You have to create a Smart Life account when you first install the app which is easy to do. I have four plugs controlling Christmas lights around the house. I created a group in the Smart Life app and put a timer on the group so that all my Christmas lights turn on at 4:30 and turn off at 10:30. Very simple using the Smart Life app.
I then enabled the Smart Life skill using my Alexa app and connected Alexa to my Smart Life account, so i can turn them on with voice commands also. Alexa does not recognize the group name though. She only sees the individual devices So devices must be turned on one at a time using voice commands. That's fine for now, because the only one I use voice commands for is the Christmas tree. I was debating giving it four stars instead of five because the "easy" method didn't work and I had to use AP mode. But, AP mode was pretty easy, and I do love that I can control everything with Alexa, and the price was really good also. So, I ended up with 5 stars. Let's hope they last!