Amazon Echo

[VEX]

Ditch the Harmony Skill and use Yonomi instead.

Far better and you don't have to 'tell Harmony to turn on .......'

Just 'Echo, turn on big tv' and the whole cinema system kicks in for me at home.

Even better as I arrive home, sonos annouces to the whole house ' "hohoho, quick look busy, daddy's home!' Hours of endless fun!

[pmanson]

VEX said:

Ditch the Harmony Skill and use Yonomi instead.

Far better and you don't have to 'tell Harmony to turn on .......'

Just 'Echo, turn on big tv' and the whole cinema system kicks in for me at home.

Even better as I arrive home, sonos annouces to the whole house ' "hohoho, quick look busy, daddy's home!' Hours of endless fun!

What do I need to get the TV part to work?

I've got Yonomi (although I've been finding it a little hit & miss but I think that is down to my phone/sky router being a little flakey)

TV wise - Panasonic TV, Sky Q and Onkyo Amp...

[weeboot]

pmanson said:

What do I need to get the TV part to work?

I've got Yonomi (although I've been finding it a little hit & miss but I think that is down to my phone/sky router being a little flakey)

TV wise - Panasonic TV, Sky Q and Onkyo Amp...

I'd be interested to hear the answers to this one as well.

[Andehh]

weeboot said:

pmanson said:

What do I need to get the TV part to work?

I've got Yonomi (although I've been finding it a little hit & miss but I think that is down to my phone/sky router being a little flakey)

TV wise - Panasonic TV, Sky Q and Onkyo Amp...

I'd be interested to hear the answers to this one as well.

Yep, this has really sparked my interest as well. Panasonic TV, Sky & Sony AMP.... (all tucked away in the cupboard with Harmony controlling it)

[pmanson]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Cheers. That doesn't look like a bad deal for the more expensive version (if you go for the deal with the Echo). If you value the Echo @ £50 it works out as £65 for the hub.

[Andehh]

So from looking into it, Yonomi will do exactly what the ''Logitech Harmony skills'' will do, just do it better?

More or less a simple as that, with routines set up within Yonomi to turn on TV & turn off TV?

[InertialTooth45]

Got a dot for Xmas. Had a fair bit of fun with the usual questions, news updates, 20 questions etc. Now looking for something a bit more useful.

We've got a set of lights in our kitchen which light up under all of the cabinets. Really useful, use them daily, but the switch is in a really awkward place so putting an Alexa controlled switch on that would be a really ideal solution. What are the options for this? Just a single wi-fi enabled light switch.

[weeboot]

Simplest is something like wemo

[Andehh]

InertialTooth45 said:

Got a dot for Xmas. Had a fair bit of fun with the usual questions, news updates, 20 questions etc. Now looking for something a bit more useful.

We've got a set of lights in our kitchen which light up under all of the cabinets. Really useful, use them daily, but the switch is in a really awkward place so putting an Alexa controlled switch on that would be a really ideal solution. What are the options for this? Just a single wi-fi enabled light switch.

Yep, I am also in this position, with under the counter lights. And yes this switch was put 'out of the way' thinking we wouldn't need it so much....now her in doors uses it as the 'main light' in the kitchen complete with awkward bloody switch location

Also can't find a light switch that works with the two circuits wired to the standard double switch that also enables on/of via Alexa.

Sooo many super fancy light bulbs & portable WIFI switches, yet none that allow hard wiring to a standard bloody light switch!!

[eatontrifles]

InertialTooth45 said:

Got a dot for Xmas. Had a fair bit of fun with the usual questions, news updates, 20 questions etc. Now looking for something a bit more useful.

We've got a set of lights in our kitchen which light up under all of the cabinets. Really useful, use them daily, but the switch is in a really awkward place so putting an Alexa controlled switch on that would be a really ideal solution. What are the options for this? Just a single wi-fi enabled light switch.

weeboot said:

Simplest is something like wemo

A Wemo switch would only work if the awkwardly positioned switch is controlling a 13A socket outlet. I have similar in my kitchen and the socket powering my lights is switched from a 4-gang on the wall so would work as long as the wall switch doesn't get turned off.

[FurryExocet]

skeggysteve said:

Like others I got a Dot for Christmas (from my Son) and I'm very impressed with it.

Thanks to this thread I've turned off the voice order thingy! My wife would have a field day with that!

He also gave me a very nice Sony Bluetooth speaker, but it goes to 'sleep' after a while so I had a play and if I say 'Alexa Bluetooth' she 'wakes' the speaker.

It wouldn't recognise my post code but insisted that I'm in a village about 10 miles away. So I filled in a feedback form and got a reply in less than an hour, they apologised for the issue and said they would pass the matter on to the Alexa development team. Very impressive customer service!

"Alexa Bluetooth" is that something you programmed, or is it a default command? My Bluetooth speaker turns off when not in use, so would be handy if Alexa could switch it on first.

I'm loving the Dot so far, just tell it to do something and it works. Can't get it to find any Polish radio stations though, it interprets Polish as Publish, no matter how slow I pronounce it

Haven't found any useful skills yet, the kids keep interrupting me and asking Alexa to tell them jokes

[The Penguin]

Lenovo have released this. Alexa brain with HK audio perhaps solve the audio issue some have.

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/lenovos-smart-speake...

[Northbloke]

My ageing mother got her Echo for Xmas and at first didn't want to use it in company: felt a bit daft talking to an inanimate object I think! However once everyone had gone home and I gave her a short tutorial she was off and running and loving it.

As it's attached to my account I can see (and hear!) what she is using it for on the phone app: lots of old time songs, weather and timers.

Then last night she had friends round (also old fogeys)...and now they all want one apparently! I can hear them giving Alexa instructions and laughing their heads off. The Echo must seem very surreal to those of an age who used to sit around the radio as a family for fun.

Trouble is if they buy one they won't have access to the Amazon Prime music on my account so will probably be disappointed at the range on offer. Wonder if I can disable one of ours temporarily from my account to see what you get, then reconnect it again.

Anyone done this?

[pmanson]

What about getting a Spotify family account and giving them access to that?

[pmanson]

pmanson said:

Cheers. That doesn't look like a bad deal for the more expensive version (if you go for the deal with the Echo). If you value the Echo @ £50 it works out as £65 for the hub.

Ordered the version with the extra Echo and some hue lights

[mybrainhurts]

Just spotted this thread...

Had been wondering, does it wipe your bum?

[onlynik]

dmsims said:

The Nest compatibility with Echo means users can control their thermostat through Alexa, like other smart heating systems on this list. You can set a specific target temperature, lower the target temperature, as well as say things like "I'm too hot".

Telling it "I'm too hot" does not work for me.

[Tycho]

Andehh said:

Yep, I am also in this position, with under the counter lights. And yes this switch was put 'out of the way' thinking we wouldn't need it so much....now her in doors uses it as the 'main light' in the kitchen complete with awkward bloody switch location

Also can't find a light switch that works with the two circuits wired to the standard double switch that also enables on/of via Alexa.

Sooo many super fancy light bulbs & portable WIFI switches, yet none that allow hard wiring to a standard bloody light switch!!

I think that the Lightwaverf switches would work. There is a main switch for the power supply switching and you pair a slave with it which has a switch and rf to control the master.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/c/home-electricals/home-au...

[triple5]

onlynik said:

Telling it "I'm too hot" does not work for me.

Same with my Honeywell Lyric thermostats, I need to say the group name and then the temperature, "Downstairs Heating 20 degrees"

[pmanson]

Does any one know if the TP Link / Wemo smart switches are due to be upgraded/changed in the New Year? They don't seem to be in stock anywhere...