# Echo and Star Trek commands at home



## Andra

So after the last update to Echo about controlling lights and the Wemo devices, I started reading.  How cool would it be to say "Alexa, turn on the lamp?"  Seriously, that is straight out of Star Trek.
But the reviews are all over the board on the Wemo outlets and light switches etc.  So I thought I would ask here.  Have any of you added any of the home automation devices so you could get Echo to control them?  If so, what did you choose and is it working the way that you want?
The tech is still expensive enough that I want to be reasonably sure that whatever I get will actually work.
Thanks!


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## Betsy the Quilter

The expense of those kinds of things has kept me from looking into them.  Plus hubby doesn't do well with technology, so we haven't thought about them before.  But he loves Alexa, so would probably use the link.  Which brings me back to the price.  He's unlikely to want to spend the money just to avoid having to turn on a light switch.

We are going to get a programmable thermostat, though.  It would be cool if she would work with the thermostat we end up getting.

Betsy


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## Andra

Betsy the Quilter said:


> We are going to get a programmable thermostat, though. It would be cool if she would work with the thermostat we end up getting.


We replaced our existing programmable thermostats with Nest ones last year. They are awesome even though they don't talk to Alexa yet.


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## FloridaFire

We own the WeMo switches and they work great with our Echo. Installation and setup was super easy and we're enjoying the convenience. We *might* look into installing the HUE system next, but I feel it will be in the future. I'm  not a fan of LED lighting. You can change the light temperature, but you have to purchase the more expensive system and I'm just not ready for that at this point.


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## FloridaFire

Betsy the Quilter said:


> The expense of those kinds of things has kept me from looking into them. Plus hubby doesn't do well with technology, so we haven't thought about them before. But he loves Alexa, so would probably use the link. Which brings me back to the price. He's unlikely to want to spend the money just to avoid having to turn on a light switch.
> 
> We are going to get a programmable thermostat, though. It would be cool if she would work with the thermostat we end up getting.
> 
> Betsy


Amazon recruited 3rd party programmers to start building apps for the Echo. A Nest thermostat app was created although it has not been released to the public.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Andra said:


> We replaced our existing programmable thermostats with Nest ones last year. They are awesome even though they don't talk to Alexa yet.


So you like the Nest? What programmable did you have before that? I'm thinking of a Nest...

Betsy


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## Andra

Betsy the Quilter said:


> So you like the Nest? What programmable did you have before that? I'm thinking of a Nest...
> 
> Betsy


We like the Nest a lot. We changed out the one upstairs first since we were having problems with that compressor tripping a circuit and we'd come home to very uncomfortable temps up there - and that's where the bedrooms are located. With the Nest, we can check the temp at any time and DH found a way for it to email/text him if the temp went above a certain point. About 6 months later we changed out the downstairs thermostat and DH is considering changing out the smoke detectors for the ones that tie in to the Nest since they have more motion sensors and the thermostat downstairs is somewhere we don't walk past frequently.

We had basic programmable ones in there before. You could set a schedule and also override, but everything had to be done right there. There wasn't anything wrong with them. The Nest allows us to make changes even when we are not home. And it has a neat setting (for Texas anyway) where you can say that you want to stay between a range of temps. So if it gets too cool, turn on the heat and if it's too hot, turn on the AC. And let's face it, DH and I are both gadget geeks, so it has been fun learning what all we can do with them.


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## FloridaFire

Andra said:


> We like the Nest a lot. We changed out the one upstairs first since we were having problems with that compressor tripping a circuit and we'd come home to very uncomfortable temps up there - and that's where the bedrooms are located. With the Nest, we can check the temp at any time and DH found a way for it to email/text him if the temp went above a certain point. About 6 months later we changed out the downstairs thermostat and DH is considering changing out the smoke detectors for the ones that tie in to the Nest since they have more motion sensors and the thermostat downstairs is somewhere we don't walk past frequently.
> 
> We had basic programmable ones in there before. You could set a schedule and also override, but everything had to be done right there. There wasn't anything wrong with them. The Nest allows us to make changes even when we are not home. And it has a neat setting (for Texas anyway) where you can say that you want to stay between a range of temps. So if it gets too cool, turn on the heat and if it's too hot, turn on the AC. And let's face it, DH and I are both gadget geeks, so it has been fun learning what all we can do with them.


