If you prefer a quick solution, smart plugs are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform some of the electronics you already own into smarter, connected ones. Investing in smart home devices can certainly make life around the house easier, but the cost of each individual device can quickly add up. If I had several lights, I'd need to call the TV light out by name for her to understand and flick the right switch.We updated this article in February 2023 to confirm all products tested and vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute were in stock, available and reflected accurate pricing. Had I installed a dimmable light, I could asked Alexa to "lower to 60 percent", for example, and the same goes for lights of different colors and temperature "Alexa, make the kitchen light cooler" or "Alexa, switch the bedroom light to orange."īecause I only have one light hooked up to Alexa for now, I don't need to be any more specific with my request. TV backlight controlled by Alexa, thanks to a $30 plug GearBrain Alexa often says "okay" after switching it on but, strangely, she sometimes doesn't say anything at all. Now I can say "Alexa, turn the light on" and it switches on a moment later. With that enabled (and the Echo Dot sharing the same Wi-Fi network as my iPhone and the Smart Plug), the two devices see each other and are ready to work together. This, as with other third-party Alexa commands, means heading to the Alexa app and downloading the free TP-Link Kasa skill. Your iron, air conditioning unit, heater and fan - as long as they work when switched on at the plug - can be made smart for $30. ![]() But remember, this is a simple and affordable way to make almost anything smart. I've focused on controlling lights here, as I think that'd be the plug's most common application. I could even schedule the light to come on each evening while on holiday to make it look like the house is occupied and deter burglars. ![]() I now have a cool-looking TV backlight made from a previously unused lamp and $2 bulb, controlled remotely via my iPhone. With additional Smart Plugs, I could assign several more lights to the same scene - perhaps others around the room which would turn off when the TV backlight switches on, for example. I then created a scene in the Kasa app called Movie Night, which when activated with a tap turns the plug, and my improvised TV backlight, on. Because I attached a small lamp to the plug, for creating a soft, warm backlight for my TV, I called the plug TV Light. You can then give the plug a name (usually based on the device you plan to control) and either switch it on and off in isolation, or assign it to a 'scene'. Just plug it into a vacant power socket, install and run TP-Link's Kasa app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device, pick the plug from a list of products, and let the app introduce it to your Wi-Fi network. ![]() The result is essentially a plug which can be switched on or off via your smartphone from across the room, or across the globe. The TP-Link, like others on the market, makes anything smart by connecting it to the power and your Wi-Fi network.
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