You might need to choose a new name
My mom was having problems with her smart home set-up a few weeks ago—she said that her light sometimes turned on when she asked, and other times, it didn’t.
When I reviewed her set-up, I noticed that she had named the light “fireplace lights,” and half the time, she was asking for “fireplace light,” which unfortunately doesn’t work (even though it’s so similar to the actual name).
You have to say the exact name in order to control your smart devices. That’s why choosing good names for them is super important.
3 qualities that make for a good smart device name
- It doesn’t include an “s” at the end. (Name it “fireplace light,” not “fireplace lights”)
- It’s easy to remember
- It’s short
Pro Tip
If you can’t remember what you named a device, you can always look in the Alexa app by tapping “Devices” > device type (i.e. Lights, Plugs, etc.) > scroll through the list of devices and see all of their names.
It’s easy to change the name of your smart device
To change it through the Alexa app:
- Tap “Devices” in the bottom navigation
- Tap the type of device (Lights, Plugs, etc.)
- Tap the name of the device
- Tap the settings gear in the top right corner of the screen
- Tap “Edit Name,” then put in the name you want
- Click the arrow on the top left of the page to exit out
If you know the name of the device you want to rename, just say, “Alexa, change the name of fireplace lights.” She’ll ask what you want to change it to and then make the change for you.