Automation is a Lot of Work

I've been shouting to turn on and off the lights since last summer. And no, I wasn't expecting Jay to do it. I became intrigued by the idea of home automation after buying my first Google Mini smart speaker. The little puck-sized speaker must have proved addictive as, by the end of last summer, I had three. One sits on our refrigerator in the kitchen, another is on my nightstand in the bedroom, and the one that started it all is located in the living room. These act as ordinary assistants answering life's little questions, but now control quite a bit of the apartment's lighting too.

I added smart light bulbs and a 4-pack of outlets. These must be connected to wifi and added to the Google Home app. A regular lamp can be simply turned on or off by saying, "Okay Google, turn on the table lamp," or in conjunction with other lights by requesting that Google, "Turn on the living room lights." I can add to a 'routine' so that when I tell Google "Goodnight," it turns off all the smart lights.

I sort of thought that smart bulbs were a better buy than wall switches as they can be easily moved about. A bulb is better than a simple switch as they can be dimmed by voice. All of my smart bulbs can also change colour. So I can say things like, "Hey Google, make the brightness of the balcony light 90% and make it green."

The only problem with a smart bulb is they must be activated by voice (or app) and the switch must always remain in the 'on' position. There are times when it'd be quicker to actually flick a switch when entering a room. So, I decided to try several wifi wall switches. These work in the traditional manner or by voice. Amazon delivered these today. I will use for the bedroom ceiling light and in the main utility closet.



If I'm pleased with the performance of TP-Link wall switches, I may buy several more especially made for two-way circuits. This would allow me to control the overhead fluorescent lights in the kitchen as well as the hallway lights.