96 APRIL2020|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE386
I
fThis Then That (IFTTT) is one of the most
useful tools for automating your home.
This simple service’sname describes
exactly whatitdoes: if something happens
(this), then makesomething else happen
(that). Each rule likethis is called an applet.
Thereare two main benefits of IFTTT.
First, it’s extremely easy to programapplets,
and the website is full of pre-defined
examples you can use. Second, IFTTT
supports thousands of services and devices,
so you can do alot with it. And it’s not just
supportfor smarthome devices, as other
services aresupported as well, such as
Google Sheets. Forexample, you could
recordanentry every time asmartmotion
sensor detects motion.
Thebiggest downside is thatIFTTTis
very simplistic, and there’snooption to
automatically undo atrigger.For example,
you could programan applet thatsays when
your security cameradetects motion your hall
light should be turned on. However,the hall
light would then stay on until you turn it off.
It’s possible to have an applet thatturns the
light offevery hour,but thatwould continue
to run while you’reathome.
IFTTT, therefore, worksbetter whereyou
only want asingle action, or you have another
defining action to reverse your decision. In our
example, you’d need an applet thatsays,
‘when there’snomotion fromthe security
cameraafter five minutes turn offthe hallway
light’. Sadly,the reverse action often isn’t
available, limiting whatIFTTTcan be used for.
First, you need to go towww.ifttt.com
and sign up for afreeaccount. Once you’ve
set up your account, you can search for the
devices thatyou want to connect using the
Search box. In our experience, it’s best to
search for companies. Forexample,
searching for TP-Link brings up services
for both Kasa (smarthome) and the
company’srouters.
When you’ve found the service you want,
click it and then click Connect. Yo u’ll be
prompted to enter your username and
passwordtoaccess the service. Note that
some services, such as Date &Time, arebuilt
into IFTTTand don’t need authentication.
GETTINGSTARTED
WITH IFTTT
Oneofthemostusef
ul
toolsforautomatingy
our
smarthome,IFTTTlets
you
controlalmostanyde
vice
ABETTER LOCATION SERVICE
IFTTThas abuilt-in location service, which uses
your phone’sposition to track you. Provided you
have the smartphone app and you’ve got
location services turned on, IFTTTcan make
things happen automatically,such as turning off
alight when you leave home. As good as this
sounds,it’simportant to note that the location
service is for you andyour phone only.
So,ifyou have arule likethis and go out,
your lights at home will turn off, annoying
everyone in your house. As such, the
location service is better for automating
something simple. Forexample, if you have kids, you could set
them up with an IFTTTaccount and have an applet thatsends you
atextmessage or email when they leave school to tell youthat
they’reontheir way home.
If you want to control things in your home
automatically,you’rebetter offsigning up for a
Life360 account (www.life360.com), which is
compatible with IFTTT. This lets you create
groups of people andmonitor their locations.
Youcan setupIFTTTrules thatsay when the last
person leaves home, set your heating to eco
mode; or when the first person arrives, set your
thermostattoheatmode. In this way,Life360
gives you far morecontrol over your home and
ensures nobody is plunged into the dark or cold whenyou pop out.
Life360 also gives you morefeatures, such as the ability to check
whereyour family members are, the battery life status on their
phones, and notifications when people come and go.
CONS
Verysimplisticoption
Nooptiontoautomatica
lly
undoanoption
ABOVE:To set up IFTTT, first search forthe manufacturer of your smartdevices
CONS
PROS
Workswithlotsofsmartho
me
deviceandotherservices
Easytoprogram
Lotsofpre-definedappl
ets
LEFT:Life360gives you morecontrol over your home
