Amazon has announced a new Alexa device called the Smart Plug. The smart plug allows you to control whatever is plugged into it using the Alexa digital assistant. The plug does not have microphones built into it so you will have to control Alexa using a compatible device. After it is set up, then you can control it while you are away from the house using the Alexa app as well.
There are a number of Alexa-compatible smart plugs that are on the market already, but having one made by Amazon may be more reliable.
The Amazon Smart Plug has a “Frustration Free Setup,” which is the first device to ship with the new Wi-Fi Simple Setup. This is an automatic setup process that is built into Echo devices. And Amazon is partnering with Wi-Fi router manufacturers TP-Link and Eero to support the “Frustration Free Setup.”
Photo: Amazon
In a demo, Amazon had someone say “Alexa, name the first plug Bedroom Light.” After Alexa did so, that person asked Alexa to “turn the bedroom light on.” The bedroom light turning on demonstrated how easy it is.
“As we thought about the ways that a home should get smarter, we took a step back to think about how humans get smarter,” said Amazon in its announcement. “Human beings are naturally inquisitive, and we’re able to connect dots. Our brains are interesting that way. And, it’s how we get things like intuition or hunches.”
Amazon also pointed out that it took more than three years to reach 4,000 Alexa-compatible devices. And then that number quintupled since the beginning of 2018.
Now there are more than 20,000 Alexa-compatible smart home devices from over 3,500 brands. This was made possible as the Alexa team invented new capabilities in its smart home APIs.
The Amazon Smart Plug has a retail price of $25. And the device will start shipping next month.
