Fire TV Cube vs the Harmony Hub for TV Voice Control

Amazon Introduces the Fire TV Cube

Combines the Features of an Amazon Echo, Fire TV Stick and Harmony Hub in One Device; Adds Voice Control to Your TV and Components

How Does it Compare to the Harmony Hub?

 

Amazon has announced a new version of their Fire TV, called the Fire TV Cube.  This new device adds voice control to your TV and audio-visual components, much like a Harmony Hub.  But the Fire TV Cube takes things a step further, adding control for other Smart Home devices into the mix.  It's almost like the Amazon Echo, the Fire TV Stick, a Harmony Hub, and a Smart Home Hub all got together and had a baby.

What is the Fire TV Cube?

The Fire TV Cube is a small box, (approximately 3.5 inches square,) that connects to your TV via HDMI, and adds Alexa Voice Control to your TV and associated Entertainment Devices.  With the Fire TV Cube, you can turn the TV on and off, change channels, adjust volume, pause, rewind, change inputs, and much more, all via voice.  Unlike a Fire TV Stick, the Fire TV Cube includes a built-in Echo as well as a Voice Remote.  You can issue voice commands through the remote, or hands free.

Use Alexa for March Madness Coverage and Updates

Alexa Can Keep You Up to Date with the NCAA Basketball Games

Listen to Live, Streamed Coverage,
or Check the Scores and the Schedule,
Using Alexa and an Amazon Echo

March is here! And in the United States, that means March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Did you know you can use Alexa to keep you up to date on everything tournament related?

Today, we are going to look at two Alexa Skills that will help you keep up during March Madness. Both of these skills are free to enable.

What to Do When Alexa Goes Down

How to Control Your Smart Home when Alexa Goes Down

Using Your Echo During an Alexa Outage

Today, for the first time, Alexa experienced widespread outages.  Sometimes, she'd light up, and the blue ring would keep flashing, but she would not respond to any commands.  Other times, Alexa would blink red, indicating she was not connected.  Additionally, even if she was not flashing, she failed to respond to any commands. Sometimes, she would apologize. Other times, she'd look like she was listening and responding, but she would just fade out.  Alexa was unable to respond to a simple command, such as "What time is it?" let alone operate any Smart Home Devices.

As of the time I write this, Alexa still has not come back.  And unlike in the Super Bowl commercial, there are not a stable of celebrities waiting to take her place.

So what can you do when Alexa goes down? Does it mean you are out of luck until the network issues resolve?  Thankfully, there are some ways you can still command your Smart Devices, even when your Echo is not responding.

Harmony Hub: Add Voice Control to Your TV and Entertainment Center

The Logitech Harmony Hub, Part 1:

     

Control your TV, DVR, and Other Entertainment Components with Your Voice

If you have a Fire TV and Alexa, you've probably already played around with voice controlling it.  And you may have wished you could extend these voice-control abilities to your TV itself, as well as your other entertainment system components.  Well, what if I told you there was a way to add this voice control to your existing equipment?  Would you like to learn more?

Today, we're going to tell you just how to do that, using the Logitech Harmony Hub.  In Part 1, we're going to introduce you to the Harmony Hub itself, and talk about how it can enhance equipment you already own.  Later, we'll get a little bit deeper into setting up the Harmony Hub, as well as configuring it to work with your equipment.

What is the Harmony Hub?

The Harmony Hub is a small device that connects to your home wifi and turns your smartphone or tablet into a universal remote control. Additionally, once you activate the corresponding skill, it adds Alexa Voice Control abilities to your home entertainment system. So the Harmony Hub gives you BOTH universal remote and Alexa voice control abilities.

Alexa Says My Device is Not Responding: What Do I Do?

Smart Home Glitches and How to Resolve Them:

Fixing Issues with Amazon's Alexa

Smart Home devices are fantastic, when they are working properly.  But like any other electronic device, Smart Devices can experience errors.  So what do you do when you ask Alexa to turn on the lights, and she tells you a device is not responding?  Today, we're going to look at troubleshooting errors with Alexa and your Smart Home Devices.

Alexa Says "I'm Having Trouble Connecting to the Internet."  What Do I Do?

Like any wi-fi device, Alexa can experience connectivity issues.  A user generally discovers the Echo or Dot has lost connectivity when they issue a command, and Alexa responds with "I'm having trouble connecting to the Internet right now."  Additionally, the light ring will flash red rather than blue.  Despite the fact my Dot is the closest device to my router, it seems to experience connectivity problems more often than my other Alexa-enabled devices.

Sometimes, connectivity issues are caused by a blip in the wi-fi. This blip might be caused by interference from a microwave, a cordless phone, a back-up beeper, or any number of things that can cause wi-fi "noise."  I find often, if I wait a few seconds and reissue my command, the connectivity issue resolves itself.  If it doesn't, the next step is to reboot the malfunctioning Alexa device.  You may use the power button on the top to reboot Alexa, however, I often find it easier to yank the power adapter, wait about 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.  That way, I do not inadvertently turn off the microphone by mistake.  Like with most electronic devices, rebooting can clear about 80% of issues.  

Ask My Buddy and Alexa Can Summon Help in an Emergency

Alert Your Personal Emergency Network
Using Only Your Voice,
 with Alexa and Ask My Buddy

Turn Your Smart Speaker into an Emergency Alert Device

Alexa and other Smart Home technologies can make life a lot easier for people who live alone, people who have disabilities, and a lot of older people.   Smart Home technologies and Smart Speakers can automate a lot of tasks, and make physical tasks simpler for those with physical limitations.  Smart speakers and other assistive technologies can help a person continue to live independently, in his or her own home, for a longer time. But what these technologies cannot yet do is to call 911.  Wouldn't it be great if Smart Speakers, like the Amazon Echo or Google Home, could summon help when an individual needs it?  Well, now they can, thanks to a service called "AskMyBuddy.net."

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

Most of us have seen the commercials. A senior citizen is in distress, but s/he cannot get to a telephone to summon help.  However, the individual wears a pendant, and by pressing a button, s/he can summon assistance from a personal emergency alert network.  And although these devices are marketed to seniors, I know a few women and people with disabilities who live alone and wish they had this "yell for help" capability, but they do not want another monthly expense, especially when they figure they will not use it often. Many people in this category have Alexa or a similar Smart Speaker.    However, despite the fact Alexa has limited calling abilities, she cannot dial 911, no matter how many times you ask her to.  Wouldn't it be nice if Alexa could summon emergency help with a voice command?

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

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.

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.

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.

Prime Day is Here!

Prime Day, 2017 is Here

July 11, 2017

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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.