How to Set Up Your Amazon Smart Plug from PC or Laptop

Amazon Smart Plug is a great new device from Amazon. It was released in late 2018 and it is becoming increasingly popular. This device can make any device in your home a smart device, making it incredibly useful.

However, the Amazon Smart Plug, as well as other Amazon devices, is a bit difficult to install from a PC or laptop. This is due to somewhat poor integration of the Alexa app with computers. Amazon is not to be blamed entirely because they don’t have access to some of the popular operating systems.

Read on for a detailed setup tutorial.

Amazon Smart Plug Setup from Windows 10

Amazon acknowledged its Windows users recently, by making a dedicated Windows Alexa app. You can download it from the link. It is in Microsoft Store and it is entirely free. However, to say the app doesn’t run smoothly on Windows is an understatement.

The app itself is fine, but the features are very limited compared to iOS and Android apps. That being said, that’s just the current state of things. Hopefully, Amazon will work on improving Alexa’s PC compatibility.

You need a Wi-Fi connection, an Alexa device (any kind of Amazon Echo), and the Alexa app.

Amazon Smart Plug Setup from a Computer Browser

We didn’t even explain the setup process using the dedicated Windows 10 Alexa app. Why move on to the browser version? Well, because the process is identical. It might even be easier to just use the Alexa website instead of the computer app.

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The app is kind of clunky, and the site works just fine. You only need to sign up with your Amazon account and you’ll be able to do all the things you would do on the mobile app. This is great because you need that for the Amazon Smart Plug installation.

The site will work on any browser (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, etc.). You’ll need a solid Wi-Fi signal for the plug itself, and for your laptop. If you are using a desktop computer, better use a cable connection.

Install an Amazon Smart Plug from Pc or Laptop

Finally, here is the setup part. Follow these steps and you’ll easily install the Amazon Smart Plug from your computer or laptop, through the browser or app version of Alexa:

1. Plug in the Amazon Smart Plug into any power outlet. You don’t have to manually connect it to your Wi-Fi network because it has a simple connection protocol built-in, which will automate the process.
2. Open the Alexa website or app on your computer.
3. Go to the Devices tab.
4. Click on the plus icon to add a device.
5. Click on Plug and follow the installation instructions on your screen.
6. When the process is done, Alexa will inform you and ask you to name the device. This is very handy and intuitive (e.g. name the device coffee maker to make a clear distinction).

That’s it. It wasn’t difficult at all, right? Yeah, the installation part is relatively easy. However, it might take some extra effort to use Alexa on your computer or laptop but, hopefully, the added smart functionality that the Smart Plug brings will be worth it.

Alexa on PC or Laptop

If you were planning on using Alexa on your computer beyond the installation part, you should know that the app is not exactly perfect. Expect some quirks and bugs along the way.

There are some hardware restrictions, and the app itself is limited compared to the mobile version. You might be better off giving voice commands directly to your Echo device, than going through your computer mic.

Maybe Amazon will change this in the future, which would be welcomed by the community. Until then, it might be best to stick to the mobile app or your Echo device for giving voice commands to your Amazon Smart Plug.

Smart Plug Installed

You can use your computer or laptop to install the Amazon Smart Plug. There is nothing wrong with that. Overall, the process is quite smooth. For further use of this smart device, better use your Echo, or your smartphone Alexa app.

This is just a suggestion because, in the current state of the things, the computer app is not great. Give us your two cents on the topic in the comments section below.