Yep, just bought some similar to these as they work with Alexa. Upgrading from remote controlled outlets.

I use the iDevices switch as well as Phillips Hue lighting. I can use Siri to turn on either game, or if I say "Pinball time" both games turn on and the lights dim and turn blue. With Apples homekit app you can set up scenes that control multiple brands of smart devices.

https://store.idevicesinc.com/idevices-switch/

I have them on every machine. Walk in and say "Alexa, to the batcave" and Batman 66 is ready to go. My daughter thinks I'm nuts......

If you have multiple pins I recommend this one:

JolyJoy WiFi Smart Power Strip Surge Protector, Independent Voice Control with Amazon Alexa Echo / Dot, App Wireless Remote Control Each Socket, with 3 Plug Outlets & 2 USB Ports & Timer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077QDH7HG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZvcIAb03AZ4QX

It allows you to independently control the 3 outlets and is aggressively priced. I’ve got 4 of these in my game room and are working well.

Thanks for the link and I been wanting to do something like that for a long time. I might go with a stackable version since I have 2 games per plug or I could go with 1 per outlet and get a splitter.

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I'm always worried when the product states nonsense such as

"[Be Noted] Need 2.4GHz WiFi ONLY when configuring. 3G/4G/5G will be OK after connected. ."

My poor man's solution. The go on sale a few times a year. Love them and they are always dependable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_RFiIAb6ZH9XRC

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Wow, totally missed this thread. I was just thinking about how if I had it to do over I would have wired my game room differently. This is an even better solution. To get started, I ordered two of the power strips, which will cover all of my pinball machines. Plus the Echo Dot's were on sale for $20 yesterday. Assuming they work well, I'll probably order single outlets for my Chexx and arcades.

I got these and am liking them so far. Can't beat it for $10 each and it doesn't block the other outlet.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Q5W22B

Received mine in the mail today. Works as expected. I can turn machines on/off individualy or as a single command for all machines on/off.

Just a note that the WeMo wifi switches are on sale starting today at Costco... 2 for $19.99. I have found WeMo to be one of my favorite switches due to the fact that they work with Alexa, Siri and Google. At $10 each, it's a nice way to add these to your games if so desired.

Yeah I really like my smart plugs. I can almost guarantee the day after Thanksgiving they will have a discounted Echo dot for sale bundled with a cheap smart plug if you are interested in setting something like this up.

I have mine setup so, "computer, turn on the arcade" turns on all my pins and my arcade lights and, "computer, turn on/off the pinball lights" controls the extra lighting I have on the wall. It's really nice to be able to turn things on from the kitchen so by the time I get downstairs it will all be turned on and ready to go.

The Insignia controlled wifi devices sold at Best Buy have been discontinued. Their servers and the app were turned off on Nov 6th, so they're now just bricks. You are able to get about half of what you paid for them back in a gift card. Luckily they were a gift, but it was nice to control them from an app and Google Home mini device. Oh well...time to get something different.

Right... I have a few routines setup in Alexa. I use both Homekit and Alexa throughout my house, but currently Alexa has some neat features where it can talk back to you and announce what game is turning on. One of my routines (mostly to impress guests) is to have it turn on each pin individually and give a brief bit of introduction or fun fact about each one as it turns on. Also has a side benefit of preventing the surge of turning on all games at once.

Most of my normal routines are much quicker and dedicated... like "Alexa, turn on all modern Sterns"... or "Alexa turn on my classics"... or... the possibilities are endless.

I had the Samsung SmartThings as my remote outlets and discovered the ActionTiles app. I only had to get a cheap tablet to control everything in the house (including my Sonos); i already had all of the other necessary hardware. It's pretty sweet and compatible with Alexa, so I can tell her "Let's have a pinball party" and the routine activates. I also have the same routine on the tablet as you can see from the picture.

I was fiddling around with the display, so not every button was quite correct on this photo..... I use 3M Command strips to mount it to the wall so I can take it on and off; i normally leave it plugged in to maintain the charge and unplug it when guests come over. I may hardwire it one of these days....

