Our Top Post of 2017

Happy New Year from Techlaurels!

As the year 2017 draws to a close, TechLaurels would like to thank all of our readers for taking this journey with us.  Despite the fact we have been publishing for less than a year, our readership continues to grow, and new readers continue to find us every day.

This year, we've learned about Smart Homes, privacy issues, security scams, Alexa, gadgets, software, quick tips, how-tos, and a lot more.  We will continue to explore all of these topics in 2018, as well as anything our readers want us to explore.

Today, to celebrate the end of the year, TechLaurels is reprinting our most popular post of 2017, a quick tip on how to protect your e-mail address.  No, leaving a space in your e-mail address is no longer enough to protect it from harvesting.

If you have anything you'd like to see TechLaurels cover in 2018, please let us know in the comments, on Facebook (facebook.com/techlaurels), or on Twitter (twitter.com/techlaurels). We hope you'll continue to join us throughout 2018.

Merry Alexa-Powered Christmas

Let Alexa be Your Holiday Helper

 

Use your Amazon Echo to Help with your Holiday Prep

We are midway through the Holiday Season, and getting down to the wire.  Last night, we lit all eight candles on the menorah, and on Sunday Night, Santa finally comes.  As with the other Holidays we've looked at, (Halloween and Thanksgiving,) your Alexa powered device can help you make your Holidays a little merrier.

Today, we're going to look at Alexa skills you can use to help you through the Holidays.  Most of these skills can be enabled by saying "Alexa, enable the [name] skill.

Holiday Cooking

We've already covered the ways Alexa can help you with your Holiday Meal Prep when we talked about an Alexa-Powered Thanksgiving. Many of the same recipe and meal planning skills can help you with your Holiday meal prep.  You can find out all about the Pie Guy skill, Betty Crocker, What's Cooking, Roast Calculator, and more in that article.  But there are a couple of helpful holiday food skills we did not cover there: Holiday Cookies, and Santa Snacks.

Holiday Cookies, of course, gives you all sorts of ideas for Holiday Cookies.  It will read you the ingredients as well as the instructions.   You can pause and/or repeat any step at any time.  And of course, you can do it all hands-free.  To enable, ask Alexa to enable the "Holiday Cookies" skill. To use, say "Alexa, ask Holiday Cookies..." or "Alexa, open Holiday Cookies.

Santa Snacks: Santa Snacks will help you find the perfect snack for Santa!  Just answer a few questions, and this skill will suggest a snack to leave for Santa Claus.

Santa-Related Alexa Skills

How to Decorate Your PC for the Holidays

Make your Computer Look Festive for the Holiday Season

Install Holiday Themes to Decorate Your PC

Happy December to all!  We are in the middle of the Holiday Season, and people are decorating houses, cars, and yards to make them look more festive.  Why should your PC be left out?  Today, we are going to look at a few ways you can decorate your computer for the Winter Holidays.  Specifically, we are going to look at using Themes to change the appearance of your computer screen.

Delivery Notification Scams

Holiday Shopping Season Brings Out
the Delivery Notification Scammers

Do NOT Get Phished by a Bogus Delivery Notice

Black Friday and Cyber Monday set online ordering records this year.  US shoppers spent over $1.59 billion on Cyber Monday alone. Millions of online orders were placed during the past week. And of course, that means millions of packages will be delivered by UPS, USPS, and FedEx. That also means these companies will be sending out millions of delivery notification e-mails.  But does that mean all of these delivery notices are legit? Of course not. 

The scammers do not discriminate. They pretend to be from UPS, The Us Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, and even DHL.  They may claim to need more information from you in order to deliver a package, or they may claim to hold tracking information.  They may claim there is postage due, and you need to click on a link to arrange payment. They may use official looking graphics, or they may be sent in plain text.  And they may or may not be caught by a junk mail filter.

These scams are so ubiquitous that FedEx, USPS, UPS, and even DHL warn against them on their own websites.   UPS offers an 83 page PDF with examples of fraudulent e-mails.  Today, we're going to look at some of these bogus e-mails, so we can learn what to look out for and avoid getting scammed.

Black Friday: Don't Get Scammed

The Biggest Shopping Weekend Brings Out the Scammers

Shop Safely and Avoid the Cyber Shopping Scams

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and basically the whole Thanksgiving Weekend are some of the biggest shopping days on the planet.  Almost every cyberstore has some kind of special, and our Inboxes and Social Media Feeds are full of discounted offers.  And although there are many legitimate sales, there are just as many scammers looking to rip you off on this big shopping weekend.  Don't be a fool, and look out for the Black Friday Shopping Scams.  Here are a few of the more popular ways to separate honest folks from their hard earned money.

Bogus Order Confirmations

Bogus order confirmations are a form of spear phishing. Scammers send hundreds of fake order confirmations, hoping you will click through to cancel an order.  Basically, the scammer steals official looking logos and graphics from a major retailer, then uses them in an order confirmation purporting to be from that retailer.  These phishing attacks multiply on Black Friday, as many folks are placing online orders during that time.  The e-mail may spoof Best Buy, Amazon, Ebay, Target, WalMart, Costco, etc.  If you click through the fake e-mail, you will be taken to a cloned log-in site.  The scammers are hoping to steal your shopping log-ins, so they can go on a shopping spree with your money, and even lock you out of your own account.

An Alexa Powered Thanksgiving

Alexa can Ease Your Thanksgiving Prep
And Help you on Thanksgiving Day

An Amazon Echo Makes an Excellent Thanksgiving Assistant

Thanksgiving is a week away. For some people, Thanksgiving is all about the food; for others, it's about football. For most, it is a hectic time that we all love.  But it is also a time in which we can all use a helping hand. And Alexa can step in and give you help, easing some of the stress.  

Today, we're going to look at how Alexa can help you with Thanksgiving, both in the lead up period and on the big day. We will look at Thanksgiving skills that can be enabled, as well as built-in abilities that will come in handy.

