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Post by mgbpuff on Dec 18, 2017 16:35:02 GMT -5
I have three echo dots now along with a Harmony Hub, 4 TP-Link outlets, 5 Phillips Hue bulbs, Emotiva Armotiv 3b bluetooth speakers, and two OPPO bluetooth speakers and I'm having a ball. Common statements in my house - Alexa turn on/off family room lights, Alexa turn on/off living room lights, Alexa turn on/off nightlights, Alexa pair with speakers, Alexa play Pandora Frank Sinatra, Alexa thrn on/off tv, Alexa turn on/off projector (includes screen up/down and appropriate audio devices), Alexa, what's the weather, Alexa brief me on the news, Alexa turn the family room lights red/blue/green/reading. Love this stuff and if anyone is listening, I'm sure hell itself couldn't be more punishing!  |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 18, 2017 18:53:39 GMT -5
I have three echo dots now along with a Harmony Hub, 4 TP-Link outlets, 5 Phillips Hue bulbs, Emotiva Armotiv 3b bluetooth speakers, and two OPPO bluetooth speakers and I'm having a ball. Common statements in my house - Alexa turn on/off family room lights, Alexa turn on/off living room lights, Alexa turn on/off nightlights, Alexa pair with speakers, Alexa play Pandora Frank Sinatra, Alexa thrn on/off tv, Alexa turn on/off projector (includes screen up/down and appropriate audio devices), Alexa, what's the weather, Alexa brief me on the news, Alexa turn the family room lights red/blue/green/reading. Love this stuff and if anyone is listening, I'm sure hell itself couldn't be more punishing! There is something magical that happens when you got all the main lights wired and every room (even bathrooms) has an echo. Then you no longer have to wonder where the echo is. If you are at home, whereever you are, and you speak, your house will respond. |
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Post by vneal on Dec 18, 2017 18:58:04 GMT -5
No wonder we are getting fat as Americans
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Post by monkumonku on Dec 18, 2017 19:18:58 GMT -5
No wonder we are getting fat as Americans  |
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Post by flamingeye on Dec 19, 2017 21:19:20 GMT -5
What happens if there's someone in the household named Alexa? "Alexa, turn off the TV and do your homework!" - your TV turns off... Alexa continues to not do her homework.. "Alexa, give me a hand" - I can't imagine what the Echo will offer for this request!  "Alexa, stop the noise" - ??  A friend of mine had that but every time I cough the lights would turn off , he said if your going to cough go out side . true story |
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Post by garbulky on Jan 6, 2018 13:46:31 GMT -5
A quick update, I figured out how to install a smart light switch for my kitchen area and ordered a Harmony hub among other smart goodies. I will give a review of what will be my final configuration when I get them hooked up.
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 6, 2018 14:02:58 GMT -5
I have a lot of home automation all of my lighting in my home can be controlled by computer, phone, touch pads, my two URC remotes and have many automatically timed events as well, I really enjoy it.
I have one of the original echo's but never really cared for it, I felt kind of silly talking to it and it wasn't very reliable and then began having more and more errors. Anyway I've disconnected it and don't use it anymore. It was too limited in what I wanted to control and had far too many errors.
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Post by garbulky on Jan 6, 2018 14:25:57 GMT -5
I have a lot of home automation all of my lighting in my home can be controlled by computer, phone, touch pads, my two URC remotes and have many automatically timed events as well, I really enjoy it. I have one of the original echo's but never really cared for it, I felt kind of silly talking to it and it wasn't very reliable and then began having more and more errors. Anyway I've disconnected it and don't use it anymore. It was too limited in what I wanted to control and had far too many errors. Youre not the only one. Ive encountered some people that hate the idea of talking to a device. My MIL for instance makes a face when we talk to it. lol. For me the hands free aspect of the echos was actually what drew me to it. I kept losing my remotes and disliked having to pass them around or pick one up etc. They have updated things recently. For instance it can control your firetv. And in your situation they've added "routines" which they didn't have before. Where a single command can make it turn off and on different devices - some on, some off, adjust the brightness on lights. It also now integrates with smart hubs for their "scenes" which I imagine is where it can activate more complicated routines like light colors and such available on smart hubs. Another thing I liked was the intercom feature which allows you to drop in on the different echos. What kind of automation do you use? |
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Post by novisnick on Jan 6, 2018 14:29:30 GMT -5
A quick update, I figured out how to install a smart light switch for my kitchen area and ordered a Harmony hub among other smart goodies. I will give a review of what will be my final configuration when I get them hooked up. I have four lights connected to my Alexa it’s great when either of us walk into a room with our hands full and just tell the light to come on. My next switches will be the ones I can control from an app anywhere in the world. |
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 6, 2018 14:58:34 GMT -5
And in your situation they've added "routines" No they had those while I was using mine. In my case I think my lighting is far too complicated and with too much for what echo is designed to handle, I have an advanced home automation lighting system and there isn't a light in my home which isn't controlled by it, well I guess my refrigerator light lol. The echo worked fairly well for a while though it was very limited but soon began to never be able to find the light it was asked to turn ON/OFF. I never tried to use it with my audio system but my experience with it the echo couldn't usually hear me very well with my usual listening levels so it usually had no response in those conditions. As for remotes I have two awesome URC MX-990's that do everything extremely well and I always know exactly where they are, resting in their chargers or sitting next to me. |