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I’ve got the WEMO plugs and Alexa. I cannot get Alexa to turn on the games when using the phrase “Let’s play pinball”. Anyone know why?

I currently tell Alexa to “turn on our pinball parlor” and that works.

PS - thanks for the heads up on Costco.

Great Post. Thank you!! I am seeking to replace a few WiFi plugs that were made by a company called Jinvoo Smart. The setup for these was difficult for me and as they failed could not recall how to setup a new one. Looking for something that is EASY to setup and use. Don't really need many features, just on and off for the most part. Any suggestions?

Thank you Fellas,

G

I like these cause they are always around $10 each and the smart life app is easy to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Outlet-Compatible-Monitoring-Function-Required/dp/B079Q5W22B

From my experience, Alexa's trigger words for home automation are more along the lines of turn on/ turn off, etc. Have you tried to create a scene with the associated plugs called "Let's play pinball"? That might solve the problem. Otherwise, you might be more along the lines of "Turn on pinball".

What home assistant are you using? Wemo and Amazon make pretty decent plugin modules. We are right in the midst of remodeling now so I have a variety of GE Z-Wave receptacles that replace regular receptacles. They cost more, but are built into the wall.

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Enbrighten-Controllable-SmartThings-14288/dp/B07361JZ2H/ref=sr_1_16

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Just be wary of these small no names companies. Little or no security (think hacking) and the possibility that they could drop support and you end up with a useless brick.

I also like WeMo because if you decide to switch from iOS to android or amazon, you’re covered. And at this price, it’s similar to the cheap ones but better quality.

Yea I believe I tried creating the scene too. I haven't messed with it in over a year. Maybe I'll give it another go.

That's one of the reasons I went with Zwave Plus instead of WiFi, plus I don't have to reprogram everything if I change the router. Found that out the hard way with some wifi lights I use for outdoor soffet lighting. Even thought the Zwave Plus *should* be secure, Smartthings (which controls my Zwave and Zigbee devices) has gotten bashed in the past for security.

HomeGameRoom: I use ActionTiles too. Still playing around w/it, but I'm impressed. Don't really use it control things, more to look at the status of everything.

Yeah, i hear ya. Problem is that standards/protocols keeps changing. I invested tons in Zwave when it first came out and was left with a system that would never talk to anything else. I’m sure part of it is the user... but I finally decided to bank on the big players (Apple, Amazon, Google) and go with tech that they supported. I figured they’d make it through at least a few rounds of protocol changes. I’m already over my head... but I can get everything to work now and talk to my phone (Siri) or Echo (Alexa) to control most everything in my house with super easy setup and use.

But you sound like you’ve got a good solution with zwave plus. I always thought zwave had legs... I just choose poorly with Vera early on I believe.

Z-Wave has been good. Fairly well adopted and used, with the only downside being that you need a hub (not really a downside). Right now, I am running Smartthings and Wink. I honestly like Wink better, but they are having some major financing troubles. Somebody will buy them, so I switched back to Smartthings last week.

My favorite has been Insteon. Kitted out my previous house with it and loved it. Sadly though, it does not integrate with a lot of the newer stuff. Because of that, that is why I went with Z-Wave for the new house. Got about 40-50 switches and dimmers, Ecobee thermostats and switches, Alexa enabled stuff, Dome leak detectors and water shut off valves, garage door opener, and Ring cameras. Works pretty well.

Back when everyone else was charging $20-30 for a name brands these were always less then half the price so that is why I gave them a shot. Pretty much only use them for the holidays and if they get bricked down the road then so be it since they have served their purpose. These will work with other apps like google home so I can still pickup some name brands now that the prices have come down and control them all from one app.

I actually started out on Vera (Edge, I believe), and really wanted to like it since it had some things I really wanted. But in the end, it was just wasn't for me. Updates that screwed everything up, devices wouldn't respond for no reason, etc. I think they are still around, but decided to give Smartthings a try since Samsung had bought them. It's been solid, but would like a Windows app tho. Check out Initial State, which will tie into Smartthings - very neat.