A New Way to Phish: Survey Spam

Beware of Phishing Attacks via Surveys

Scammers Can Use Surveys to Steal Your Personal Information;
That Survey Invitation May be a Phishing Attack in Disguise

The Scammers just keep getting more creative, finding new, seemingly legitimate ways to steal and misuse your personal information.  Survey spam is one of the latest methods Spear Phishers are using to trap their victims.

Spear Phishing refers to a targeted e-mail attack.  Spear phishers send you personalized spam e-mail that usually appears to be from a trusted contact.  That e-mail is intended to trick you into taking an action that will open you to harm. A Spear Phishing attack may try to plant malware, steal your information, and/or trick you into revealing log-ins and passwords.  A Spear Phisher's intentions are never good.

As cyberspace wisens up, the Phishers find new ways to steal your information. One of these ways is through survey spam.

Folks love to participate in surveys.  Often, surveys contain a sweepstakes component to help entice users to take it. "Five survey  participants will be randomly chosen to receive a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate" is a common come-on.  Many companies use legitimate surveys for market research and quality assurances.

Alexa Turns Three: The Evolution of Amazon's Alexa

Happy Birthday, Alexa!
The Amazon Echo Turns Three Years Old!

The Evolution of Alexa and the Amazon Echo

Time sure flies when you're having fun, as the saying goes.  It doesn't seem like Alexa has been around for three years! But today marks the third anniversary of the Echo's release.  Let's take a look at how Alexa has evolved over a three-year period.

Amazon Echo, Generation One, 2014

The Amazon Echo was the first Alexa-enabled product sold by Amazon. Initially, it was offered to Prime Members by invitation only, as well as to a couple of lucky Vine Reviewers.  Generation One Echos cost about $200, but early adopters received them at a 50% discount.  Echos remained an invitation-only item until well after the Holiday Season was over, making them a very hot gift item. And of course, by the time Amazon made them available to the General Public, they stopped the 50% discount for Prime Members.

Generation One Echos shipped with an included voice remote, another practice that was soon discontinued.  For most of 2015, the Echo was available in limited quantities, and was a very hard item to get.  In 2016, used and refurbished Echos started hitting the market, and in fact, refurbished Echos were a hot commodity during Amazon's second "Prime Day" in 2016.

Initially, the Echo was primarily a glorified version of Siri, combined with a voice-activated media player.  Few skills were available, and third-party manufacturers had not begun making the dozens of Alexa-compatible devices we can find today.  In fact, although they supported Pandora, Spotify, Sirius XM, and other music service support was yet to come.  In 2014, the most impressive thing about the Echo was its "cool factor." It was the first and only voice assistant that was NOT part of a phone OS at the time. It also performed better than Siri on many tasks.

An Alexa-Powered Halloween (Smart Home Series Part 11)

An Alexa Powered Halloween:
Enhance Your Halloween Using Alexa and Your Amazon Echo

 

Halloween is upon us. Although Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year, many communities are celebrating this weekend.  Additionally, many of the adult parties are scheduled for Saturday. Many families are using this weekend to prepare for Halloween.  If you have an Amazon Echo or Dot, you can use Alexa as an adjunct to your Halloween preparation and celebrations.

Today, we return to our Smart Home Series.  This article is Part 11 of the series. You can go back and read Part 1 here.  This post examines fun, Halloween-related things to do with Alexa. We'll look at spooky skills, spooky sounds, and spooky videos, as well as how to find some Halloween-related recipes using Alexa.

Spooky Skills

As we learned earlier, Alexa has a plethora of skills which can extend her functionality. Amongst these skills are some specific Halloween oriented skills.  Remember, you can activate most skills by saying "Alexa, activate the [name of skill] skill."  (Skills which require account linking usually need to be activated from the skill's page at Amazon, or through the Skills section of the Alexa app.  More information about skills and how to activate them can be found in Part 3 of our Alexa series.)  Since most of these spooky skills do not require account linking, they can be activated with a voice command.

Weathering a Storm Part 4: Food and Provisions

Putting Together a Storm Emergency Kit Part 4:
Food, Water, Beverages, 

Provisions, and Miscellaneous Supplies

Feeding Yourself During a Storm Event:
Winners and Losers

This is our final post in a series on preparing for a Storm Emergency and lessons learned from Hurricane Irma.  Part 1 focused on emergency lighting, Part 2 discussed communications, and Part 3 looked at Electronics, Power Accessories, and Entertainment, and talked about how to alleviate boredom during an extended power outage.  Today, we're going to step away from technology for a little bit and look at food, provisions, and miscellaneous items you need to keep in an Emergency Kit.

Food Considerations

When a storm hits, you may need to shelter in place, or you may need to evacuate.  Whether you evacuate to a public shelter or to a motel, you will need to bring your own food. In addition, you cannot count on ANYTHING being open during the storm or its immediate aftermath.  Restaurants, grocers, and convenience stores will close in advance of a Storm Event, and many will not reopen for days.  Thus, your Emergency Kit needs to include at least a week's worth of supplies per person.  And of course all of these supplies need to be shelf-stable, lasting a long time without refrigeration.

If you shelter in place, you may be able to use camp stoves and the like to heat up food. However, if you need to evacuate, you will not be able to use any type of grills or camp stoves. You will not be able to use any type of personal generator either. Thus, ideally your emergency food should consist of items that can be eaten without heating.

Storm Emergencies are very stressful. And for most people, stressful times call for comfort food.  Many people pack their emergency kits full of the foods they SHOULD be eating, rather than the foods they ENJOY eating. This is a big mistake.  Be sure to pack your Emergency Kit with foods you actually enjoy.  Do not overlook snacks.  And also include some of your own, personal, "stress-eating favorites." For many, that means including some form of chocolate in your Emergency Kit.  For others, it may mean nuts or chips.  Whatever your own non-perishable "vice food" is, be sure to include plenty of that in your kit as well.