Andra thanks for sharing your experience with the Nest. I would really like to install one in our home. Can I ask you... are you able to completely turn off the furnance/AC from the app rather than just raise/lower the temp?


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## Andra

FloridaFire said:


> Andra thanks for sharing your experience with the Nest. I would really like to install one in our home. Can I ask you... are you able to completely turn off the furnance/AC from the app rather than just raise/lower the temp?


I've never actually tried that... I went into the app and where you can go to the thermostat and adjust the temperature, there is what looks like a power button. I pressed it and it says that it turned the unit off. I'll test it again when I get home and can make sure it's really off.


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## FloridaFire

Andra said:


> I've never actually tried that... I went into the app and where you can go to the thermostat and adjust the temperature, there is what looks like a power button. I pressed it and it says that it turned the unit off. I'll test it again when I get home and can make sure it's really off.


Thanks Andra! Our situation down here is storms frequently break out during hurricane season with little to no warning. If we're home, we run to turn the A/C unit off (to protect it against a power surge). But it would be great to be able to do that if we're not home at the time the storm breaks out.


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## Andra

One of Amazon's Deals of the Day today (7/6/15) is up to 38% off Amazon Echo-Compatible Devices. The basic switch and basic light switch are down to $30.99. That's a better price to experiment with - in my opinion anyway...

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/brose/ref=gb1h_tit_c-2_0842_a845f5bc?node=11646946011&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_s=center-new-2&pf_rd_r=Z7ZJTXA4RSGXT0J9J264&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_p=2072380842


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

I was glad to see that the people that make the Insteon-based HA system I use seem to be considering the Echo as an input device. One of the makers of the Insteon interface hardware has been claiming that it will add Siri-compatible abilities, but I've yet to see it.


Mike


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## Andra

Reviving my home automation thread since it looks like I actually got something working!!
I ordered two of these plugs last week since they were only $23 each and the reviews said that they now worked directly with Alexa.


Setup was pretty simple and both are working as expected. I can turn lamps in two different rooms on/off - so cool!!
DH is going to experiment with one of the WeMo outlets that I picked up earlier to see if he can make them work downstairs where the wifi signal is stronger.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

Being pedantic for a moment, turning lights on and off by voice command (i.e. talking to Alexa) isn't actually Home Automation. Home Automation is about setting systems to perform tasks automatically, such as using motion detectors to turn on lights, setting timers or conditions to open curtains or control lights, notifying people if no motion is sensed in your home for a specified interval, etc.

Some systems, such as mine, will detect when my phone is more than a block from my home and switch to a mode where triggering outside motion detectors and other sensors will send emails or text messages when activated. When I'm home they won't do this, I only get an audible notification from the monitoring computer. All in all, it is actually an automated system and not just voice-actuated switches.

Yes, I know: picky, picky.


Mike


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## Andra

Maybe it is not technically automation yet, but we are slowly moving in that direction.
The Alexa app calls it Smart Home so maybe that is a better phrase.


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## VondaZ

I would respectfully disagree. The definition of home automation varies, but as defined by businessdictionary.com is, "Linking of appliances, and monitoring and control devices, used in a home through an intelligent network over a medium such as coaxial cable, electrical power wiring, infrared, radio frequency, or spread spectrum technology, coordinated by a computer." [Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/home-automation.html#ixzz46gM5hmhu]

Dictionary.com provides an even simpler definition: the control of domestic appliances by electronically controlled systems

The case of turning on/off lights via voice command is a simple subset of the functionality that comes with home automation. In this case, a WiFi enabled plug connects to your home network and allows for automation of the device plugged into that plug. The Echo also connects to your home network and thus can see your home automation devices and when you trigger the appropriate voice command, it sends the appropriate command to the plug. You are no longer physically flipping a switch but relying on automation to respond to a trigger to turn it on and off for you. Whether that trigger is a voice command through echo, a schedule programmed via a hub, or a command sent by an app - it doesn't matter. Sure, home automation can do so much more - but fortunately, you don't have to do it all at once. This is the first step and the rest can be added gradually.


