How to have your very own Smart-Apart-Ment

You might know someone who has an Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa) or a Google Home, or you might’ve heard about it or see it on super bowl commercials but don’t really know how to use it or what you need exactly. It’s okay, don’t be afraid. You don’t have to be in “tech” or know much about tech to have smart home devices :). For me, I’m all about efficiency. And if you’re like me who’s always busy, I’m always trying to find ways to be most productive.

Here are some of my favorite smart home devices. First I have the Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa). This is the main smart home device that you need to hook up and integrate to all other smart gadgets in your home. I primarily use it for turning on/off my lights, playing music, and other random commands it comes with. I bought the 3-pack deal. You don’t really need 3 but because it’s a smaller device, I have one in my living room, bathroom, and bedroom. Next is the TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulb (3-Pack) where you can say “Alexa, Turn on all lights”. I’ve set two commands (1) Turn on all lights (living room lights) and (2) Turn on bed lights (bedroom lightning). This changed my life forever, so you really need this. Lastly, I hook it up to my Sonos Play:1 (the BEST speaker investment you can make), but make sure you get the newest Sonos Play 1 so that it works with Alexa. I have this right next to my iPad that I repurposed to use if I have people over and they want to DJ on the Sonos app or Spotify directly. Another alternative to a Sonos is this OontZ Angle 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. I did a lot of research and found this a small but very powerful speaker. The only apps you need to download is the Amazon Alexa app and Kasa (to control lightning from your phone).

So that’s all you need! And of course, I styled my Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa) with this super cute Amazon Echo Dot Case Leather to match my home decor :). I have this in a saddle brown leather for my living room and a gray one for my bedroom.

My Top Favorite Alexa Skills / Commands:

• Alexa, Turn on all lights / Dim lights
• Alexa, Re-order my Starbucks (integrates with your Starbucks Mobile App)
• Alexa, What’s the weather in (i.e., I’m either in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, or Sacramento)
• Alexa, Play Song (integrates with Sonos, or any bluetooth speaker)
• Alexa, What’s my horoscope? (who doesn’t wanna know what their day will look like?) 🙂
• Alexa, Give me my Sports update (when you just want to know what the Warriors score is)
• Alexa, Ask Lyft / Uber for a ride (use this if you’re always on the go and need to catch a Lyft or Uber asap!)

<3,

Jenny

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