You WILL need to eat well during an emergency situation. Therefore, try to include protein-packed foods and things that will give you energy. Avoid high sodium foods and foods that tend to dehydrate you.  If your system is at all sensitive, try to avoid foods that will cause flare-ups. Yes, you want some comfort foods, but this is NOT the time to go on a junk food only type binge.  Also make sure you have some high fiber foods in your kit.

Commercially canned foods are better than home canned foods and/or bottled foods.  Canned foods are much less prone to contamination by flood waters than food in bottles or jars.  Food in "pouches" is another good alternative, as it has a long shelf life and is less prone to contamination by floods.

Tech and a Storm Event Part 3: Electronics, Entertainment and Power Accessories--What Worked and What Didn't

Surviving a Storm Event Part 3:

Portable Devices, Power Accessories, and Entertainment:
Winners and Losers

Supplies to Help Avert Boredom During a Hurricane

This is Part 3 in a series about surviving a Storm Event and its aftermath, and focusing on the high tech and low tech supplies that help folks get through a storm. We're looking at what worked well, and what did not.  Part 1 focused on lighting technologies, and Part 2 looked at communications. Today, in Part 3, we're going to look at Power Accessories, Portable Electronics, and Entertainment. Our final installment will look at food and provisions.

Even before Irma officially arrived, many places in her path lost electricity. As Irma made her way through Florida, she took down a lot of power poles and transformers, and many people were left powerless for days.  Without power, we cannot run refrigerators, appliances, Internet modems, entertainment systems, or telephones. We cannot keep all of our devices charged either.  In fact, in the 21st Century, we depend on electricity, and most of us find it very difficult to function without it.  But with proper preparation, and the right supplies in an Emergency Kit, you can make the most of a powerless situation.  This article will discuss some of the things that helped us get through the days without power.

Portable Electronics: Win

Every modern household is equipped with a wide range of electronic devices.  Many of these devices are designed to be portable.  And every type of portable electronic can be useful in a Storm Event.  However, any device that depends on Internet to operate will most likely be useless.  We probably won't be using our Smart Speakers, Amazon Echos, and DVRs during a hurricane.  

Other devices will be extremely useful. Laptops, tablets, cell phones, MP3 players, portable media players, e-readers, and the like are all fantastic to have during a storm. These types of devices hold a whole lot of information in a relatively small space.  With proper preparation, you will find yourself depending on these devices to get you through the storm without losing your mind.  

Tech and a Storm Event Part 2: Communications--What Worked and What Didn't

Surviving a Storm Event, Part 2:
Communications: Winners and Losers

 

This is Part 2 in a series about surviving a Storm Event and its aftermath.  Part 1 discussed Lighting Solutions for your Emergency Kit, and it can be found here.  Having recently lived through Hurricane Irma, Techlaurels is sharing lessons learned from the storm.

As most people know, Irma severely impacted Florida, including the Island where Techlaurels is physically located. While some areas were hit worse than others, most Floridians experienced gas shortages, extended power outages, and a loss of utilities. While power and utilities have been restored, Florida is still cleaning up Storm Debris.  Forecasters warn that we can expect October to be an active Hurricane month. Most of us are NOT waiting for another evacuation to be called. We are restocking our Emergency Kits now. We are also looking at the services that failed us, and reassessing what worked and what did not.

Many of us felt extremely communication-challenged throughout the Storm.  When you are living in the Information Age, it's hard when you cannot access the news or Social Media.  In addition, the little information you're able to receive is plagued with urban legends and false assertions.  Today, we are going to discuss what worked and what did not when it came to communications during the storm.

Sweepstakes: Headlamp for your Emergency Kit

Win a Headlamp for your Emergency Kit
    

Last week, we discussed the BEST type of Lighting to include in your Emergency or Evacuation Kits.  We promised a Giveaway too.  Well, here it is!  Techlaurels is sponsoring an Amazon Giveaway for a Headlamp, perfect for stashing in your own Hurricane Kit.

Click here to enter the giveaway on Amazon.com

To enter, you must have an Amazon Account and a Twitter Account.  Amazon will contact the winner and handle prize fulfillment.  No purchase is necessary.  Open to US Residents over the age of 18.  Techlaurels has paid for all prizes and associated shipping costs. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Techlaurels, and NOT by Amazon.  Sweepstakes ends Oct 5, 2017 11:59 PM PDT.

If you want to buy this particular Headlamp, it is available at Amazon.

We think Twitter is a good way to keep up with Techlaurels and with new Blog posts, and our Amazon Giveaways typically bring us a lot of new followers.  But we primarily sponsor these giveaways for fun. We hope you enjoy it.  Good luck to all participants!

We'll finish talking about what we learned during Hurricane Irma, and then we'll get back to our Alexa Smart Home Series. If you do not already, we hope you'll follow us on Twitter and participate in this Giveaway.

Tech and a Storm Event Part 1: Lighting--What Worked and What Didn't

Building an Emergency Kit for a Storm Event:
What to Include, and What to Ditch,
Part I

Winners and Losers for Surviving the Storm and What Follows

As some of you know, Techlaurels is physically based on the Florida Gulf Coast.  I live on a barrier island that is 7 miles long, and a mile and a half at its widest.  Originally, Irma was supposed to go up the East Coast, and my part of Florida was supposed to be out of Irma's path.  Even when a precautionary voluntary evacuation was put in place, few of us did much to prepare, other than charging up our electronics and filling a few jugs with water.  The data did not support our area being hit with anything we couldn't handle. We'd need to shelter in place for a day or two, and that was all.

Then Irma changed paths, literally overnight. We awoke to the news that Irma was now projected to make landfall on the West Coast.  We'd been upgraded to a mandatory evacuation, and few of us had done much to prepare.  And now, there were neither available supplies nor sufficient time to do what we needed.  Gas was extremely hard to come by, shelf stable food was unavailable, and there was no bottled water to be had.  The Chief of Police ordered all businesses closed at 2 pm, and we needed to be off the Island before 6, when all bridges would be closed to oncoming traffic. Most of the shelters had already filled, and the interstates were already parking lots. We needed somewhere to run, and choices were few given the circumstances.  However, the rule of thumb is to shelter from wind and run from water, and we were now facing a potential 15 foot storm surge, something that would obliterate our little Island. A five foot surge would be enough to take out a lot of buildings; 11 feet would be enough to destroy us.  It was too late to escape Irma's path all together, so the best alternative was to find an available hotel room somewhere South of Alabama.

