Using Echo or Dot to Control Lights

[MikeyJ]

Greetings.  I've done a bit of reading and I'm not finding answers to questions I have.  Surprisingly, none of my friends own these products, so they're no help.  I'm considering buying an Echo and a Dot.  Among other things, I really want Echo to control my porch light on a daily basis without giving it a daily command.  Is this possible with the right smart switch?  Also, I read that the Echo and Dot do not communicate with each other, but if I was making a To Do list, would they both have a separate list?

[kevb]

A Belkin Wemo switch can be turned on and off with the Echo. You can set up a schedule for the switch in the Wemo app. The Echo cannot control things via a schedule. You should first check that your porch light switch has a neutral wire in the box. Newer wiring should have this, older wiring may not. If the porch light is controlled by three-way switches, your options may be limited.

Your To-do list is saved to your Amazon account. If both the Echo and the Dot are connected to one account, they would have the same list.

[malliekm]

I see that one of the more talented among us has yet to answer your question, so I'll do what I can to help.
I am currently in the process of setting up my first smart plug (TP-Link HS105) to work with my Echo Dots.  It will control a lamp. 

Sidenote: I've read of some people that think they have to have an Echo to have a Dot.  So unless you just want the larger Echo as well as the Dot, you don't HAVE to have Echo.  I have 3 Dots and no Echo.

Yes, it is possible to use your Echo or Dot to set a schedule for your porch light without daily commands.  Without having an Echo, I am 99.5% sure that whatever is on your Echo's To Do list will be in the Dot's and vice versa.  That's the way it works with my 3 Dots.  Now, we only have one Amazon account.  I don't know what it would be like with multiple accounts.  I guess if one device had a different account from the other device, you'd have separate lists.

Another product I'm going to be trying soon is a TP-Link  wifi smart LED light bulb.  It connects to your router like like the plug and iirc you can set it up on a timer as well via your KASA app.  That way you won't have an electrical cord running down your outside wall.  Hummm, you might need to check to see if they are rated for outdoor use.  This is the one I'm considering.  If I were to use it outdoors, my particular set up would have it in a location where it couldn't get wet but you'd still want to call TP-Link

My HS105 mini plug (thanks Mike!) is installed and working with my KASA app.  I just need to introduce it to Alexa
Good luck!


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[malliekm]

Kev's reply sounds a lot more tech savvy than mine

[mike27oct]

Way before the word Alexa was ever uttered (say back in 2001) I solved the auto-porch light problem.  I installed a porch light timer in place of the normal switch.  It is programmable, so we have it come on at dusk and off at dawn.  No commands to give.  We just have to reprogram it's on/off times each quarter to stay in sync with dawn and dusk.  Timer cost us $20 back then.

Check your local big box home improvement store for products.

[malliekm]

Not wanting to pollute the beautiful night skies/stars in the piney woods of east Texas, our outside security lights are motion controlled.  We have no street lights either.  Not to worry, the dogs wouldn't let you get close enough to the house anyway

Mike, I've got the TP-Link Plug Mini set up and working with Alexa!  How much of a lag time after telling her to turn on the lights do you have?  The plug's signal strength is -51 (I haven't installed the extender yet).  Mine is 4 seconds.

[mike27oct]

Monica,

Glad you got the smart plug to work.

Currently, my lights turn on/off in about a second with either Alexa or Kasa.  Sometimes it can take longer -- it must be how quickly the Kasa or Alexa apps communicate with their Mother Ships.  My two plugs show -51 dbm and -48 dbm in their settings in the Kasa app right now; which is fine signal for where they are.  Maybe later in the day yours will speed up; give it a chance.  Your kind of wireless could be having an affect as well.

Be careful how quickly you turn them on and off while testing; I did it too fast at first, and blew a gasket in the Kasa app and had to reset a plug back to defaults and reprogram it!

[jwlv]

Wemo switches have that ability built in. You don't need to use it with Echo. Since sunrise/sunset times can vary by a few hours in the summer vs. the winter, Wemo automatically accounts for this. For example, my porch light is programmed to turn on 30 minutes after sunset, and turn off 2 hours before sunrise. What time it actually does this depends on what time of year it is. But it is accurate. No Echo device needed. But since I do have Echo devices and Wemo is compatible with Echo, I can issue voice commands to turn the porch light on/off early if I desired.

