How to Connect Your MiniNail to Amazon Alexa or Google Smart Home Devices

A MiniNail takes about three minutes to reach temperature from cold. That is not long, but it is long enough to be annoying when you have just walked in the door, and long enough to matter when you realise at midnight that you left it on.

A smart plug fixes both. Your controller plugs into the smart plug, the smart plug talks to Alexa or Google Home, and from then on the unit runs on a schedule, a voice command, or your proximity to it.

What you need

• Your MiniNail kit. Any controller works. Nothing about this is model-specific.
• A smart speaker or hub, such as an Amazon Echo or a Google Nest device.
• A compatible smart plug. Three-prong grounded. The MiniNail draws about 1 amp, so almost any mains-rated plug handles it comfortably.
• A smartphone for the initial pairing.

Check one thing when buying a plug: that it works with your assistant. Beyond that the MiniNail does not care which one you pick, because as far as the plug is concerned it is simply switching mains power on and off.

Setting it up

1. Plug the smart plug into the wall, then plug your MiniNail controller into the smart plug.
2. Connect your Echo or Nest device to your WiFi and install the matching app on your phone.
3. Install the smart plug manufacturer’s app and add the plug to your account. Every brand does this slightly differently, so follow their instructions here.
4. Name the plug something your assistant will recognise. “MiniNail” works well. Whatever you choose is the word you will be saying out loud, so keep it short and distinct from your other devices.
5. Ask your assistant to discover devices, and confirm the plug appears as set up and ready.

On Alexa

With the plug powered and the MiniNail attached, say “Alexa, discover devices.” She will find the smart plug. Confirm the name, and from there you can add the MiniNail to any of your existing Amazon Routines or drop it into a Room Group so it responds alongside everything else in that room.

On Google Home

Add and name the plug inside your smart plug manufacturer’s own app first, then authorise Google Assistant to control it from that app’s account settings. Test it by telling Google to turn it on and off before you build anything more elaborate on top.

What to do with it once it is connected

Run it on a schedule

If you dab at roughly the same time each day, a schedule is the whole point of doing this. Set it to power on at 5pm on weekdays and later at weekends, or whatever fits, and it is at temperature before you want it.

Voice commands

The useful ones are the ones with a time attached:

• “Turn on the MiniNail for 15 minutes”
• “Turn off the MiniNail at 11pm”
• “Turn off the MiniNail when I leave the house”

That last one depends on your assistant supporting location-based routines, but where it works it is the one that saves you walking back through the door.

Proximity detection

Some setups can trigger on your phone being nearby, powering the unit on as you approach and off once you have left. It is the closest thing to the MiniNail reading your mind, and it removes the question of whether you remembered to switch it off entirely.

A note on leaving it on

A MiniNail is built to run continuously and draws roughly 1 amp, 89 watts, so leaving it on is not the problem people assume it is. Plenty of owners never power down at all and simply change the set temperature.

What a smart plug really buys you is not safety, it is not having to think about it. If you would rather it were off while you are out, now it is off while you are out, without you doing anything.

One thing a smart plug does not change: cooldown still takes up to ten minutes. Cutting power at the plug does not cool the coil any faster, so the same handling rules apply. More on that in enail safety tips.

Frequently asked

Can you connect an enail to Alexa?

Yes, through a smart plug. The plug connects to Alexa and the MiniNail controller plugs into it, which lets you switch it on and off by voice, on a schedule, or as part of a Routine. There is no special hardware or MiniNail-specific skill required.

What smart plug works with a MiniNail?

Any three-prong grounded smart plug that is compatible with your assistant. A MiniNail draws about 1 amp, well inside what any mains-rated plug handles.

Does a smart plug change how the MiniNail heats?

No. It is switching mains power, nothing more. Heat-up is still about three minutes from cold and your controller keeps whatever temperature you last set.

Can I set my enail to turn on before I get home?

Yes, and it is the most useful thing you can do with this setup. Schedule it for when you normally get in and it is at temperature by the time you are.

Is it safe to leave an enail plugged into a smart plug?

Yes, provided the plug is grounded and rated for mains power. Remember that switching it off at the plug does not cool anything down any faster.

The short version

Buy a grounded smart plug that works with your assistant, plug the controller into it, name it MiniNail, and set a schedule. New to the kit generally? Start with getting started with your first enail kit, and see the dabbing temperature guide for what to set once it is running.