We found a room at the Stuart Courtyard, a hotel on Florida's East Coast that was new and built to withstand a Cat 5 storm. It was on high enough ground a surge would not threaten it. When we arrived, we had approximately 18 hours before Irma was supposed to hit that part of Florida, and the feeder bands had already arrived.  We kept utilities at the hotel for approximately 14 hours.  After that, there were no elevators, hotel phones, internet, hot water, lights, or power. That meant no food or beverage service, not even vending machines. And we still had at least 2-3 full days that we needed to shelter in place.

On the second day, Irma again changed her path, and I was looking at not having a home to which I could return.  At the last minute, Irma changed her path once more, and thankfully, that meant the storm surge alert was called off. However, my home was not completely spared from Irma's wrath. We had 92 mph winds and inches of pounding rain. We had huge trees down all over the place, loads of damage from wind-borne objects, shingles littering the neighborhood along with other various debris, and our utilities had been completely wiped out. The Police were running on generators, and the cell phone tower's backup supplies were running low.  If you could get a single bar, your communications were limited to texting. Every time you tried to use a data connection, you'd be promptly cut off. They managed to restore water before they reopened the Island, but it would not be safe for drinking until power was restored, and with only electric stoves on the Island, we had no way to boil it.

Because it was a good five days before most businesses had power restored, and the restaurants and stores had lost their refrigerated and frozen supplies too, there was a food shortage on the Island. It would be days before the delivery trucks made it out.  Restaurants tried to reopen once power was restored, but menus were limited.  Hoarders snapped up what little food there was quickly, and we were beginning to exhaust what was in the pantry.  You had to drive hours, to more populated areas, to try to get gas, batteries, water, and food that did not require refrigeration.  And officials were asking us to limit non-essential trips, as the roads were clogged with evacuees trying to return, gas was still scarce, and we needed the supply trucks and utility workers to be able to get through.  Any place that had supplies had long lines. I joked that  every place open looked like a 1980s era Russia, and they were giving away plush, three-ply toilet paper.  We had a good two weeks of third-world like conditions.  But we all managed to make it through.  And during this trying time, I learned a lot about what worked and what didn't.

Blog Status Update

Techlaurels Weathered the Storm!
But it Was Rough!

I just wanted to give you an update on the status of this blog. As many of our followers know, Techlaurels is physically located on the Florida Suncoast, on one of the Barrier Islands.  We were in the path of Irma, and at one point, were facing a potential fifteen foot storm surge, which would have obliterated our little Island.  (In the graphic above, I live right below the 8 am Monday M.) So we all evacuated. The storm turned at the last moment, and my home was spared. But that doesn't mean we were not effected.  

When the threat passed. and we were finally allowed to return home, there were gas shortages and bumper to bumper traffic.  We came home to find an Island that had suffered a lot of damage.  Trees had fallen on houses, fences, and roads; chairs, carports, and trash cans were all over the place, and you could barely walk down streets because of all of the debris.  

If anyone is interested in reading more about our third-world like conditions, feel free to look at the public posts on my personal Facebook page (facebook.com/laurelnev). Suffice it to say it's hard to write about Smart Homes when your own set-up has been completely dismantled, packed into waterproof tubs, and stashed in the bathtub, under a mattress, to protect it from potential wind damage. In addition, although I suffered little loss outside of an extended  power outage, my neighbors were not so lucky.  I have been devoting my time to the recovery efforts, and I have not even had a chance to put all the things stashed around my house back into their rightful spots.

I am currently working on an article about what tech worked for me, and what tech failed, during this week+ long storm event.  After that, our series on Alexa and Smart Homes will resume. However, I have heard feedback from readers that do not have Alexa, and they would like to see the return of other content. Therefore, when we resume publication, the Alexa Smart Home Articles will be interspersed with quick tips, quizzes, etc. We will even sponsor another Giveaway soon.  

Please bear with us while Florida recovers. We are beginning to return to normal, with the exception of persistent grocery shortages, and 11% of people in my county are still without power.  Until this Blog returns to a normal publication schedule, we hope you'll catch up on some of the articles you may have missed.

Hurricane Irma

We are sorry to announce that Techlaurels is suspending publication for the next week, at least. We are physically located on the Florida Gulf Coast, and unfortunately, are being impacted by Irma.  We will resume publication after the storm itself and the subsequent recovery period is over.  Please bear with us during this unexpected delay. We WILL resume our Alexa series as soon as we are able.

TP-Link Smart Outlets, Home Automation, and Alexa (Smart Home Series, Part 10)

The TP-Link Smart Outlet and the Kasa App

Schedule Your Appliances with Kasa, 

and Control Them with Alexa

This is Part 10 of a series on building a Smart Home and using Alexa to control it. Previous articles covered setting up and using both your Amazon Echo and the companion Alexa app.  Again, we recommend you peruse those previous posts if you are interested in learning about all that Alexa can do.

This week, we go back to talking about Smart Outlets.  We previously reviewed the WeMo family of Smart Outlets, as well as the Hue Lighting System.  Today, we're going to discuss the TP-Link Family of Smart Devices, and specifically, the TP-Link Smart Outlet.  The TP-Link Outlet is similar to the WeMo in many ways, but it has a few important differences. Both the WeMo and the TP-Link are worthy entries in the field. Depending on your specific needs, you may find one works better for you than the other.

