Amazon Echo

[Desiato]

B'stard Child said:

6 rooms now using IKEA Bulbs with IKEA Tradfri skill - unfortunately not the lounge as non of the IKEA stores have stocks of E14 bulbs - the internet seems to suggest June 2018 for next stock!!!

Last room to do is the kitchen which has a 5 row spot lamp set up - question is do I put all the bulbs into a group??

So do you have to control them via the App or can you do so via Alexa/Siri etc?

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Desiato said:

B'stard Child said:

6 rooms now using IKEA Bulbs with IKEA Tradfri skill - unfortunately not the lounge as non of the IKEA stores have stocks of E14 bulbs - the internet seems to suggest June 2018 for next stock!!!

Last room to do is the kitchen which has a 5 row spot lamp set up - question is do I put all the bulbs into a group??

So do you have to control them via the App or can you do so via Alexa/Siri etc?

Thanks.

You can do it via Alexa with the echo plus without the app or the ikea control unit.

I just bought one ikea bulb and the motion sensor set . It seems to either work with the echo plus or the sensor but not both together, perhaps I need the ikea control unit for this to be possible? In fact the app doesn’t even seem to work without the control unit as like the Phillips hue bulbs you seem to need the bridge to use the app,

I just use the Alexa app anyway as my bulbs and plugs etc are from a few difffernwt sources and I’m only using an echo plus with the internal bridge, not the different manufacturers bridges.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 31st January 07:30

[B'stard Child]

Desiato said:

B'stard Child said:

6 rooms now using IKEA Bulbs with IKEA Tradfri skill - unfortunately not the lounge as non of the IKEA stores have stocks of E14 bulbs - the internet seems to suggest June 2018 for next stock!!!

Last room to do is the kitchen which has a 5 row spot lamp set up - question is do I put all the bulbs into a group??

So do you have to control them via the App or can you do so via Alexa/Siri etc?

Thanks.

Can do both equally easily

Echo plus dowstairs and dot upstairs and no control issues

[Desiato]

El stovey said:

I just use the Alexa app anyway as my bulbs and plugs etc are from a few different sources and I’m only using an echo plus with the internal bridge, not the different manufacturers bridges.

That's very handy to know, thanks.

[Tycho]

El stovey said:

You can do it via Alexa with the echo plus without the app or the ikea control unit.

I just bought one ikea bulb and the motion sensor set . It seems to either work with the echo plus or the sensor but not both together, perhaps I need the ikea control unit for this to be possible? In fact the app doesn’t even seem to work without the control unit as like the Phillips hue bulbs you seem to need the bridge to use the app,

I just use the Alexa app anyway as my bulbs and plugs etc are from a few difffernwt sources and I’m only using an echo plus with the internal bridge, not the different manufacturers bridges.

Edited by El stovey on Wednesday 31st January 07:30

Don't suppose you have tried the Ikea colour bulbs yet? If so, can you change the colour without the bridge straight from the alexa app?

[Watchman]

Tycho said:

Don't suppose you have tried the Ikea colour bulbs yet? If so, can you change the colour without the bridge straight from the alexa app?

I bought a 5m RGB LED strip and WiFi controller off Amazon. Through the Magic Home app, they are surprisingly Alexa-capable. You can ask her to alter the intensity (a percentage), the colour, and even the effect.

Not sure where I am going to use this strip but it was cheap and looked potentially fun.

[PixelpeepS3]

Watchman said:

Tycho said:

Don't suppose you have tried the Ikea colour bulbs yet? If so, can you change the colour without the bridge straight from the alexa app?

I bought a 5m RGB LED strip and WiFi controller off Amazon. Through the Magic Home app, they are surprisingly Alexa-capable. You can ask her to alter the intensity (a percentage), the colour, and even the effect.

Not sure where I am going to use this strip but it was cheap and looked potentially fun.

Top purchase ! - there are so many different types when you search for that - do you have the link to what you bought?

[Tycho]

PixelpeepS3 said:

Watchman said:

Tycho said:

Don't suppose you have tried the Ikea colour bulbs yet? If so, can you change the colour without the bridge straight from the alexa app?

I bought a 5m RGB LED strip and WiFi controller off Amazon. Through the Magic Home app, they are surprisingly Alexa-capable. You can ask her to alter the intensity (a percentage), the colour, and even the effect.

Not sure where I am going to use this strip but it was cheap and looked potentially fun.

Top purchase ! - there are so many different types when you search for that - do you have the link to what you bought?