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 6, 2018 15:12:42 GMT -5
My next switches will be the ones I can control from an app anywhere in the world. That's what I can do with every light in my home, it's nice! Plus a lot more. My favorite is my imitation sunrise always waking up for work with it appearing as though the sun has come up outside even though it may be pitch black outside. My bedroom gradually lights as though the sun is rising outside over about a ten minute period just before I need to wake up. Other lights bathroom/front light/kitchen are already lit before I normally would use them in my usual routine in the morning so it's like the sun is up outside, makes it much nicer to wake up early that way. I use Insteon for my lighting, if you are interested in home automation and lighting check out smarthome.com |
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Post by garbulky on Jan 6, 2018 15:21:38 GMT -5
My next switches will be the ones I can control from an app anywhere in the world. That's what I can do with every light in my home, it's nice! Plus a lot more. My favorite is my imitation sunrise always waking up for work with it appearing as though the sun has come up outside even though it may be pitch black outside. My bedroom gradually lights as though the sun is rising outside over about a ten minute period just before I need to wake up. Other lights bathroom/front light/kitchen are already lit before I normally would use them in my usual routine in the morning so it's like the sun is up outside, makes it much nicer to wake up early that way. I use Insteon for my lighting, if you are interested in home automation and lighting check out smarthome.com Nice. how do you do the sunrise? Do you have a video example? BTW Nick, insteon works with the echo dot |
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Post by gus4emo on Jan 6, 2018 16:06:20 GMT -5
Get a Harmony Hub and Alexa will turn your system on and off and to the right inputs. Only took me a week to get the hub connected to my Wi-Fi network and get it to work with Alexa but now it is neat to just say Alexa turn on the TV or Watch a Movie etc. Hey, can I control the cd player which is in the basement from the garage? |
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 6, 2018 16:17:05 GMT -5
Nice. how do you do the sunrise? Do you have a video example? It would be a very boring video. My bedroom light starts turning on from about 2% and gradually lighting the room to about 50% about a 2% increase with each increase every 1/2 minute or so. I have it stop at about 50% which seems like the sun is up outside but is not too harsh for early morning eyes. It is easily done through the phone app for the Insteon Hub. Every light in my home uses Insteon lighting, can be dimmed to any percentage and can be controlled with the Insteon app on my phone, my computer, my URC remotes, wall paddles and keypads and table top controllers I custom made. Here is a pic of one of my table top controllers I made. This is on my nightstand and features two Insteon paddles and a six button Insteon keypad. With this I can control my nightstand table lamp and overhead bedroom light with the two paddles and the six button keypad has buttons for All lights in my home ON, All light in my home OFF as well as controls for Hallway, Front room, Kitchen and Bathroom. It's nice to be able to turn every light in my home OFF from my nightstand at night with the touch of one button.   |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jan 6, 2018 16:20:30 GMT -5
I won't allow these things in my house. The last thing I need is one more device that can be hacked and used against me.
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 6, 2018 16:23:08 GMT -5
I won't allow these things in my house. The last thing I need is one more device that can be hacked and used against me. Every once in a while my Echo will light up for no reason, and the perimeter lights at the top circle around for several moments before they go off. This is when everything is silent, so it isn't as though any sound triggered it. |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jan 6, 2018 16:25:04 GMT -5
Amazon says, "Of course they are not listening to your conversations. They are activated by a key word." OK, I ask, how do they hear the keyword? "They are always monitoring for it." Uh huh.
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 6, 2018 16:34:51 GMT -5
I won't allow these things in my house. The last thing I need is one more device that can be hacked and used against me. Shhhhhh, I was planning on blackmailing Garbulky with threats of posting photos on the lounge of him in his underwear with photos his echo took. |
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Post by monkumonku on Jan 6, 2018 16:35:33 GMT -5
Amazon says, "Of course they are not listening to your conversations. They are activated by a key word." OK, I ask, how do they hear the keyword? "They are always monitoring for it." Uh huh. Despite whatever Amazon or any other company involved in communication technology may say, you ARE being spied upon. It's only human nature. The official company policy may be to safeguard privacy but you're always going to have renegade employees. Or hackers. Such is the nature of the human. It's a cost of using technology. |
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Post by garbulky on Jan 6, 2018 16:44:55 GMT -5
I won't allow these things in my house. The last thing I need is one more device that can be hacked and used against me. Every once in a while my Echo will light up for no reason, and the perimeter lights at the top circle around for several moments before they go off. This is when everything is silent, so it isn't as though any sound triggered it. That's called the beginning of Sentience. |
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