TP-Link Smart Outlets

We discussed the concept of Smart Outlets when we discussed the Wemo. (If you need a review, please see this post.)  A Smart Outlet is not a plug with a high IQ, but rather, it's a plug that can be controlled remotely.  As we said in that review,, Smart Outlets add WiFi and remote control to standard outlets, and by extension, to your existing appliances.  Whatever you plug into a Smart Outlet becomes a Smart Device, capable of being controlled remotely, from your couch, car, or office.  And for our purposes, we're looking at Smart Outlets that are compatible with Alexa, so we can add voice control to the equation.

The TP-Link Outlet offers all of the above.    With a TP-Link Smart Outlet, you can control your appliances with an app, either while at home, or remotely over the Internet. It also offers Alexa compatibility, so you can control these outlets with your voice.

TP-Link offers several flavors of Smart Plugs.  Some models offer energy monitoring as well as remote control.  One model even integrates a WiFi extender into the mix.

TP-Link Outlet Capabilities

TP-Link Smart Outlets offer all of the functions you'd expect from a Smart Plug.  They offer remote access and scheduling through the Kasa App.  Of course, you can turn attached devices on an off through the app. But you can also do a lot more. TP-Link Smart Outlets are compatible with Alexa "Scenes."   The app has pre-built scenes for "Good Morning," "Good Night," and "Movie Night," and you can create your own custom scenes as well.    "Scenes" may contain one or more of your TP-Link Smart Devices.  (TP-Link offers Smart Lights and Smart Switches as well.)  They're handy for grouping several TP-Link devices together, so you can control them with a single command.

Voice Controlling Your TV with Alexa, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 9)

Add Voice Control to your TV
with Alexa and Fire TV

Use your Amazon Echo Device to Control Your Fire TV

This is Part 9 in a Smart Home series, talking about how to use Alexa to build an economical, voice-powered Smart Home. To learn all about Alexa and what she can do, we recommend reading the previous posts in the series, starting with Part 1, located here. Links to other parts of the series can be found in the sidebar. (And, of course, you can always use the "Newer Posts" link at the bottom of each post to read the next chapter in the series.)  Previous articles discussed the Echo Family of Devices and using Alexa, as well as using other Smart Devices, such as Smart Outlets and Smart Lights with them.

Today, we're moving away from lighting and into the realm of entertainment.  In this post, we're going to talk about controlling a Fire TV Stick with Alexa and your voice. In Part 2, we'll talk about how to extend voice control to other parts of your entertainment center, using yet another third party device.  But read on to find all about how your Echo complements your Fire TV.

What is Fire TV?

Fire TV is Amazon's add on that converts your "regular" TV into one that is app-capable.  It turns a regular flat screen into a Smart TV.  It brings WiFi and streaming to any TV set.  And if you also have an Amazon Echo or Dot, it brings voice control to media playback.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Obviously, you must have Internet service to use the Fire TV.  And you must have a  TV that supports HDMI. So long as you meet those criteria, your TV can probably handle a Fire Stick.

The Fire TV connects to your TV through an HDMI port, typically something only available on "newer" TVs. It must also connect with the Internet, usually through WiFi, in order to stream.  (It IS possible to add HDMI to an older television using a few commercial electronics. But generally speaking, a Smart blu-ray player and an RF Modulator are more practical and economical  for adding apps and WiFi to an older TV.)  The Fire TV Stick is portable, so you can use it in a hotel or take it to a friend's house for a binge-watching party.

If you are a Prime Member, and/or if you use Amazon Photos, Amazon Video, or  Twitch, the Fire TV brings all of that to your television set, and off of the small screen. It does the same for a plethora of TV apps.  Additionally, it brings android games to your TV. The Amazon app store has a whole section devoted to games and apps for your Fire TV.  The Fire TV comes with a few streaming apps pre-loaded, but many are available through the app store, which of course, you can access right from your Fire TV.

Creating Groups with Alexa (Smart Home Series, Part 8)

Make Your Smart Devices Work Together
by Creating Alexa Groups

Control Devices Made by Different Manufacturers
with a Single Voice Command

  

This is Part 8 in a series about building an Alexa compatible Smart Home, and about learning to use the Alexa App.  Previous articles focused on setting up and using Alexa, as well as setting up a Smart Plug and a Smart Lighting System.  You can find Part 1 of this series here, as well as links to all 7 previous chapters in the Sidebar.

Today we're going to discuss something we've touched upon in previous articles: setting up Groups in Alexa. Setting up groups allows you to control various Smart Devices with a single Alexa command.

What is an Alexa Group?

 A Group is merely a collection of devices, gathered together, so you can control all at once.  We briefly touched on Groups in Part 1 of this series, in the section called "How Does the Echo Help with Your Smart Home?"  As noted then, each Smart Device comes with its own app that you typically need to use to set-up the device. Without the help of Alexa, you'd also need to use the app to control the device. This is all well and good when you have only Smart Devices from a single manufacturer, AND if you do not want to control things with your voice. But what if you have some Smart Light Bulbs, like a few Hue Lights, and other lights on Smart Outlets, like the WeMo? Do you really want to have to open a few different apps just to turn on your lights?  Setting up Alexa groups eliminates the need to do that.

A group is simply a set of devices and/or scenes, saved under a specified name. It is very similar to the concept of "rooms" used by the Hue Lighting System, except it's a thousand times more flexible. A group can consist of one or more device.  You may then activate the device or devices with a single command word.

For example, I have Hue Bulbs in both my bedroom and office. Both these rooms are on my top floor. I also have bedside lights controlled by a WeMo Smart Outlet.  I have all of these lights in a group called "Upstairs."  I can turn them all on by saying "Alexa, turn on Upstairs." Without this grouping, I'd have to say "Alexa, turn on Bedroom" to turn on the Hue Light in the bedroom, "Alexa, turn on Office," to turn on the Hue Light in the Office, and "Alexa, turn on Bedside," to turn on the bedside WeMo. Because I have all 3 lights in a group called "Upstairs," instead I can just say "Alexa, turn on Upstairs," and she turns on all 3 lights.

So Alexa allows me to place items from different rooms and  manufacturers into "groups" for easy control, as well as adding voice control capabilities to those devices.  It allows me to control sets of devices without having to open several apps. I can also add "Scenes" from the device's own app into an Alexa Group.  I can then access all those things at once, merely by commanding Alexa with the name of that group. Grouping can take a half dozen different commands, and unite them into a single word.

How Do I Set Up an Alexa Group?

You use the Alexa App to set up your Alexa Groups, of course. You can set up groups using either the ios (Apple) app, the android app, the Fire Tablet app, or the browser-based Alexa Web Portal. Before diving in, you need to make sure you have all of your apps and devices linked and prepared. So it's best to check those things first, and then you can go on and get grouping.

The Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, Part 2 (Smart Home Series, Part 7)

The Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, Part 2

Programming your Philips Smart Lights

Set your Lights to Turn On and Off Automatically,
Learn to Program Light Routines, and Explore New Hue Features

This is Part 2 of a tutorial on using the Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, and Part 7 of our series on building a Smart Home using Alexa.  Last week, we reviewed the Philips Hue System, talked about its various options, and learned how to set up the system. We learned how to use Alexa and the Amazon Echo to turn lights on and off.  This week, we will be looking at programming your Hue Lights so that they turn on and off automatically. You can read Part 1 of our Hue tutorial here, and you can read Part 1 of our Smart Home Series here. Links to other chapters can be found in the sidebar.

Automating your Philips Hue Bulbs

As we briefly discussed in Part 1, Philips Hue Bulbs can be controlled remotely, or programmed to come on automatically. Today, we're going to learn how to schedule your lights using the Hue App. Before setting up schedules, you need to have your bulbs installed and grouped into rooms.  (See Part 1 to learn how to do this.)  You will also need your mobile device, running the Hue App. (You can also do this on a Kindle Fire Tablet using the "All 4 Hue" app.) Presently, you can NOT set schedules and routines through the Web Portal; you can merely turn your lights on and off.  Most programming must be done through the Hue App.

What Types of Automation does Hue Offer?

Currently, the Hue System offers:

• Home & Away Scheduling: Also known as "Geofencing," you can set Hue to turn on certain rooms when you come home. Similarly, you can set Hue to turn off certain rooms (or all Hue devices) when you leave your house.
• Wake Up: You can set certain lights or rooms to turn on "Wake lights," as a supplement to or replacement for an alarm clock.
• Go to Sleep: You can program your lights to fade out or turn off in preparation for bed time.
• Timers: You can set a timer to have certain lights or rooms turn on or off in X number of minutes.
• Other Routines: This is where you can set traditional light timers, and "randomize" turn on/off times to make it look less like the lights are timer controlled. You can set up timers to turn lights on or off, and to dim or brighten lights in up to 4 rooms per "routine."
• Hue Labs Formulas: Hue Labs periodically introduces new "formulas" for lighting automation. These formulas can be installed to your Hue System through the app.

We will discuss each of these features, as well as how to set each up.  With the exception of Hue Labs Formulas, these functions are set up using the "Routines" tab of the app.  This is the tab accessed by tapping the "Clock" icon.

The Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 6)

The Alexa-Compatible Philips Hue Smart Lighting System 

Automate Your Lights with Philips Hue and Alexa

This is part 6 in a series about building an Alexa Compatible Smart Home. Previous articles focused on The Alexa App itself, fun things to do with your Echo devices, and how to customize your Alexa and Echo experience. (See the sidebar for links to previous lessons. You can find Part 1 here.) Currently, we are talking about adding third-party devices to a Smart Home set up. Today, we'll be reviewing the Philips Hue System and discussing how to use it with your Alexa-enabled devices.

What is the Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is a wireless Smart lighting system.  Hue allows you to control and customize your lights in many ways.  At its most basic, you can turn your lights on and off via voice or via app.  At the more sophisticated end, you can create lighting groups, automate lighting schedules and tones, dim and brighten, as well as schedule. Hue lights eliminate the need for separate dimmers and timers. Hue bulbs can convert existing fixtures and lamps into Smart Appliances.  Hue also offers a wide variety of smart lighting products, such as lamps and strip lights, to help you light your space in many flexible ways.  They also offer installable dimmer switches and motion detectors to extend control-ability of your lighting.

Phillips Hue systems all begin with a Hue Hub. This is a small box that attaches to your router and pairs with your Hue Products.  Each hub (or bridge) can connect with at least 50 Hue products. (Phillips just released Generation 3 of the Hue Hub. Later generation hubs can handle a larger number of devices. Gen 1 hubs were capable of connecting with "up to 50" bulbs.)

The second vital part of the Hue system is the Hue App.  The app interfaces with your lights, and allows you to control and customize them in all the ways described above. The app is available for ios (Apple), Android, and Fire Tablets.  And of course, there is a Hue Alexa Skill.  Alexa works wonderfully with all parts of the Hue System. Alexa gives you voice control for your lights when you are home, and the Hue App gives you remote control when you are not at home.  Through the app, you can set up all types of lighting "scenes" and "routines."  It is also IFTTT compatible, for aficionados of that app.

And of course, the third part of the Hue System are the lighting products themselves.  Philips offers a full range of Hue-enabled Lighting Devices, from single bulbs, to lighting fixtures.  Their multi-color bulbs and lighting strips are two of their more popular products.  They offer flood light bulbs in both colored and plain white.  So you can buy lamps and fixtures with Hue compatibility built right in, or you can add bulbs to the lamps and fixtures you already own. All Hue lighting products are LED, for maximum energy efficiency and long life. Philips Hue Bulbs can reduce power costs in many ways.

The WeMo Smart Outlet (Smart Home Series, Part 5)

The WeMo Alexa-Compatible Smart Outlet,  Part 1
(Smart Home Series, Part 5)
Building a Smart Home with Alexa and WeMo

Learn to Set Up Your Wemo Smart Outlet
And Voice Control It, Using your Amazon Echo or Dot

This is part 5 in a series about building an Alexa-Powered Smart Home without breaking the bank.  It is a continuation of our in-depth course on using Alexa and the Amazon Echo family of devices.  Our last three parts discussed using the Alexa app, discovering all it can do, and setting it up to best work for you. (Links to the previous parts of this series can be found in the sidebar.)  Now, we are going to talk about using Alexa to control third party devices, starting with Smart Outlets.  And today, we're specifically going to talk about the WeMo Family of Smart Outlets. We'll walk you through setting up a WeMo Mini Smart Outlet, and pairing it with Alexa and your Echo device.

What is a Smart Outlet?

Simply put, a Smart Outlet is one that can be controlled remotely.  Early Smart Outlets came with their own remote controls, and using that, you could toggle the outlet state. As technology developed, they through WiFi into the mix. Now, you can still find outlets that come with their own remotes. But they are of little utility in a modern Smart Home.  Today, you want an outlet that can be controlled via WiFi or Cellular Data, from either inside or outside your house. It is this type of Smart Outlet we will be discussing in this post.

So in other words, Smart Outlets add WiFi and Remote control to standard outlets, and by extension, to your existing appliances.  Whatever you plug into a Smart Outlet becomes a Smart Device, capable of being controlled remotely, from your couch, car, or office. And if that device is a WeMo, it means you've added Alexa voice control to that device as well.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 3 (Smart Home Series, Part 4)

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 3:
Extending Alexa with Skills

Adding Additional Alexa Skills, and
Fun Things to Do with Alexa

This is Part 3 of an in-depth look at Amazon's Alexa app and the Echo Family of Alexa-enabled devices. Part 1 introduced the Alexa app, talked about setting it up, accessing menus, using Alexa as a media and audiobook player, as well as pairing devices to the app. Part 2 looked at all the submenus in the settings section, as well as about lists, alarms, and reminders. It covered personalizing your devices, setting up news briefs, setting your location, changing your wake word, and changing other Alexa defaults. Part 2 discussed pairing accounts to Alexa, as well as customizing news and sports briefings, pairing a calendar, changing your music streaming defaults, and voice purchasing with Alexa.  Part 2 covered customizing almost every Alexa setting that can be customized. Today, we're going to get to the fun stuff.  Alexa can do a lot that's fun, inane, or just silly. Some of these things are available natively, while others require enabling skills.

What is an "Alexa Skill?

When you get a new Smartphone, it comes with certain abilities, like voice dialing, messaging, and a camera. It may not come with things like Facebook or a photo editor, but you can easily go to the App Store to add these capabilities. Likewise, a new PC comes with little more than a web browser pre-installed.  You usually download or install additional software.  Your Echo device comes with a lot of functionality built-in, but you can extend it through adding new skills.

An Alexa skill is like a phone app or a software program. It is a little program that will add new features to an Alexa compatible device.  Presently, all Alexa skills are voice-driven.  (That may change as Amazon develops Alexa devices with screens or cameras, like the Look and the Show.) And rather than "installing" a skill, you merely have to "enable" it.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 2 (Smart Home Series, Part 3)

The Alexa App, In Depth, Part 2:
Personalizing, Refining, and Customizing Alexa;
News Briefings, Lists, Timers, and Alarms

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This is the second part of a series on using the Alexa app, and the third article in our series on Smart Home Devices.  Part 1 introduced the Alexa app, talked about setting it up, accessing menus, and using Alexa as a media player and audiobook reader, as well as about pairing devices to the app. Today, we continue our in-depth look at Alexa and how to use it, discussing the settings menu, lists, alarms, and reminders. We'll go through the Settings Menu, item by item, so you can customize your device, as well as your Sports and News Briefings.  We will also learn how to change Alexa's defaults. Part 3 will look at calling and messaging, adding additional Alexa skills, and fun things to do with Alexa. Then we will move on to smart home devices, and using them with your Echo device. We are breaking this down as there is A LOT to learn. However, once you finish going through this series, you will be an Alexa Master.  And you'll enjoy having a Voice Controlled Personal Assistant even more.

If you haven't already read Part 1, we suggest you do so before reading this week's post.  And if you want to be notified when new articles are published, please subscribe to this blog and/or follow us on Twitter (@techlaurels.)  You can use the appropriate widgets in the sidebar to do either.

The Settings Menu

You can find "Settings" near the bottom of Alexa's menu. The Settings menu is, of course, where you can adjust the settings of the Alexa app, as well as of your paired Amazon Devices.  The first part of the menu lists the devices, (Echos, Dots, Dash Wands, Fire TVs, etc.,) while the lower half, titled "Accounts,"  adjusts various Alexa functions. At the bottom is a "General" section with your Alexa history, as well as app information. There is also an entry here to add a new Alexa device.  The settings section is where you customize and personalize Alexa and your connected devices.

Part 1 discussed how to set up a new device, so we will not repeat that here.  Instead, we'll talk about adjusting settings on devices already paired to the app, as well as using the Settings section to personalize the way Alexa responds.

Of course, the Devices section lets you set-up and change each Alexa compatible device. The Accounts section helps you personalize the way Alexa responds to various requests. The most important parts of each section are detailed below.

The Alexa App, In-Depth, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 2)

The Alexa App, In Depth, Part 1: 

Getting the Alexa App,
Adding your Echo, and

Using Alexa as a Media Player
    

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The Alexa App is the Companion to the Echo Family of Devices;
Use the Alexa App to Set Up and Customize your Echo Device.

Part one of this series introduced Alexa and the Amazon Family of Echo Devices.  This week, we're starting our in-depth look at the Alexa app. This app is the companion to the Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices.  You set up your Echo and other Smart Home Devices using the Alexa App.

There is a lot to Alexa and the app itself, too much really to cover in one post. Thus, we're going to start with how to get the app, and what the app is compatible with. Then we'll go on to show you how to pair an Echo device with the app.  Finally, we'll talk about using Alexa as a media player. Part 2 of this article, (which will be Part 3 of the series) will continue our review of all the things you can do with Alexa.  After that, we'll review various Smart Home Devices and how to integrate them with Alexa.

July 12th is Save Net Neutrality Day

Join TechLaurels in this Day of Action,

Protecting Net Neutrality

Techlaurels opposes the FCC’s plan to slash Title II, the legal foundation for net neutrality rules that protect online free speech and innovation.

On July 12, 2017, websites, Internet users, and online communities are uniting to sound the alarm about the FCC’s attack on net neutrality.

Right now, new FCC Chairman and former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai have plans to destroy net neutrality. They want to give big cable companies total control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, the FCC will give companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T control over what we can see and do on the Internet, with the power to slow down or block websites, and to charge apps and sites extra fees to reach an audience.

In practical terms, this means Comcast could potentially throttle Netflix's bandwidth, so that their own pay-per-view movies would stream flawlessly, while Netflix buffered and sputtered along. They could charge extra for users to use Gmail, or filter it heavily, in order to almost force their users to be tied to a Comcast e-mail address.  Spectrum could potentially block the use of competing apps and services on any connected Smart TVs. The ISPs would have control of what is allowed to flow through their pipes, as well as the speed at which individual apps or services flow. With our limited choice in providers, the end users are sure to suffer. Consumers already hate throttling due to data caps; can you imagine if throttling by provider was actually sanctioned by the Government? It's almost like advocating Jim Crow laws for cyberspace.

If we lose net neutrality, we could soon face an Internet where some of your favorite websites are forced into a slow lane online, while deep-pocketed companies who can afford expensive new “prioritization” fees have special fast lane access to Internet users – tilting the playing field in their favor.  You can be sure there are no more "viral superstars" that are not ISP sponsored. Independent artists will be forced back into unfair distribution systems, as they will not be able to afford the fees they'll be charged for audio traffic. I shudder to think of the potential consequences.

Prime Day is Here!

Prime Day, 2017 is Here

July 11, 2017

(Note: You may want to disable your Ad-Blocker so you can see the current pricing data and the images on this page.  Sale Prices may not show in graphic links; some sale prices are not reflected until you get to checkout.)

Amazon has started Prime Day early. Many deals are live on the Amazon Prime Day entry page. There are plenty of blogs spotlighting Prime Day Deals.  We are not going to rehash them all here.

However, as we are in the middle of a Smart Home series, we would be remiss if we overlooked Prime Day altogether.  The prices of Alexa-enabled devices have all been slashed to historic lows, and may sell out by afternoon.

An Alexa Powered Smart Home (Smart Home Series, Part 1)

My Smart Home, Part I:
Powered by Alexa & The Amazon Echo

Alexa is Amazon's Voice Controlled Personal Assistant

Alexa is Compatible with a Plethora of Devices

  

After last week's article reviewing The Dash Wand, I received an email request asking me to talk a little more about Alexa and my own Smart Home.  So today, a new series begins, focusing on the Smart Home. We'll take a look at my own Smart Devices, and how they have changed my life for the better.

This series will begin with an introduction to Smart Devices, as well as an Introduction to Alexa, Amazon's software-based Personal Assistant. Alexa acts as the hub for my own Smart Home devices, and she adds the voice control component to them. Later articles will go into more depth about how to use Alexa, how to integrate various devices into your smart home, and how to use Alexa to tie it all together and make it simple to operate. (In fact, I would not have expanded my own stable of smart devices had I not fallen in love with the Echo's ease of use.)

If you'd like to be notified when new articles in the series are published,we recommend you subscribe via e-mail, using the box in the sidebar of this  blog, or follow us on Twitter.  (Facebook can be flaky at showing followers our posts.) Future posts in this series will include items such as Smart Outlets, Smart Thermostats, and Smart Light-bulbs.  Today's post will concentrate on Alexa, Alexa-enabled devices, and the Amazon Echo.

What is a Smart Home?

Many of us remember the voice-directed computers featured in classic science fiction. 2001: A Space Odyssey had Hal, and on Star Trek, Spock often called to the computer for help. And while neither Knight Rider's KITT nor the Jetson's Rosie have materialized yet, we have made great strides in artificial intelligence over the last couple of decades. In 2017, having a voice controlled home is no longer in the realm of science fiction, nor limited to the wealthy.

Simply put, a Smart Home is a home equipped with lighting, heating, and other devices that can be controlled remotely, usually by means of a computer or a mobile phone. A smart device is merely a single component of a Smart Home. Smart devices usually depend on a live internet connection to function.  Most can be controlled via wi-fi, even if you are not inside your house.

Today, you can buy devices with smart technology built in.  You can also buy accessories to bring smart technology to older devices.  You can find Smart Devices in all categories, from lighting to entertainment to security to appliances. Most devices come with some sort of app to use as a controller. Some devices also use hubs for communication. (We will be covering various smart devices and their capabilities in future articles in this series.  Again, if you have an interest in this area, you may want to subscribe to this blog, and/or follow us on Twitter, so you don't miss a single article.)

Many manufacturers are making smart devices. Some of the more common names in Smart Home Technology are Wink, Nest, Belkin We-Mo, TP-Link, Phillips Hue and Ecobee. Samsung is probably the leader in Smart Appliances, including refrigerators and washers, and is getting into the hub and lighting areas as well.

Most smart devices do not have built in voice control. To control the device, you must open an app on a phone, tablet, or computer.  That is where Alexa, and her Echo Family of devices come in.  Alexa is an easy and economical way to bring hands-free control to your Smart Devices.  Alexa brings voice control to your Smart Home and frees you from the apps.

What is Alexa, and What Can She Do?

Alexa is the name of Amazon's software-based Personal Assistant.  Alexa is not a smart device per se, but rather, can interface with a plethora of smart devices, including those made by other manufacturers.  In addition, Alexa powers Amazon's own array of smart home devices, which in turn, extend voice control to compatible Smart Home devices.