Smart Home / Home Automation

[sparcboxbuck]

Anyone here playing with / having success with building a smart home?

We've had Amazon Echo since last summer. At first I thought it was cute. The more I am reading and starting to use it, the more impressed I become.

I'm going to spend some time over spring break reading some more things. Having just built a couple of years ago I know that I'll regret not putting in some home automation things, but the technology seems to have progressed significantly in that time. So, I'm sure some of what we would have done would be throw away... Or at least let me believe that...

I'm going to start with connecting the Echo with the Harmony hub. I swear I'm the only person in the house who understands the damn Harmony remote. Maybe this will help.

Would love to hear any experiences you're having.

 

[CentralMOBuck]

If i'm ever able to afford my own house this is one thing I'm really interested in. What kind of stuff are you looking to control?

 

[Abenaki]

Definitely something I'm interested in, but haven't gotten into yet. I'm intrigued by the Echo, but a little unsettled by having an always on microphone in the house connected to the internet.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry for being a bit slow to respond. Just got back from vacation...

As for things that I'm looking to control? Anything with a separate remote, in my opinion, is fair game for my first round of attacking things. So, the obvious choices for me will be around home entertainment. While on vacation I did find IFTTT which is a pretty interesting way of linking systems that seemingly are not directly integrated... I'll give that a try for the Echo / Harmony Hub integration in the next couple of days. I'll let you know how it goes.

In the mean, I also did find this: http://smarthome.reviewed.com/features/everything-that-works-with-amazon-echo-alexa

I can't say for certain that Echo will be the basis for our home automation but at this point, since we have it, it seems like a good place to start. From this article it also seems like it's starting to gain some momentum.

The next thing I'd attack is home security system integration. That also seems to be something that is gaining steam with Echo...

@Abenaki I get what you're saying about the always on mic... Hmmmm... Anyhow, looks like there's a new device that is push button. See the linked article above.

More later.

 

[Abenaki]

Interesting that Alexa works with Amazon fire TV as well, as I mentioned possibly getting a few of those over here. That could be a nice way to integrate what the Echo can do without the mic always being on as well.

I know I have a few friends who have the Echo and absolutely love it. If we end up with the Fire TVs per my post in the Cord Cutting thread, I'll definitely start experimenting with what we can do. There's a lot on that list I'd like to explore as well.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

So I set up Echo to work with the Harmony hub. Took all of 5 minutes through IFTTT.

Only set up one activity and the wife tagged me in a FB post about even more controls for the Echo-Harmony marriage.

Time and beer are the only thing separating me from getting it done and I have two taps running in the house...

Looking ahead is home security including garage door automation... I can't tell you how often I turn my ass around to check that I put those down.

 

[CentralMOBuck]

Can you do something like "Echo, watch espn" and it changes the channel to espn? How much setup would that require?

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Can you do something like "Echo, watch espn" and it changes the channel to espn? How much setup would that require?

From what I am seeing / reading... it would require setting up an activity on the Harmony side for "Watch the SEC Network." Currently I have a series of activities like watch TV, Roku, Watch Movie, Pandora Inside, Pandora Outside, etc... Each of these are more complex activities involving multiple devices. I'd just need to set up a very simple activity that changes the current channel on the DTV receiver to SEC Network and then link it to Echo through IFTTT. The verbal command would be "Alexa, Trigger Watch SEC Network."

Like I said, only thing stopping me is beer and time and I've got way too much beer and not enough time.

I will say, for anyone with kids, the Harmony hub is pretty awesome. They can be downstairs watching TV too loud and I can adjust it from my phone while laying in bed.

Did I mention that I need to go on a diet again?