Start coffee maker in the morning
Wake up to freshly brewed coffee automatically. Start your day right with coffee ready when you need it, without stumbling to the kitchen first.
Use cases
Morning Convenience
- Morning Coffee Ready - Coffee brewing when alarm goes off
- Automatic Weekday Brewing - Consistent work morning routine
- When Shower Ends - Time coffee to finish as you're ready
Lifestyle Benefits
- Wake-Up Motivation - Smell of coffee helps you get up
- Guest Accommodation - Auto-brew when guests staying over
Products needed
Essential Equipment
Schedule capability • Reliable automation
Simple/old coffee makers work best • Some programmable models work
Critical: Won't work if button must be pressed after power on
Optional Enhancements
- Fill coffee maker with water and grounds
- Turn coffee maker switch to "on" position
- Unplug it, then plug it back in
- Does it start brewing? YES = Compatible! NO = Not compatible
- Compatible: Old/simple coffee makers, some programmable models
- Not Compatible: Requires button press, touchscreen, most pod machines
Basic automation setup
- Fill coffee maker with water and grounds
- Turn coffee maker switch to "on" position
- Press physical button on smart plug to turn it OFF
- (Turning plug off signals the automation coffee maker is ready)
Triggers
- 7:00 AM Monday-Friday
- OR when shower turns on
- OR when bedroom motion detected
Conditions
Smart plug is currently OFF: Confirms coffee maker is loaded and readyPurpose: Prevents turning on empty coffee maker
Actions
- Turn on smart plug
- Coffee starts brewing!
- Optional: Send notification "Coffee brewing"
- Always implement 30-minute auto-shutoff automation
- Use smart plug rated for coffee maker wattage (800-1200W)
- Clean coffee maker regularly to prevent fire hazard
- Don't leave house during first few automated cycles
Platform-specific examples
Home Assistant
SmartThings
Hubitat
Apple HomeKit
Alexa
Google Home
Advanced features
Voice-activated coffee
Make coffee on demand:
Create automation triggered by voice command (e.g., Alexa actionable notification) that turns on coffee maker plug if it’s currently off (loaded and ready).
Say: “Alexa, start coffee”
Pre-warm before arrival
Start coffee when arriving home:
Create automation with these elements:
- Trigger: Person arrives home
- Conditions: Morning hours (6am-10am) AND coffee maker plug is OFF
- Action: Turn on coffee maker plug
Multi-stage morning
Coordinate with other morning routines:
Create automation that runs at wake-up time:
- Turn on coffee maker plug
- Gradually increase bedroom light brightness (start at 10%, transition over 60 seconds)
- Wait 5 minutes
- Brighten lights to 100% over 30 seconds
Alternative triggers
Smart alarm clock integration
Start coffee when alarm dismissed:
If using phone alarm with Home Assistant, trigger coffee maker when mobile app sends alarm dismissed event.
Presence + time
Only brew if someone home:
Add conditions to automation:
- At least one person is home
- Time is between 6am and 9am
Weather-based
Skip on very hot days:
Add condition: Only brew if outdoor temperature is below 75°F (don’t brew hot coffee when already hot outside)
Troubleshooting
Issue: Coffee maker doesn’t start
Causes:
- Coffee maker incompatible (requires button press)
- Smart plug didn’t turn on
- Coffee maker switch not in “on” position
- Automation didn’t trigger
Solutions: ✅ Re-test coffee maker compatibility (unplug/plug test) ✅ Verify smart plug turns on via app manually ✅ Check coffee maker physical switch is “on” ✅ Review automation logs to see if it triggered ✅ Ensure coffee maker switch wasn’t accidentally turned off ✅ Try different coffee maker model if current one incompatible
Issue: Empty coffee maker turns on
Causes:
- Forgot to prepare coffee maker night before
- Smart plug already on (not turned off in prep)
- Automation has no check for “ready” state
- Weekend automation triggered
Solutions: ✅ Add condition: Smart plug must be OFF before turning on ✅ Create reminder notification evening before: “Prepare coffee maker” ✅ Add weekday-only condition if don’t want weekend coffee ✅ Visual reminder (dashboard tile) showing coffee maker status
Create evening reminder automation:
- Trigger: Time is 9:00 PM
- Condition: Weeknights (Sun-Thu, night before weekdays)
- Action: Send notification “Reminder: Prepare coffee maker for tomorrow morning”
Issue: Coffee burns or overheats
Causes:
- No automatic shutoff implemented
- Coffee maker left on too long
- Heating plate continues heating
- Safety timer not working
Solutions: ✅ Always implement 30-minute auto-shutoff (shown in examples) ✅ Use coffee maker with auto-shutoff feature ✅ Add notification when shutting off ✅ Test smart plug reliability ✅ Use thermal carafe coffee maker (no heating plate) ✅ Monitor with power monitoring plug (detect malfunction)
Create emergency shutoff automation:
- Trigger: Coffee maker plug has been ON for 45 minutes (maximum safe time)
- Action 1: Turn off coffee maker plug
- Action 2: Send high-priority notification “SAFETY: Coffee maker auto shut-off”
Safety best practices
⚠️ Important Safety Rules
- Always use auto-shutoff automation (30-45 minutes maximum)
- Never automate coffee maker without testing compatibility first
- Use smart plug rated for coffee maker wattage (typically 800-1200W)
- Don’t leave house with coffee maker automating (first few times)
- Clean coffee maker regularly to prevent fire hazard
- Replace old coffee makers - worn heating elements dangerous
Recommended features
✅ Coffee maker with built-in auto-shutoff ✅ Smart plug with power monitoring (detect malfunctions) ✅ Multiple shutoff methods (time-based + power-based) ✅ Notifications when coffee maker turns on/off ✅ Manual override easily accessible
Related automations: