Computer Shopper - UK (2020-04)

98 APRIL2020|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE386

T

he Amazon Echo speaker was the first
to bring voice control to the masses via
the Amazon Alexa assistant. Thesystem
has expanded to include ahuge range of
speakers and agrowing range of features,
including free UK phone calls and the ability
to manage your diary.
Here, we’respecifically looking at the smart
home control thatAlexa offers. Themost
common way thatyou’ll use Alexa is via voice
control. To add control of asmartdevice, you
just have to search the Alexa app for the right
Skill, enter your login details for the device
and let your smartdevices get discovered.
Using the commands listed in the Skill,
you can starttocontrol your devices, by
saying, for example, “Alexa, set the Nest
Thermostatto18degrees”.Control of Alexa
makes moresense when you put devices into
groups. Thebest way to see groups is rooms
thatcontain specific devices. To do this, you
go to Devices in the app (bottom-right icon),
tap the Plus icon and select Add group.Enter

aname for the group (or choose fromthe list

of common names), then tap Next. Now you

can select the devices thatare in the room,

including any Echo smartspeakers. Ta pSave

when you’redone. Now when you say to an

Echo,“Alexa, turn on light”, thankstogroups,

Alexa knows which roomit’s in,soit

understands which lights you want to turn on.

To control devices in another group (room),

you have to use the name of the device, still:

“Alexa, turn on living roomlights.”

Routines arewhereAlexa gets really

powerful, as they let you string commands

together for multiple devices. Themost

common way to use routines is with avoice

command. Forexample, “Alexa, movie night”,

could turn down the lights, turn on asmart

plug connected to alamp,and boost the

thermostat’stemperature. However,Amazon

has also increased the number of triggers to

allow for home automation.

Routines areavailable in the Hamburger

menu in the Alexa app.Gotothis and tap the

Plus icon to create anew one. First,

you can enter the name of the

routine, which can be anything.

Next, select the trigger action

(called When this happens). The

easiest option is the Voice option,

which lets you type in the

command thatyou’ll speak to

activate the Routine. Yo uthen

trigger aroutine with asimple voice

command: “Alexa, movie night”.

However,thereare other

triggers, including schedules to

makearoutine run at the same time every

day; maybe you want to turn on aporch light

at night and turn it offagain in the morning.

Even smarter,you can create routines based

on smarthome devices. Forexample, you can

use asupported motion sensor,and say that

when there’sbeen no motion for 10 minutes,

to turn offthe lights in your home. The

number of trigger devices is growing

massively (you can use motion sensors,

security cameras and even the Ring Alarm’s

state), but thereare still some restrictions, such

as smartdoor locksnot yet being supported.

Foractions, you can choose to control

devices, such as setting alight bulb to a

specific brightness. Controls do vary hugely

by device, however.For example, you can use

aroutine to set the Nest Thermostattoa

temperature, but you can’t do the same thing

with azone in aHoneywell Evohome system.

Yo ucan also get an Echo device to play a

song, and give you news headlines, traffic

updates and weather forecasts.

HOW TO USE

AMAZON ALEXA

Agreatadditiontoan

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smarthome,Alexamov

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beyondsimplevoicec

ontrol

intofullhomeautoma

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CONS

Alexadoesn’talwaysunde

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Controlmassivelyvaries

bymanufacturer

PROS

Excellentvoicecontrol

Brilliantdevicesupport

Powerfulroutines

ABOVE:Alexa Groups makeiteasier to control your home ABOVE:Routines let you automate yourhome and control multiple devices

LEFT:Amazon Echo speakers have

brought voice control to the masses