probably depends on your own feelings towards Amazon. But the exclusive Alexa restriction of the Amazon Smart Plug is something you need to consider before investing in many of the devices.
If you like Alexa and don’t care about interfacing with multiple home automation platforms, the Amazon Smart Plug is a great buy, especially when Amazon offers it at clearance prices. It’s also a perfect option if you’ve never tried home automation before and want to dive into a toe for little money. However, if you’re building a more complex home automation system, the lack of Amazon Smart Plug integrations is likely limiting. In that case, leave the Amazon ecosystem lockdown and buy a Kasa instead.
