Loyal readers know that I love to write about Alexa devices and ways to automate your home. Today I have a story about something I automated, but only because it was being really annoying at the wrong times. Yes, I’ll provide an Amazon link for which I get a tiny commission while you get the best prices. No, I didn’t get anything for free.

In the past I’ve purchased a few smart plugs. Since I knew that having several extra might be handy to have, I ordered a 4-pack of the Kasa Smart Plug a few months ago. At the time, I knew I needed two of them. Recently something happened that got me to setup one more.

I don’t know about all of you, but I like to enjoy watching movies at home and that includes great sound. That means I have a dedicated subwoofer connected to the sound system in my bedroom. There is a 3-way switch on the subwoofer. Two of the three settings are on and off. The third is “auto-on” meaning it should only turn on when it receives a signal. This switch is fairly small and on the back of the device. In other words, it isn’t easy to find and change the setting.

All was well for a long time. But a few times it started rumbling in the middle of the night even with the audio source turned off. I could spend a crazy amount of time trying to figure out what causes it or I could be lazy and use one of my Kasa Smart Plugs!

With each smart plug, you assign a name to it. While subwoofer would be the obvious name, I prefer to use more interesting names. I thought about it and figured that a subwoofer has a single bullet and this one was firing it at the wrong times. It reminder me of Deputy Barney Fife of Mayberry. So I named it “Barney”. Before going to bed each night, I say “Alexa, turn off Barney” and I know I won’t be rudely awakened in the middle of the night.

Yes, you need a smart device to voice control the plugs. I prefer the Alexa family though it also works with the Google Assistant family. You can also toggle the plugs on and off in the Kasa app or with a button on the side of the plug. This whole episode made me very happy I got the 4-pack and had an extra one in my time of need. Get a few plugs and you’ll have your home automated in no time!