Picking a virtual assistant

I could write several articles about the pros and cons of Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, but it really comes down to personal preference and whether you are already invested in one of them.

I am an Amazon Prime member and already had an Echo Dot smart speaker in my living room, so that’s the system I went with.  If you have Google Home, then go with that.

If you are on the fence, I would suggest Amazon.  The echo is a great smart speaker, or the dot is small budget friendly option.  If you want to expand later and add video cameras or a video doorbell like the Ring, then Amazon also offers the Echo Spot and Show that can display video too.  Plus, there are more products from 3^rd parties coming out every day that have Alexa built in.

Setting up a Smart Plug

If you search google or amazon for smart plugs you will quickly be overwhelmed by all the options.  Picking one plug over the others is tough if you are just getting started.  There are 3 main communication protocols that most plugs use WiFi, Z-Wave, Zigbee. There are also a few other proprietary systems out, but we won’t worry about them here.

If you choose a WiFi plug like the TP-Link plugs I’m using, you don’t need a smart home hub to make everything communicate.  If you don’t even know what a smart home hub is and want to learn more about them, you can check out this article I wrote.

Now back to WiFi plugs, they do have 1 down side.  This type of plug communicates to your virtual assistant through the cloud.  This means if your internet goes down, the only way to turn the plugs on and off is press the power button on each plug.

I mentioned that I am using the TP-Link HS100 WiFi Smart Plugs.  These are compatible with Alexa and Google Home.  Many of the smaller or cheaper smart plugs have low power ratings, but the HS100 plugs are rated for 15 amps.  This is important if you are using them to connect a lot of Christmas lights like I am.  You don’t want a cheap plug that is going to overheat and turn off, or worse fail because of a high load.

Another plus for the HS100 plugs is that they are made by TP-Link.  If you are purchasing a cloud-based product you want one that has an established company behind it.  You may find a great deal on a plug, but if the company goes under and the servers are gone, then all you have is a paper weight that looks like a plug.

Here is a link to check out the TP-Link Plugs on Amazon.

If you want to get a little fancier you could upgrade to the HS110, these are basically the same plug, but they add energy monitoring.  So, if you want to know how much extra energy your Christmas lights are using go for the HS110.

Can you use a smart plug outside?

Both smart plugs controlling my Christmas lights are outside, but they are protected.  One is on the front porch and the other is inside an electrical box with a cover.

If you need a weather proof switch that you can put in a harsher environment, then iHome makes a plug for you.  The iHome iSP100 is rated for 15 amps so it should have no problem with Christmas lights and is completely weatherproof.  Like TP-Link, iHome has been around for a while so you should be able to count on it for years to come.

Setting up your smart plug

Each plug will have a slightly different setup, but they all follow the same basic steps.

1. Install an app on your phone and create an account
2. Plug the device into an outlet
3. Find the device in the app, name it and link it to your WiFi network

Each app will have different options for controlling or scheduling the plugs.  You may not even need to link the plugs to a virtual assistant if you just want the lights to work on a schedule without voice control or integration with other devices.  The video earlier in the article shows how I setup the HS100 switches with the TP-Link Kasa app.

Linking the plugs to your virtual assistant

This is one of the easiest steps.  Just link your smart plug account with the virtual assistant from within the app.  For Alexa go to skills and search for the manufacturer of your plug.  For Google Home go to the Smart Home screen and press the add button.

Adding Automatic (Scheduled) control of your Christmas Lights

With the plugs linked to your virtual assistant the last step is to add a schedule or routine to turn them on and off at a desired time.  For me, this is one of my favorite features.  With my lights scheduled I don’t have to worry about turning them on and off If I’m away from home.

Click here for another article I wrote all about using Alexa to schedule you lights

Or the video earlier in this article shows how I setup a routine in the Alexa App.