Amazon Alexa is one of the first Voice assistants created. Alexa is actually the artificial intelligence or chat bot that you interact with through the device. Amazon Alexa for Smart Home Control is a great option.
The devices with the Alexa Voice Assistant are the Amazon Echo Models. There are multiple versions of the Amazon Echos including versions for your home, office, and car.
The Alexa App on your smartphone can be used the same as an Amazon Echo, however you have to open the app. It’s less convenient than having an Echo Device in your home that is waiting for the wake word and then responds to your request.
Amazon was the leader and pioneer in digital voice assistants. They led the market for a few years and all smart device manufacturers created an interface with the Amazon echo products.
The popularity of these devices grew rapidly and soon others began to follow suit. Google developed their Google Home device to compete with the Amazon echo devices.
Amazon Alexa Virtual Assistant
Before we can discuss Alexa as a Smart Home Control Platform, we need to first review the abilities as a virtual assistant. The Alexa platform is useful in everyday life with a variety of tasks that can be performed.
With just a request from your voice Alexa can add convenience and productivity to your life. Below is a list of some of the functions Alexa can do at your command.
- Give the time and date
- Give the weather forecast
- Add items to your shopping list
- Set reminders and alarms
- Play you favorite songs or playlists
- Do calculations
- Tell jokes
- Let you know when a package has shipped or arrived
- Call someone in your contact list
- Make video calls
As you can see from the list above, Alexa is very useful as a virtual assistant. These are just a few of the tasks that Alexa can perform through the Amazon Echo devices and Alexa App.
Smart Home Control Platform
Combined with your smart home devices and using practical home automation routines, Alexa is a great platform to control and manage your smart home automation.
Once you have your devices connected to Alexa you can control everything via voice command, through the app or just create as many automated routines as you want. You can and will find a combination of all three types of smart home control are useful in everyday practical automation.
How to Connect Your Devices to Alexa
Once your devices are set up in their own apps and connected to your wifi network, you can then begin to add them to the Alexa Control Platform. There are two ways to add your devices..
The first way is to manually add a device. See the steps below:
- Open the Alexa App on your phone and select the devices icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Next select the + icon at the top right of the screen.
- Then select the Add Device option.
- Select the Type of Device and then the Brand.
- Finally follow the on screen instructions for setup.
The second way is to try and discover new devices that have been added to your network.
- Open the Alexa App on your phone and select the devices icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Next select the + icon at the top right of the screen.
- Then select the Add Device option.
- Type in discover
- Select Try Discovering New Devices
Once a device is found on the network or added manually through set up, the Alexa Skill for that device will need to be enabled.
This will allow Alexa to control the device as you command.
Now that you have your devices connected, you can begin to create your Routines for Practical Automation. See examples here.
