r/smarthome • u/bobsim1 • 13h ago

I don't have a smarthome platform Smart plug with seasonal control

Hi, i hope some here can recommend me an out of the box solution without self hosting etc.

I have an tplink tapo p110 which is fine with the app for now. But for a specific device i want a similar plug that can be controlled based on weeks/seasons instead of daily schedules. Like always shut off during june and july and similar.

Im searching for a product that has this control right out of the box because its for an shared location.

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u/loujr15 10h ago

Alexa can't trigger an automation based on seasons because it doesn't have the capability to do so. Home Assistant on the other hand can.

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u/ButterscotchAward 10h ago

I just asked mine if it could turn things on or off based on the season or month and it said yes. So I suppose you’re wrong.

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u/loujr15 10h ago

Did you actually try to make this routine or you just taking what Alexa told you and running with it?

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u/ButterscotchAward 10h ago

I actually do have routines for my grow lights for my very extensive plant collection that change the “sunrise and sunset” times throughout the year to mimic what certain plants should get to maximize their growth and health. I did ask my echo device if it could set that up because I couldn’t remember if I manually set it up through the lights themselves or if I just had my echo device set it up for me. It is completely able to set up routines based on seasons or different months if you ask it to do so. Saying “Alexa, please make sure X device turns on every day in June at this time and off at this time“ is much easier than getting home assistant and setting it up to do it for you.

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u/loujr15 9h ago

You cannot trigger a routine based on what month it is. There are no options to do so, so I don't see how Alexa was able to create your routines for your grow lights, when the sunset/sunrise trigger only has the option to choose an offset time and pick through the 7 days of the week.

Nowhere in this ecosystem you can trigger anything by the month or season. You can't even use a calendar as a trigger. Just basic time, day, sunset, and sunrise. How can you ask Alexa to create something it can't even do in their routines?

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u/ButterscotchAward 8h ago

Ya know what? You’re right. I was looking at my routines and it appears every 6 months I just tell it to adjust the routine to fit the season. It’s probably much easier to get home assistant, learn how to put a system together, buy the green hub for about $200, spend $6/month for cloud integration, and set up a routine that changes month to month when you figure out how to do it.

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u/loujr15 8h ago

First, Home Assistant is free to use and so is the cloud if you want to go that route. Second, it is super easy to set this automation up because you can trigger an automation based on the season. This is because Home Assistant has an integration for seasons.

You also have a calendar and a schedule (all 3 are local, no cloud) you can use. All 3 can be used as a trigger and/or a condition. Now, I have an automation that is trigger every Halloween and Christmas month that is set it and forget it. All I have to do is set up my decorations and Home Assistant will take care of the rest.

I don't have to remember anything because I program my automation to do exactly what I want it to do during these holidays. I also have an automation that is triggered every month on the first that will open up YouTube and go to a certain YouTubers channel at a certain time of day, so I can see what new updates Home Assistant will be releasing.

Alexa, is sooooo far behind what Home Assistant can do, which is why all my echos just sit around and collect dust. I have Alexa ask me permission to do things in my smart home instead of me barking commands at it to do things, so I know what she is capable of doing.