According to Wikipedia "Alexa is an intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.com's Lab126, made popular by the Echo. It is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audio books, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub.[2] Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word (such as Echo), other devices require you to push a button in order to activate listening-mode. Currently, interaction and communication with Alexa is only available in English and German."
I hope that statement give a quick glance at what this device is really about, and whether it might be for you.
There are other voice assistance on the market and the main competitors to Alexa are the Google Home Assistant and Apple's HomeKit.
Amazon Echo (Taller) and Echo Dot (smaller)
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Gooogle Assistant
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Apple Homekit
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Tables in that link are continuously updated everyday, so the information here is a snapshot of information on that link.
Compelling smart device compartibility
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Amazon Alexa
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Apple HomeKit
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Google Assistant
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Belkin WeMo Dimmer
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Chamberlain Smart Garage Hub
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Belkin WeMo Dimmer
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Whirlpool appliances
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Leviton Decora light switches
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Hyundai
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Dish Hopper DVR
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Honeywell Lyric Home Security and Control System
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Chrysler 300
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Element 4K TV
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Nvidia Shield TV
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LG Smart Instaview Refrigerator
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Nvidia Spot
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Ford Sync3
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Mattel Aristotle by Nabi child's smart speaker
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Hydrao smart showerheads
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Samsung SmartThings kit
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LightwaveRF Dimmaers and sockers
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Compatible systems which are “Not bad”
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Amazon Alexa
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Apple HomeKit
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Google Assistant
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Samsung Powerbot VR7000 robot vacuum
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Sylvania Multicolor smart bulb
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Belkin WeMo Mini smart plug
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WeMo Mini smart plug
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Kwikset Premis smart lock
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Coway Airmega air purifier
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Omaker Wow speaker
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Lifx Plus smart bulb
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Switchmate Bright smart switch
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Lenovo Smart Assistant speaker
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ConnectSense Sensors
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Switchmate Power smart plug smart switch
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C by GE Lamp
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Fibaro sensors
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Sensory Voice Genie
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Coway Airmega air purifier
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First Alera Onelink Environment Monitor
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First Alera Onelink environment monitor
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Netatmo Smart Smoke Alarm
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Somfy One security camera
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Withings Home Plus WiFi cam
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C-Way Memoo child's smart speaker
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Carrier Cor smart thermostats
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Switchmate Bright smart switch
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D-Link Omna 180 Cam HD
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Switchmate Power smart plug smart switch
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Sensory Voice Genie
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Hubble Hugo camera
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Yale Real Living Assure Locks
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Carrier Cor smart thermostats
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Yale NexTouch Wireless Locks
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Huawei Mate 9 phone
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Incipio CommandKit WiFi Smart Wall Switch
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Incipio CommandKit WiFi Light Switch
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Incipio Command Kit Smart PowerStrip
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Cambridge Nightengale
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ADT Pulse
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Sensory Voice Genie
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Onkyo VC-FLX1
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Mayfield Robotics Kuri
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Gimmicky
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Amazon Alexa
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Apple HomeKit
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Google Assistant
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iDevices Instant Switch
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iDevices Instant Switch
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LG Hub Robot
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Ubtech Robots Lynx
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Bixi
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What you can do with Alexa?
The following is an example list of things that you can say or ask Alexa.
"Alexa, whats my day like tomorrow?"
"Alexa, tell Lizzy a bedtime story"
"Alexa, tell me a joke"
"Alexa, play Christmas music"
"Alexa, who is Michael Jackson?"
"Alexa, wake me up at 7 in the morning"
"Alexa, ask Skyscanner for a flight to New York"
"Alexa, ask The Telegraph for the top stories"
"Alexa, how's my commute?"
"Alexa, shuffle my Favourites playlist"
"Alexa, turn it up"
"Alexa, will it rain tomorrow?"
"Alexa, read my audiobook"
"Alexa, what's on my calendar today?"
"Alexa, what's the weather in London?"
"Alexa, play Taylor Swift from Amazon Music"
"Alexa, turn on the coffee machine"
"Alexa, turn on all the lights"
"Alexa, switch on main bedroom lights"
"Alexa, set the master bedroom to 20 degrees"
"Alexa, what's in the news?"
"Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride"
"Alexa, open Just Eat and ask for my last order"
"Alexa, ask Jamie Oliver for a recipe"
My setup
I have 2 Echo dots, One in the living room and the other one in my bedroom. I can use the one in the living room if I am in the Kitchen, provided there is not too much noise (like loud music playing), but it works all the time.
To be able to ask Alexa the above question and get expected answers, one need to activate the relevant "skills". Skills are software intelligence that recognises the context and subject of the questions, and know how and where to fetch the data to be able to respond to the pondered question. Say if you have your own product that you want to be compatible with Alexa, you can program a little piece of software specifying the questions that people should ask, and then code the necessary response of your device, in form of actions (e.g. movements if its a mechatronic device, or database fetches, is its data requests)
I use most of the default skills that come enabled with Alexa, and I have activated a few more. I have the SmartThings and LightwaveRF smarthome kits (see previous posts). I connected and activated these skills in my Alexa, so I am able to do the following;
- Switch on/off or dim lights (e.g. "Alexa set living room lights to 20 percent")
- Switch on/off electrical sockets (thus controlling devices connected to those sockets)
- Switch on/off heating
LightwaverRF and SmartThings Skills
The above systems are the key to the success of Alexa in my house. My visitors are always in awe of how I control devices and lights in my house by just using my voice.
At the moment no other home assistant is compatible with LightwaveRF system, so Alexa is ahead of the game at the moment.
If you have any interesting tricks, skills and features that you want to share or discuss, please leave a comment.
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