Have you ever considered being able to make coffee using only your voice? The future is a strange and beautiful place that we seem to be heading into more rapidly than ever before in history. Welcome to the twenty-first century, where all you have to do is sit in bed and say, “Alexa, turn on Keurig machine,” and your Smart Plug will happily oblige.
Do Smart Plugs work with Keurig? The answer is yes, and no. The Smart Plug will connect to the automation and electricity charge in your home’s electrical products, such as turning the lights on and off as well as the appliances. However, the Smart Plug does not have the ability to control buttons which require human touch; therefore, it can’t brew the coffee for you.
Yet! Home automation is quickly growing as the most efficient way to interconnect your entire home digitally. This guide will be your one-stop-shop on whatthese Smart Plugs actually are, how they can change your life for the better, and (if you’re ready to make the conversion to home automation), the best brands for your first automated coffeemaker!
What Are Smart Plugs?
A Smart Plug can be defined in the most basic terms as a smarter plug for your outlets.
It looks just like your outlet but plugs in to offer a connected source to your home’s Wi-Fi. These plugs allow you to streamline the connection directly to your smartphone and control your home through the Alexa or other IFTTT tools.
It’s quite impressive, from being able to make a pot of coffee, start dinner when you’re stuck at the office late, and even to secure your home from theft, fires, Carbon Monoxide leaks, or any other danger – all from the portability of your phone.
Not to mention that you have this control over your home from any location in the world, as long asyou can connect to Wi-Fi.
You essentially hold in your hands a remote to the house that can control anything you would use a standard outlet for. They come in a variety of brands, sizes, powers, etc. but they all work to adapt your automation.
They are quite affordable, but I always recommend you read reviews to know if the product is suited to your needs. But anyone creating a smart home project really ought to consider investing in these.
What we have here is truly revolutionary, progressive, and exciting – an app-controlled outlet.
You can get creative with these, and we will offer some unique ideas at the end of this piece, but first, how do you make coffee using these Smart Plugs?
How to Use Your Keurig With a Smart Plug
Some people accidently purchase their Keurig thinking it will brew the coffee for them.
Sadly, technology hasn’t come this far just yet.
When you purchase your Smart Plug with the intention of brewing coffee – keep in mind you can only turn on the machine with the Smart Plug, but you will be responsible for loading the grounds, water, and flipping on the ‘brew’ function. The Smart Plug will turn on your machine but cannot manually control any functions, not even by app.
One forum commenter on the query states that the “only way to make coffee that way is to get an old school coffeemaker that only requires you to turn it on for it to begin the brewing process.”
To connect your Keurig to the Smart Plug for turning on and off, the steps are as follows:
- Before doing anything, quickly look at the Safety Information from Using Smart Devices with Alexa.
- Be sure you have an Echo Dot as the or be sure that your home products are compatible with Alexa.
- Plug in your Smart Plug to your normal coffee outlet.
- Plug in your coffeemaker to that Smart Plug.
- Be sure you are on the same Wi-Fi network for all devices.
- Download the Alexa App.
- Click ‘Add Device.’
- You will be offered classifications of home products. Select under ‘kitchen’ or ‘coffeemakers.’
- Select your Keurig brand then follow the instructions given on-screen.
- Complete the setup for your Smart device using the app or website.
- Once your device is connected, get your coffee ready the night before. This will include filling the water tank and adding the pod/coffee grounds.
- In the morning, simply say, “Alexa, turn on Keurig,” and your machine will turn on and begin warming up for you.
- Then all you’ll have to do is simply click into the ‘on’ function and close the pod slot until you hear the click. Brew as normally.
If you have more questions, Amazon recommends using their Smart Home Forum to find answers to frequently asked questions.
Use this website to explore more ways to utilize smart products in your home.
Alternative Smart Plugs
A few other highly recommended brands to look at include:
- [amazon link=”B06WD6Q8K9″ title=” The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini by TP-Link ” /] – It works with Alexa and Google Assistant, only costs around fifteen dollars, and has nearly 6,000 ratings at an almost perfect 5-star rating. Another bonus that truly ranks this Smart Plug ahead of the competition is that you can schedule times. This means it will automatically turn on your coffee machine, without even requiring a voice command.
One reviewer offers addition insight, “the Kasa app is reliable and allows for schedules, routines, etc. You can also use dusk and Dawn settings, which will turn on/off based on your location’s sunrise and sunset. It has lots of features, like “Away” mode for random on and off settings.”
- [amazon link=”B0776YH29B” title=” WeMo 4T-T3X2 Plug in Light and Appliance Control ” /] – this product is more simplistic and only for lights and appliances. At a slightly higher rate and voltage, this 2-outlet design is very convenient to work with Alexa and capabilities of scheduling. Ratings are slightly less high, and the competition really seems to believe in the power-force that is ‘Kasa’ over most other competition.
From a reviewer excitedly speaking to the versatility this product offers, “I love that I can have multiple devices, put them in the same or different groups and then control them by group or by individual device… I can manually turn them on or off using Siri, Alexa, my phone, or my watch. They are compatible with both Alexa and Apple Home Kit. It is simply awesome!”
- [amazon link=”B071V7Y864″ title=” MicroBot Push (2nd Generation) Wireless Robotic Button Pusher for Smart Home Automation ” /] – This product does not connect to Alexa or Google Home, but it is a great starter kit for those weary of the home automation revolution. It is not as high-tech as other brands, but it is a simple appetizer to bridge the gap if you are uncertain where to begin.
To offer an idea of how to use this product, one reviewer says, “Easy to use to push any kind of button, including remotely controlling door opener. Up in running in under a minute. No more getting up during a meeting to buzz open the door.”
Other Smart Coffee Machine Brands
In case you are not interested in buying a Keurig, here’s a few other Smart coffee machines to try out that come highly recommended:
- [amazon link=”B07TFLNDNR” title=” Hamilton Beach Works with Alexa Smart Coffee Maker ” /]
- [amazon link=”B07FDNBSNS” title=” Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with 60 oz. Water Reservoir ” /]
- [amazon link=”B003KYSLMC” title=” Cuisine Art Coffee Plus 12-cup Programmable Coffeemaker ” /]
- With bonus -[amazon link=”B00OXGXW8O” title=” Breville Smart Coffee Grinder ” /]
Creative Uses for Your Smart Plug
Automating your home may sound unsettling, at first, like maybe Big Brother (or Big Alexa) is watching, but I think you’ll find it incredibly convenient when you can do things like:
- Set alarms to wake you up
- Turn on your coffee machine
- Keep your home locked through the app and prevent burglaries
- Cook something in the microwave when you’re 5 minutes from home
- Preheat your straightener or curling iron
- Feed your dog when you’re not home
- Start the oven when you’re heading home
- Turn off the children’s TV shows when it’s bedtime
- Warm your sheets in the winter
- Turn off all appliances, like that oven you forgot to turn off! No more worrying if you did or didn’t!
As you can see, it really is quite a luxury if used responsibly and safely. Please do reference the Safety Information from Using Smart Devices with Alexa.
Enjoy Your Cup of Joe!
If you despise waiting for your morning drip, I’m sure this guide has been useful to getting you a step closer to your caffeinated addiction. Coffee makes the world go ‘round, and there’s a reason people even want to drink decaf (which I would never do or recommend, but it proves that people are drinking this stuff solely for the taste!)
Smart Plugs are the wave of the future and don’t appear to be going anywhere but instead popping up in more and more homes.
You can either hop on the automation-bandwagon or get left behind. Either way, be sure you enjoy the ride!