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Using Google calendar for automatic switching

You can easily switch smart plugs, for example FRITZ!DECT 200, by creating events in a Google calendar for all of the times when it should be automatically switched on and off. This way you can plan irregular and complex switching operations months in advance and edit them at any time in your personal Google calendar.
You can use the user interface of your FRITZ!Box to set up automatic switching and either switch individual smart plugs or groups of them together.

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 Creating a calendar

  1. Create a new calendar for your Google account and give it a name of your choice, for example "Socket switching".

    Important:The name of the calendar may only contain standard letters and numbers and not any special characters, spaces or umlauts.

  2. Enter the desired switching times in the calendar: Name the event "ON" if the smart home device, for example the smart plug, is to be turned on and name it "OFF" if the smart home device is to be turned off. These names are not case-sensitive (upper and lower case do not matter). You can also enter switching times later.

    Note:There must be a period of at least one minute between switching and you can enter a maximum of 140 switching times per day.

2 Creating a group

If you want to use the calendar to switch several smart home devices together, you must first create a group with these devices:

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Smart Home" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click the "New Group" button.
  4. If you are asked to select the kind of devices you want to combine in the group, select "Switching Actuators" and click "OK".

    Important:You cannot use a Google calendar to switch radiator controls such as FRITZ!DECT 301.

  5. Enter a name for the group and select the smart home devices you want to switch together in the group.
  6. Click the "OK" button.
    • The group is then created.
  7. In the next window, click "OK" to save the settings.

3 Adding a calendar

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Smart Home" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. If you want to switch individual devices, select "All Smart Home devices" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  4. If you want to switch a group, select "All groups" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  5. Click the (Edit) button for the respective device or group.
  6. Click on the "Switch automatically" tab or enable the option "Switch group automatically".
  7. Enable the option "Calendar".
  8. In the corresponding field, enter the name of the calendar that you gave it when you created it, for example "Socket switching". The name is case-sensitive (make sure you use the correct capital and lower case letters).
  9. Click "OK" to save the settings.
    The window "Enable FRITZ!Actuator Calendar" with a verification URL and user code opens.
  10. Click the link "Verification URL" and leave the window "Enable FRITZ!Actuator Calendar" open.
    The field for entering the user code appears.
  11. Enter the email address and password for your Google account and click "Sign in".
    The field for entering the user code appears.
  12. Enter the user code from the window "Enable FRITZ!Actuator Calendar" and click "Next".
    The window for signing into your Google account opens.
  13. Enter the email address for your Google account and click "Next".
    • Enter the password for your Google account and click "Next".
  14. Click "Allow".

Automatic switching is configured when the message "The authentication process for the Google Calendar on the FRITZ!Box" appears in the user interface.

4 Synchronizing the calendar

Synchronizing automatically

The calendar is synchronized with the Google calendar at regular intervals. Synchronization takes place automatically every 24 hours around midnight or approximately 24 hours after the last manual synchronization.

Synchronizing manually

If you have entered new switching times in the Google calendar, you can also trigger synchronization manually:

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Smart Home" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. If you want to synchronize the Google calendar that you assigned to a single device, select "All Smart Home devices" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  4. If you want to synchronize the Google calendar that you assigned to a group, select "All groups" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  5. Click the (Edit) button for the respective device or group.
  6. Click on the "Switch Automatically" tab.
  7. Click the "OK" button.

5 Deleting a calendar

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Smart Home" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. If you assigned the Google calendar to a single device, select "All Smart Home devices" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  4. If you assigned the Google calendar to a group, select "All groups" from the drop-down list "viewing".
  5. Click the (Edit) button for the respective device or group.
  6. Click on the "Switch Automatically" tab.
  7. Click the link "Remove connections from Google calendar".
  8. Click the "Reset Google Calendar" button.
  9. Click "OK" when you are asked whether you want to delete all Google calendars from the FRITZ!Box.

Now all Google calendars are deleted and all of the smart home devices that use a Google calendar are set to manual switching.