The use of smart technology has become so much popular that every single person is looking to find new ways to make their life much more convenient. The word smart defines the use of technology in such a way that it provides comfort to humans. Smart switches can control one of the house’s basic elements, smart light. But if you don’t have them, you can opt for an Alexa voice control device. Alexa is an echo device from Amazon which works with the human voice. As you give the command, Alexa will follow it. But this is not that simple. You need to connect the device you want to control with Alexa.
Moreover, the main function of Alexa is to play music or tell about the condition of the weather. Using smart light with Alexa is another way to determine how far this device can work. Imagine when you’re coming inside the house, and the lights will turn on just by your voice within seconds. The lights can be switched on or off easily within Alexa. The main thing required is the internet connection and mobile application, which will be used to set up Alexa with light.
What are the things required to control smart light?
If you want to connect a light where Alexa, then there or a few things needed, which are mentioned below:
- Smart plug
- Alexa device
- Smart light
- Smart Switch
- Mobile phone
You must have the most recent Alexa app version to operate a light. All the things mentioned above or compatible with the Alexa voice controller. Whether you want to control the light or switch, users need to give commands to Alexa. Various smart bulbs are compatible with Alexa, such as LIFX bulbs and Philips Hue. The smart light is always preferred over others because it is reliable and gives a high-quality performance, providing multiple features. The device comes in colors, including White, black, pink, and many more. There are other different bright colors that can be used to give good quality white light.
How does the smart light work with Alexa?
Alexa can work with the smart light by communicating through commands. The only thing which is needed is a good Wi-Fi connection. It means you want to require anything special to connect the smart light. There is no need to purchase any wire or call the technician to connect both devices. This can be done easily through mobile phones. The required things include Amazon echo, an internet connection, and good compatibility with smart lights. Once you complete the setup, then you need to download the mobile app for Alexa.
The Alexa app contains all the information needed to connect the echo device to your home Internet connection. Both the devices, which are Smart light and Alexa, will connect with the same internet connection. This way, the Alexa app can sync the smart lighting with the Alexa device. Once you connect Alexa with smart lighting, you need to learn the entire list of commands to control smart lighting with Alexa. Below we have provided a list of common phrases that can be used.
- Alexa, please turn on (name of light)
- Alexa switched off the (name of light)
- Alexa turn all the lights green
- Alexa makes the room cooler or warmer
- Alexa set the brightness up to 10%
- Alexa dims all the lights
- Alexa, turn off the light
What exactly are smart bulbs?
Smart light bulbs are becoming popular nowadays, and it is among the simplest thing you can add to your real house and make it smart. If you don’t know how the smart bulb works, you can purchase one bulb from the market and use it as one of the lamps. You will find that they looked beautiful and were much easier to handle than the other normal LED bulbs. They are the perfect addition to the house. The smart light is the cheapest to make an ordinary house smart. At the same time, you will find out that adding more and more light will bring much more natural color to your house, as these are available in different colors.
The smart bulbs are not meant to be used as night lights. They can also work as regular lights. There is an option for ambient mode, which can change the light color. If we talk about the light produced by the bulb, then they have an inbuilt dimmer that can be used to adjust the level of brightness as per required. But with all these lucrative features, there come certain drawbacks or disadvantages. You have to turn on the light every time to use it. If they have kids in your house, then there are chances that they will try to have fun with light switches which can make many bulb revert to basic setup mode if the light is flickered many times.
Connect the Smart Light to Alexa
Before starting the setup process, ensure that the smart lights are compatible with Amazon Alexa. After that, only initiate the process of installation of the bulb as per directed by the manufacturer. Now you need to provide the name of the bulb. Usually, it means screwing up the light with a working outlet. You can try different devices before connecting the bulb to the outlet. Now follow the given steps to connect the Alexa and smart light;
- Download the Alexa app from either the Google play store or App Store for iOS devices.
- Next, open the downloaded Alexa application on your smartphone.
- Select the device option from their choose all the devices.
- By choosing the option of all devices. The Alexa will look around to check what all compatible devices are available in the range. Once the device finds nearby compatible devices, it will make a list.
- Scroll down and look for the option of Smart light, which you named earlier. The option of smart light will look like a bulb option. Your name will be assigned to it, which you have already given. This will help you to identify the smart bulb.
- Tap on the option of connecting to make the Alexa device connect with smart lights.
What is context-aware lighting?
It is a feature of Alexa which makes the light on in whichever room you want. You need to add sounds and simple commands. Such as Alexa switching the light on. If you are using the context lighting feature, then there is no need to mention which overhead light you wish to switch on. Amazon Echo is the only device you need to set up the context Lighting feature. Once you have it, you need to make the light group that can make all smart lights turn on by giving only one command. Once the device is set up, you can start giving the command for whatever you want to do with your smart light. You can make a good mix of smart lights with speakers. The feature of making a group is an amazing option as with this it’s easier to operate all the lights work together. Below are the steps which you can follow to make a light group.
- Open the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone. Navigate through the app and choose the option of Devices.
- Tap the option of the + sign, which is present in the top right side
- Select the option of Add group. Provide a name to the group and choose the light name you want to add.
- Choose the option of Alexa and assign the group you have created.
- After completion, save the option.
After completion, you can give the command to Alexa about which group you wish to control. For instance, if you want to turn on the living room lights, you need to say, “Alexa turn the lights of the living room on.”
Moreover, if you want to dim the brightness, Alexa will do it for you, but sometimes it does not dim the light. This happens because sometimes the dimmable option of the smart bulb is allocated to something other than the device.
Does Alexa switch on/off lights to set the schedule?
If you have created a routine, then Alexa will follow it. Just like an alarm clock, you can create multiple routines. For every single light different schedule can be made. You can group that device and control all the smart lights together with a single device if you want. If you like to change the routine, you can use the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Summing Up
If you wish to make your house look stunning and smart, you can add different types of smart devices. One such device is smart lighting. You can control the smart light easily with the help of Alexa. There are only a few simple steps which are needed to be followed to integrate Alexa with Smart light. If you want to control all the lights simultaneously, you can make an Alexa light group from the Alexa app. Apart from this, the smart light can be operated using an automated schedule. If you want to bring a sound change, the ambient sound mode is available, which will switch the light color.
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