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## The Hooded Claw

This is a rip. I tried, "Alexa, warp factor 3!" And didn't go anywhere. "Alexa, beam me up!" Resulted in "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question!" She didn't even call me "Captain." And Amazon customer service was so unhelpful when I called to complain. I think they've been infiltrated by Klingon agents.


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## Ann in Arlington

The Hooded Claw said:


> This is a rip. I tried, "Alexa, warp factor 3!" And didn't go anywhere. "Alexa, beam me up!" Resulted in "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question!" She didn't even call me "Captain." And Amazon customer service was so unhelpful when I called to complain. I think they've been infiltrated by Klingon agents.


Hmmm. . . . how does Alexa react to tribbles? That might give you a clue . . . .


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## Betsy the Quilter

The Hooded Claw said:


> This is a rip. I tried, "Alexa, warp factor 3!" And didn't go anywhere. "Alexa, beam me up!" Resulted in "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question!" She didn't even call me "Captain." And Amazon customer service was so unhelpful when I called to complain. I think they've been infiltrated by Klingon agents.


Hmmmm... "Alexa, beam me up" should result in "Aye, aye, Captain."


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

The Hooded Claw said:


> This is a rip. I tried, "Alexa, warp factor 3!" And didn't go anywhere. "Alexa, beam me up!" Resulted in "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question!" She didn't even call me "Captain." And Amazon customer service was so unhelpful when I called to complain. I think they've been infiltrated by Klingon agents.


I got:

"Alexa, warp factor 3!" 
"That's a feature for a later version."

"Alexa, beam me up!
"Transporters engaged. Welcome aboard."

They seem to have multiple answers programmed into the system.

Mike


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## Leslie

When I asked, "Alexa, beam me up!" she replied, "At warp speed, Captain, the engines will never take it." 

LOL


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## Andra

Me:  Alexa, tea, Earl Grey, hot.
Her:  I'm not a replicator.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

"Alexa, roll the dice"
"I rolled the die and got three."

"Alexa, roll two dice."
"I rolled two dice and got 5 and 1 for a total of 6."

"Alexa, roll 25 dice."
"I rolled 25 dice and got {snip} for a total of 107."

I'm afraid to ask Alexa to roll 500 dice.

Could be useful.  


Mike


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## Andra

Having decided that the WeMo outlets don't work in our house, DH was disappointed that I only got two of those *TP-LINK Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Works with Amazon Echo, Turn On/Off Your Electronics From Anywhere (HS100)* outlets last week.
They went back down to $23-ish today so I ordered a few more.
I've also got some Phillips Hue bulbs and a bridge coming in.

 

The only problem I see with the Hue bulbs is that single bulbs are pretty expensive.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Because Andra bumped this thread, I was browsing the Smart Home section on Amazon and realized that, back in March, the Nest thermostat, which we have, and Alexa integrated.  Very cool.

Similar, I guess, to other Smart Home accessories, you go to Skills, refine the search to Smart Home, pick your device and enable it.

Then, I had to have it discover the device and link the password used by the app for my Nest.

Works great!  I can say "Alexa, raise the temperature on "Hallway" (the name of my Nest; may have to change that).  She'll tell me what she raised the temperature to--seems to be in two degree increments.  If I tell her to set the temp at a specific temperature "Alexa, raise the temperature on Hallway to 70 degrees," and it's already 70 degrees, she tells me that.  This will be particularly handy when I'm downstairs sewing.  Not a big deal upstairs as my house is very small.

Betsy


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