Still occasionally think about giving OpenHab and a Raspberry Pi a test drive. I think it would give me more control options compared to Smartthings. But too busy to take the plunge. I guess I could get more options using IFFT, but probably not for me.

OP: Sorry for the slight thread derail from WiFi and outlets. Lots of choices in Home Automation.

A lot of people consider that the Cadillac of HA, but you're right - integrating with the newer low cost stuff seems a to be a no-go.

We recently bought one of these, no issues.

Mini Smart Plug Outlet Compatible with Alexa Google Assistant IFTTT, No Hub Required, ETL and FCC Listed Only 2.4GHz Wifi Enabled Remote Control Smart Socket by Gosund https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072ZX8RTZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_O4vXDbJ9YN8DV

Keep playing with it - I think you'll like it. I wish I had it when I had my old house and a bigger game room, but it's just as good with my current (small gameroom) setup. It's nice to have everything, including my stereo (Sonos) and thermostat on one display. It makes it easy to turn everything off at the end of the night. It's pretty simple to use and I didn't have to spend a dime on any extra hardware than what I already had.

I do the same thing. I have one mounted in the entryway from the garage and another in the basement. I'm using a few Kindle's as the displays and have them being charged via PoE.

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The guys with the Action Tiles tablets...is the display on all the time?

Mine are. I think you can buy a copy of the Fully Browser that allows you to turn it on and off based on motion, but I haven't had time to mess with it. I've had a Kindle mounted on the wall next to my fish tank for about 3 - 4 years now and it's still going strong being on 24/7.

I used the free version for ages before it went to a purchase plan. I was somewhat discouraged they went that route, but the upgrade was reasonable - and it looks like they stepped it up a notch. Plus there's a windows version too.

Amazing how many sensors I have. Most of the sensors are '5 in 1', '4 in 1', etc. Plus add in a battery level...Good heavens, I bet I' well over 100 tiles w/info.

Do the kindles have an ethernet port? or is there some sort of EthernetPoE-to-MicroUSB dongle?

I was tempted; then I saw the outlet is a single controlled outlet with only a 5amp circuit.
Maybe enough to run a single machine... *Maybe* but pretty weak sauce if you ask me.
All of these WIFI outlets are wimpy. I think the best I've seen is 10amps. Boo.

These are the ones I use...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Xiaomi-Mi-Smart-Plug-1-Pack/295288889

15A capacity and you can stack them two to an outlet.

The software is a little quirky but once I set them up I just import them to Google Home and they work fine.

Nope. No Ethernet port. I just use a PoE injector.

https://www.amazon.com/WT-AF-USB-Splitter-Ethernet-Switches-microUSB/dp/B019BLMWY0

Oh yeah... thanks for reminding me of another reason I went with the WeMo mini smart plug. Rated for 15amps. Can plug a larger power strip in and turn on multiple pins at once if you so choose... but I still prefer one switch per pin for total control.

I would stay away from the CE Smart Home they suck. They say they are good for 10amps but I don't believe it, powering up two full LED pins with LED ColorDMD and the internal fuse blew making them useless. They lasted about 4 power cycles before they went.

For what its worth my amazon branded one is running 3 machines all at once and it came for free with my dot the day after thanksgiving last year.

Do any of these have software documents and/or Opensource implementations?
I have a specific need where I need a android razpi project to be able to turn itself on/off daily but WIFI plug I have is a china knockoff with no documentation.

I do remember seeing some of the command information (don't know the actual terminology) for the Aeotec devices somewhere on their web page. But I don't know if they offer smart plugs tho.

https://aeotec.com/homeautomation/

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy tablet for my ActionTiles. I have it set to wake up when it senses movement with the camera. It will last ~2 days before it needs to get charged.

One of these days I'll make a frame for it so it can stay plugged in and charged all the time - a frame would help hide the charging port when its plugged in.

This guy makes decent mounts. They aren't as nice as the $180 one I have upstairs, but they also aren't $180.

https://www.makesbymike.com/