[mike27oct]

Do the wemo switches have a photo cell sensor?  My timer doesn't, anyway it is too dark by the light switch. My light switch turns on three porch overhead floods and three walkway/garage bulbs.

Post link of the wemo switch you are referring to, please.

[renegade600]

Do the wemo switches have a photo cell sensor?  My timer doesn't, anyway it is too dark by the light switch. My light switch turns on three porch overhead floods and three walkway/garage bulbs.

Post link of the wemo switch you are referring to, please.

think it is done via your location through the wemo app.

[jwlv]

Do the wemo switches have a photo cell sensor?  My timer doesn't, anyway it is too dark by the light switch. My light switch turns on three porch overhead floods and three walkway/garage bulbs.

Post link of the wemo switch you are referring to, please.

The Wemo does not have a photo cell sensor. It determines the sunrise & sunset times based on your location, the date, and does some mathematical calculations. For example, Los Angeles and Las Vegas are both in the Pacific Time Zone. But the sunrise and sunset time can differ by as much as 20 minutes. The reason is Las Vegas is about 300 miles east of Los Angeles, so in the morning the sunlight hits Las Vegas several minutes before it hits Los Angeles. Anyway, Wemo has all this figured out. No matter where you are, once you set up your Wemo, it automatically knows when sunrise & sunset times are on any date. And you can further program it so that you can have the switch turn on x minutes (or x hours) before or after that time. You only have to program it once and it will be accurate forever. You don't ever have to use the app again if you don't want to. If you move to a different time zone or factory reset the Wemo Switch, then you'll have to reprogram it with the app.

This is the Wemo Light Switch which replaces a standard light switch. It requires a neutral wire inside the wall. Most houses have this, but not all.
https://www.amazon.com/WeMo-Light-Switch-enabled-Amazon/dp/B00DGEGJ02

This one is the plug-in Wemo Switch. Just about anything that can be plugged into an AC outlet will work with this. There are two other Wemo Switches, but they have been replaced by this newer version.
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Wi-Fi-Enabled-Works-Amazon/dp/B01NBI0A6R

The current price for these Wemos is kind of high right now. They always go on sale eventually. When that happens, I usually buy a few more. I lost count of how many Wemos I have. It integrates so well that I don't have to worry about it and I forget about it. But I think I have about 14 or 15 by now.

Just a note of caution. There are some Wemo products that do not work with Alexa. This includes the Wemo lightbulbs and the Wemo coffee maker. But these have been discontinued anyway.

[MikeyJ]

Thank you all for the replies and great information.  It's pretty exciting learning about all the options available to the general public.  And to think these things have been around for a couple of years make me feel like I've been living under a rock.  Thanks again!

[tuicemen]

Thank you all for the replies and great information.  It's pretty exciting learning about all the options available to the general public.  And to think these things have been around for a couple of years make me feel like I've been living under a rock.  Thanks again!

Not just been around years (for home automated lighting) but decades!

[mike27oct]

Thanks jwlv for all the good info.  It appears the wemo light switch is $50 today.

Since I recently committed to TP Link plugs, I looked into their light switch and it has the same functions of dawn/dusk control as well.  It's price at Amazon is $40. I have downloaded the TP manuals and will peruse them.  My timer switch has worked well over 10 years, so I likely will not replace it with a wi-fi switch.  This is a very important switch at our home, and I really do not want to rely on wi-fi for this or many other important switches. Wi-fi is OK for plugs controlling lamps. but not the porch lights.  I have already had each of my smart plugs once loose wi-fi and not function until I reconnected them to wi-fi.  I have strong 2.4G at the plugs, so not sure what the issue is.  A new neighbor recently connected up internet and is on same channel as I am.  That could be the problem.

[tuicemen]

mike27oct there are several free wi-fi Analyzer apps available which may help determine which is the best channel for your situation. Have you tried any?
I used WiFiAnalyzer here to figure out the best location for my router and best channel.