Smart Home: What Worked in Germany (from Our U.S. Setup)

Why We Insisted on a Smarter Home in Germany

We work in voice tech, so “smart home” isn’t a hobby—it’s our baseline. When we moved from Novi, Michigan to Stuttgart, the goal wasn’t to get things working; it was to make the apartment feel smarter than what we left behind. Same effortless scenes. Better evening lighting. No physical light switches. Only voice command switches powered by “Hey Google”.

Germany didn’t change the goal. It changed the rules. New voltage, new plugs, new fixture assumptions—and a few humbling moments. We set a clear target (voice-first control, reliable routines, and a smart home), fail fast, learn faster, and replaced anything that blocked us.

This is the high-level reality check of those first few months rebuilding a smart home from North America to Germany.

From Michigan to Germany: What Changed

Back home we ran a simple, stable stack: Google Home + Nest Mini for voice, Kasa smart plugs for lamps and the tree, and a mix of Wiz and Tapo bulbs.

Overnight, moving to Germany rewrote the constraints:

• Power: 230V/50Hz vs. 120V/60Hz

• Outlets: Type-F (Schuko) vs. North American Type-B

• Light Bulbs: E27/E14/GU10 are common—but the gear must be EU-rated

Which Devices Worked with a Plug Adapter

Short list. Anything that touches mains is risky unless it’s labeled 100–240V.

Our Google Home and Nest Mini powered on via tiny plug adapters and behaved fine… so far, luckily.

Meanwhile, our Bath & Body wallflowers…not so lucky. They were kaput in a matter of minutes.

Which Step-Down Converter Worked for Us

We found that the Bronson++ converters from Amazon were reliable, highly-rated, and still works for our daily use.

We have a 1000-watt converter for our iron, and two 300-watt converters for our Christmas tree & Keurig coffee machine.

What Failed and Smoked

GU10 bulbs (110V) in IKEA NYMÅNE (bedroom): This failed our smoke test.

That was the “stop fighting physics” moment for us.

We immediately bought a new IKEA NYMÅNE (EU version) and installed 220–240V Tapo GU10 smart bulbs.

Lessons Learned

1) The GU10 Smoke Test

That hot-electronics smell is an unforgettable teacher. We quit improvising and went EU-rated for anything on mains. Peace of mind returned instantly.

2) Google Home & Nest Speakers

Google Home and Nest Mini are still both working powered on with simple adapters—after 1.5 years.

3) Bronson++ Saves the Season

Kasa on converters made our US-rated Christmas tree sparkle in our Stuttgart apartment. We’re OK with using the 300W for our Christmas tree with attached lights and for our home office lamps. Meanwhile, the 2000W converter is used occasionally for our iron and KitchenAid stand mixer.

Why This Happened (The Pattern)

• If a device touches mains, it needs to be 220–240V in Germany. 120V-only + adapter = nope, nope, nope.

• USB/low-voltage gear travels well if the brick says 100–240V.

• Converters are still workarounds, but we found them to be the best long-term option for a few items.