Last evening, when I returned home it was all dark. I stumbled upon an excavator toy placed near the door. It is my son who left it there before leaving for his evening karate classes. Suddenly, I thought about Alexa and started looking into “how does Alexa turn on lights?”. I discussed all about turning on Alexa lights in this article!
Prerequisites to Turn on Lights with Alexa
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to turn on lights with Alexa:
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Step 1: Make sure you have the following:
An Amazon Echo device
A stable Wi-Fi connection
Step 2: Set up your smart lights.
This will vary depending on the brand of lights you have. For example, if you have Philips Hue lights, you will need to download the Philips Hue app (Android, iOS) and follow the instructions.
Step 3: Link your smart lights to your Alexa account
You can do this in the Alexa app. Open the app and go to Settings > Devices > Add Device > Lights. Select the brand of your smart lights and follow the instructions.
Step 4: Add Lights
Go to the start of the Alexa app. Choose devices
Step 5: Tap plus icon> Then Devices
Step 6: Select add device
Step 7: Choose light
Step 8: Select a brand
Follow on screen instructions.
Turn on your lights with Alexa. Once your smart lights are linked to your Alexa account, you can turn them on by saying a voice command. For example, you could say:
“Alexa, turn on the living room lights.”
“Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights.”
“Alexa, turn on all the lights.”
How Do Smart Lights Run With Alexa?
Smart lights work with Alexa through a simple process of voice control. When a user gives a voice command to Alexa, “Alexa, turn on the living room lights,” Alexa sends a signal to the smart lights to turn them on.
How do smart lights work with Alexa?
Smart lights communicate with Alexa through your WiFi network, eliminating the need for special wiring. An Amazon Echo device, an internet connection, and compatible smart lights are all that’s necessary. After setting up your Echo and smart lights’ apps, they sync over the same WiFi network, allowing control through the Alexa app or voice commands.
What Can Smart Lights Do While Running With Alexa?
Smart lights can do a variety of things, including:
- Turn on and off
- Dim and brighten
- Change colors
- Create scenes (a set of lighting conditions that can be activated with a single voice command)
- Schedules (lights turn on or off at a specific time)
- Routines (a series of actions that are performed with a single voice command, such as turning on the lights, adjusting the thermostat, and playing music)
How Do Smart Lights Operate With Alexa?
Smart lights operate with Alexa through a hub or gateway. The hub or gateway is a device that connects your smart lights to your Wi-Fi network. Once your smart lights are connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can control them with Alexa.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind:
- You can also use Alexa to dim your lights, change their color, or create custom light scenes.
- If you have multiple sets of smart lights, you can create groups so that you can control them all with a single voice command.
- You can also use Alexa to set up routines that turn your lights on and off automatically at certain times of day.
What functionalities do smart lights offer through Alexa?
Beyond basic on/off control, smart lights offer features like dimming, color changing, timers, creating lighting groups, scheduling, and even integrating with motion sensors. Routines can also be established where lights work in tandem with other devices for specific tasks.
How can I control multiple lights simultaneously with Alexa?
By creating an Alexa-enabled light group, you can control multiple lights with one command. For instance, you can group lights on the first floor and say, “Alexa, turn off the first-floor lights.”
Is WiFi needed for Smart Lights With Alexa?
Wi-Fi is not really required for most smart lights (Amazon’s own line of lights includes one without it). You can just as well use this method if you want to connect through an Amazon Echo. Just add the “Alexa” switch to any outlet that is controlled by the Google Home or Philips Hue bulbs and start using it.
Smart bulbs (illustrated below) include Philips Hue, Lightify by Misfit Wearables, and Wink Hub. These devices connect directly to the Wi-Fi network of the router and control various smart home devices in two ways:
• They send commands that automatically turn on lights when they receive them (via Wi-Fi)
• They receive information about what a user wants, via Bluetooth—and then they turn on the lights at their discretion.
Triggers for Alexa to Turn on Lights
Here’s the full list of triggers available:
• Closing curtains/lenses
• Turning on lights all over the house (once)
• Turning off lights in bathrooms (once)
• Turning off lights when sleeping (once)
• Turning off lights at specific times of day (once)
How does alexa turn lights on and off?
Once your smart lights are connected to Alexa, you can control them using voice commands. For example, you can say:
- “Alexa, turn on the living room lights.”
- “Alexa, turn off the bedroom lights.”
- “Alexa, dim the kitchen lights.”
- “Alexa, set the living room lights to red.”
How do I make Alexa turn on lights at a certain time?
To make Alexa turn on lights at a certain time, you can create a routine in the Alexa app. Here are the steps:
- Open the Alexa app and tap the More tab.
- Tap Routines.
- Tap the + icon in the top right corner.
- Enter a name for your routine, such as “Turn on lights at 7am.”
- Tap When this happens, then select Schedule.
- Set the time you want the lights to turn on.
- Tap Repeat and select the days of the week you want the routine to run.
- Tap Add action, then select Smart Home.
- Select the lights you want to turn on.
- Tap Next, then tap Create.
Context-aware lighting
Context-aware lighting is an Alexa feature that allows you to control your lights based on your location. For example, you can say “Alexa, turn on the lights” and Alexa will turn on the lights in the room you are currently in.
You don’t need to specify which lights you want to turn on, as Alexa will use your location to determine which lights to control.