+1 for a link, it sounds good.

[Watchman]

PixelpeepS3 said:

Watchman said:

Tycho said:

Don't suppose you have tried the Ikea colour bulbs yet? If so, can you change the colour without the bridge straight from the alexa app?

I bought a 5m RGB LED strip and WiFi controller off Amazon. Through the Magic Home app, they are surprisingly Alexa-capable. You can ask her to alter the intensity (a percentage), the colour, and even the effect.

Not sure where I am going to use this strip but it was cheap and looked potentially fun.

Top purchase ! - there are so many different types when you search for that - do you have the link to what you bought?

Indeed, please see the following:

Controller - please note this is an RGBW type which has 5 pins. You need a matching LED strip

MagiDeal DC 5-28V Mini Wireless Wifi RGB/GRBW LED Controller for 5050 3528 LED Strip Lights, Works with Cell Phone App, 4 Styles - WIFI RGBW Controller, 5.2x2.2x1cm

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0734PL8KS/ref=cm_sw_r...



LED strip (indoor only - not waterproof):

DULEE DC 12V 5050 RGBW (RGB+White) 5M 300 LEDs Light Strip Decorative LED Strip,RGBW Non-waterproof

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MSZD7GW/ref=cm_sw_r...



In addition you will need a suitable 5v to 28v DC power supply - I already had one. For a 5m strip, I would recommend 2A or more although I have wondered whether higher input voltages (into the controller) mean you can get away with smaller currents. I ought to test I suppose.

Some laptop PSUs would be perfect if they have the right DC plug (5.5mm appears to be the standard).

[tenohfive]

Well, having recently added this to the home:
https://ring.com/video-doorbell-2
I'm starting to see a case for an Echo Spot and an Echo Show. It plays happily with the Fire TV (voice remote - "show me the front door," pulls it up within a few seconds) but it really needs push notifications for motion and doorbell activation to the actual Amazon devices to be where it should be i.e. motion detected/doorbell rung, automatically switch the view on all Amazon devices with a screen to show the camera view. It's already available in the mobile app so it shouldn't be a big leap for Amazon/Ring etc to sort out.

Fun little toy either way.

[TartanPaint]

An annoyance with Echo Spot:

It makes a great bedside device, with lovely clock faces, and the ability to set a mon-fri alarm for Radio 4 (sadly from TuneIn, not BBC skills, but it works).

However, when the Radio alarm comes on in the morning, it simply displays a Radio 4 icon. What I really need is to hear Radio 4, but for it to back to the clock face. I wake up nicely to it, but while dozing I've no idea what the time is.

Can anyone find a way to set the Spot to play the radio alarm as scheduled, but still continue to show the clock face/home screen?

[LeadFarmer]

TartanPaint said:

An annoyance with Echo Spot:

It makes a great bedside device, with lovely clock faces, and the ability to set a mon-fri alarm for Radio 4 (sadly from TuneIn, not BBC skills, but it works).

However, when the Radio alarm comes on in the morning, it simply displays a Radio 4 icon. What I really need is to hear Radio 4, but for it to back to the clock face. I wake up nicely to it, but while dozing I've no idea what the time is.

Can anyone find a way to set the Spot to play the radio alarm as scheduled, but still continue to show the clock face/home screen?

That sounds like quite a frustrating design flaw.

[Cotty]

TartanPaint said:

Can anyone find a way to set the Spot to play the radio alarm as scheduled, but still continue to show the clock face/home screen?

Isn't it like an Alexa? Can you just ask it for the time?

[TartanPaint]

LeadFarmer said:

That sounds like quite a frustrating design flaw.

Considering it took Amazon till Dec 2017 to even let you schedule an alarm using the radio, are we really surprised?

On the plus side, I had planned to plug in (or bluetooth) some speakers, but found the Spot doesn't need additional speakers like the Dot does. The built-in speaker is very good. Easily clear enough for a radio alarm clock.

[TartanPaint]

Cotty said:

Isn't it like an Alexa? Can you just ask it for the time?

I could, but that's a workaround, not a solution.

[anonymous-user]

TartanPaint said:

LeadFarmer said:

That sounds like quite a frustrating design flaw.

Considering it took Amazon till Dec 2017 to even let you schedule an alarm using the radio, are we really surprised?

On the plus side, I had planned to plug in (or bluetooth) some speakers, but found the Spot doesn't need additional speakers like the Dot does. The built-in speaker is very good. Easily clear enough for a radio alarm clock.

