{"id":5759,"date":"2023-09-05T17:14:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T17:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=5759"},"modified":"2023-09-05T17:14:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T17:14:03","slug":"9-5-2023-fun-with-smart-plugs-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2023\/09\/05\/9-5-2023-fun-with-smart-plugs-2\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/5\/2023: Fun with smart plugs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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How to use a smart plug<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: The Alexa-Assistant alliance, grabbing stills from videos, and a charger for cheap.<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Jared Newman<\/div>
|<\/div>
September 5, 2023<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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It’s not often that two of my obsessions combine, but that’s what happened when I bought a new coffee maker a couple months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The machine in question, Technivorm’s Moccamaster<\/a>, makes a pretty good cup with its own standard dripper. But after reading about how some users have swapped in their favorite pour over drippers instead<\/a>, my inner techie and coffee snob merged, and an especially nerdy brewing plan arose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a TP-Link Kasa smart plug<\/a>, I’ve now set up an Alexa routine that activates with the phrase “Alexa, make me a pour over.” The smart plug turns on the coffee maker for 35 seconds\u2014just enough to saturate the grounds in my Hario V60 dripper\u2014then turns it off for a 30-second bloom<\/a>. The machine then turns on for a three-minute brew, followed by Alexa announcing “Your coffee’s ready!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do I bring this up? Partly to boast, sure, but mainly to show some appreciation for the humble smart plug. In the grand scheme of smart home devices, plugs are arguably the simplest to set up, but they’re also the easiest to overlook because they don’t do anything on their own. Instead, they act as a blank canvas for creativity, leading to all kinds of neat possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Get the full column<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Advisorator’s subscribers get an in-depth feature column every week\u2014including this week’s on having fun with smart plugs\u2014plus bonus deals, online archives, and helpful online guides. Check out the full experience with a four-week free trial!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Need to know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Alexa-Google Assistant alliance:<\/strong> Last week, JBL announced the first smart speakers<\/a> that support Alexa and Google Assistant simultaneously<\/a>. That means you can say “Alexa” or “Hey Google,” and you’ll get a response from the corresponding assistant. They’ll even coordinate on certain tasks, for instance letting you start a timer with “Alexa” and stop it with “Hey Google.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Amazon has advocated for interoperable voice assistants since 2019, Google has always pushed back<\/a>, arguing that users would get confused if they could use multiple assistants interchangeably. Amazon’s universal command system (as in the timer example above) might have helped sway the company, but I also suspect Google’s attitude has mellowed as the smart speaker wars cool off<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, JBL’s new speakers start at $350<\/a> and go up for pre-order next week. Hopefully we’ll see more cross-assistant speakers at different prices before too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet another Verizon plan:<\/strong> Verizon has added a third tier to its latest wave of unlimited data plans. “Unlimited Ultimate” costs $90 per month for one line (with autopay) and includes 60 GB of mobile hotspot use per month, versus 30 GB on its $80 per month “Unlimited Plus” tier. The plan also includes 10 GB of data in 210 countries, whereas cheaper plans only cover the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve updated my unlimited data plan comparison chart<\/a> for Advisorator subscribers accordingly. You’ll also find a separate chart on that page for comparing Verizon’s new and old plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tip of the moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Turn videos into images:<\/strong> If you’re running the latest desktop version of Chrome\u2014or other Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Brave\u2014you can now capture still images from video frames on YouTube and some other sites. Try it yourself on this 4K nature video<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n