I was quite surprised how many countries Alexa doesn’t even work in, the UK is pretty much one of the first to get these devices and new features.

[sybaseian]

I've updated my gate opening system to use a more normal language format with Alexa.

At the moment, there is no direct Alexa skill to open my gates. The gates do have a GSM SIM that is used to call me from the intercom so that I can let visitors in. This also allows me to either call the gate or send SMS messages to open or close the gates remotely.

Previously, my set up required me to initiate the commands by saying "Alexa, TRIGGER open/close gates" which is a bit of a pain for my wife to remember. This was done via an IFTTT trigger to send an SMS text to my gates and Alexa requires the "TRIGGER" to be spoken.

Now, I have worked around this and can just say, "Alexa, open gates" or "Alexa, close gates" which is much more natural.

The secret to do this is with a Sonoff Basic wifi switch which can be bought directly from Sonoff for a less money but longer shipping or next day delivery from Amazon for more money:-

https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/sonoff-wifi-wirele...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sonoff-Basic-Wireless-Ass...


So how does this switch work?

It is a 230V mains powered wifi enabled switch (plenty of youtube vids for more uses and hacks) that can be controlled via Alexa or other home automation systems and therefore can turn on/off anything connected to the output side of the switch. It can also be used to initiate an IFTTT response without needing anything connected on the output side (more of this later).

I wired the sonoff to a UK plug and powered it from a wall socket, but it could easily be hidden in a wall with its own power feed if you want to be more discreet.

To set up the sonoff, you need to download the ewelink app to your phone and then follow the instructions on the app to configure the sonoff. I named my sonoff "gate switch" but you can name it anything.

Once configured, you need to discover the sonoff device in Alexa.

Now you need to set up two Alexa routines to open and close the gates when you ask Alexa to "Alexa, open gates" or "Alexa, close gates" that turns on or off the sonoff switch. The sonoff switch is not connected to any out put, but does have a STATUS of either on or off. We can use this STATUS for firing an IFTTT trigger.

We want to set up two IFTTT triggers that senses when the sonoff switch has been turned on or off and then for IFTTT to send an SMS message to my gates to either open or close depending on the status of the sonoff switch.

Because the initial part is now an Alexa native routine for turning on/off a switch, I only need to ask Alexa to "open gates" or "close gates".


Alexa and sonoff are not actually aware that they are controlling my gates as this is handled by the IFTTT trigger which only polls to see the status of the sonoff switch and then sends the appropriate SMS message.







I bought a few of the sonoff basics, with the intentions of finding good uses for them as they as so cheap and they can be set up with timers in the app or via other home automation. They can also be flashed with other firmware (TASMOTA) and controlled vi MQTT if you wish, which opens up a lot more possibilities. There have been a few issues recently if the firmware was flashed and set to emulate a WEMO switch with Alexa not discovering the sonoff devices. If the firmware is set to emulate Philips HUE bulbs, they are still discoverable.

[B'stard Child]

B'stard Child said:

Last room to do is the kitchen which has a 5 row spot lamp set up - question is do I put all the bulbs into a group??

Quoting myself

RIght I put them all in a group - called it Kitchen and Alexa turns them all on or off - dims or brightens just with Alexa Kitchen On or Kitchen Off - Alexa Kitchen Dimmer or Alexa Kitchen Brighter

However they are still listed as 5 individual bulbs on the smart home devices in the Alexa App

I suppose it could be useful to tweak the individual brightness to suit certain areas of the kitchen but I think I'd rather just see the group there too......

Anyone found the same or a way round it?

[sybaseian]

B'stard Child said:

B'stard Child said:

Last room to do is the kitchen which has a 5 row spot lamp set up - question is do I put all the bulbs into a group??

Quoting myself

RIght I put them all in a group - called it Kitchen and Alexa turns them all on or off - dims or brightens just with Alexa Kitchen On or Kitchen Off - Alexa Kitchen Dimmer or Alexa Kitchen Brighter

However they are still listed as 5 individual bulbs on the smart home devices in the Alexa App

I suppose it could be useful to tweak the individual brightness to suit certain areas of the kitchen but I think I'd rather just see the group there too......

Anyone found the same or a way round it?

It's there for flexibility. In my lounge, I have up-lighters, Chandelier and lamps. Dining room, I have lamps, Chandelier and LED strip lights.

[ecsrobin]

3x dots for £70 at John Lewis https://www.johnlewis.com/search?Ntt=3x+amazon+ech...