Alexa Smart Home 2019 - Devices you can control with Alexa | Part 2

Amazon Echo Plus & Echo Show socket outlet

If you have an Amazon Echo Plus or Echo Show 2, you should also check out the following compatible smart sockets. Because Echo Plus and Echo Show of the second generation have an integrated control panel that supports the Smart Home wireless standard ZigBee. This makes it possible to directly integrate devices that support this radio standard.

Osram Smart+ Plug, a very popular ZigBee socket from Osram that you can connect directly. It has overload and temperature protection, but unfortunately cannot measure and record power consumption.

The Innr SP 120 SmartPlug is a very compact alternative to the Smart+ Plug from Osram, albeit not a cheaper one, and has a maximum output of 2300 watts at 10 amps.

Alexa Outdoor WLAN sockets

Luminea Home Control WLAN socket, is intended for outdoor use and is therefore splash-proof (IP44 protection class). It measures power consumption and has a maximum load capacity of 3680 watts.

Meross WLAN Outdoor socket, the socket designed for outdoor use, has two socket slots and is compatible with the IFTTT platform. As it is intended for outdoor use, it has an IP44 marked housing.

Maxcio Wlan Outdoor outlet, a similarly designed outlet with IP43 protection. In contrast to the upper outdoor sockets, it is not splash-proof, but against spray water up to 60 degrees inclination.

Osram Smart+ Outdoor Plug, for your Echo Plus or Echo Show 2, Osram offers a ZigBee compatible outdoor socket. It can therefore also be integrated directly into the two Echo´s like the normal Osram+ plug. It is also splash-proof, thanks to IP44.

Alexa WLAN power strip

If you want to control several devices at the same time and also by voice, then the smart socket strips are the right ones for you.

Meross Smart Socket Strip is connected to WLAN and has three sockets, all of which can be controlled separately and via Alexa. In addition, the power strip has four USB ports, which you can control all at the same time. Thanks to compatibility with IFTTT, there are many more possibilities.

Luminea Home Control, a similar alternative is offered by Luminea. The power strip also has three sockets and four USB ports.

YuanGuo Smart Strip Socket has four sockets and two USB ports. In contrast to the sockets presented above, the sockets can also be switched on the power strip by button and individually and not only by App and Alexa.

Alexa (WLAN) motion detector

With motion detectors you can create some automation rules and thus provide security on the property, or for more comfort at home. Outside around the house, for example, you can use motion detectors to automatically turn on your lights as soon as motion is detected. Of course, any normal motion detector can do that, but a smarter one can do much more. As soon as something is detected, the desired light is switched on, and you get a push notification on your smartphone. You can also have your floor lamp light up red at home.

Below you can see the two ZigBee compatible motion detectors:

Philips Hue motion detectors can be connected and used directly (or with corresponding hubs) to the Echo Plus or Echo Show 2 without any detours.

Osram Lightify Motion Sensor can also be connected directly to the two Echo´s and provided with routines.

Other motion detectors that you can integrate with WLAN:

Luminea Home Control motion detector connects to your 2.4 GHz WLAN network and Alexa. According to the manufacturer, a battery life of one whole year should be achieved with only 12 motion activities.

DOMOS WLAN motion detector is also compatible with Alexa.

Of course, there are many more motion detectors for Alexa, but they will only work with a corresponding Smart Home central (system) that supports one or more wireless standards. More about this below.

Alexa WLAN window and door sensor

Luminea Home Control door sensor, like the motion detector of the same manufacturer, the window and door sensor connects to your 2.4 GHz WLAN network and is compatible with Alexa.

Easick WLAN door and window sensor works directly with your 2.4 GHz WLAN network, of course without bridge or hub in between. According to the manufacturer, Alexa can only request status information from the sensor, but the most important thing is that the alarm messages are unfortunately left out.

Further door and window sensors are of course available for numerous Smart Home systems and control panels, as is already the case with motion detectors. For example, Magenta Smart Home, innogy, Homematic, Modulare homee Zenrale and many more. They support various radio standards such as ZigBee, Z-Wave, EnOcean, Bluetooth LE, DECT ULE or even proprietary radio protocols.

Alexa Smart Home 2019 - Devices you can control with Alexa | Part 1

Amazon echo and the digital voice assistant Alexa, formerly a digital gadget seeing the light of day, become more and more important in our life. Also from the Smart Home area, Alexa is slowly but surely becoming a real smart home diva. This is not only shown by the recently published Top Ten of Alexa Skills.

The control by voice of individual devices or gadgets such as radiator thermostats, roller shutters, light switches, sockets or LED lamps and lights up to the whole Smart Home systems, is no longer a problem for Alexa.

Even household and kitchen appliances such as vacuum robots, ovens, coffee machines, garden aids such as mowing robots and much more, listen to Alexa.

Here you can see an overview of the compatible devices Amazon Alexa offers you in combination with Smart Home.

Alexa Room Thermostats & Radiator Thermostats

Tado° - With tado° you can control your heating very intelligently, this should even work with 95% of all heaters. Here are a few well-known heating manufacturers that are compatible with tado°: "Bosch, Wolf, Buderus, Viessmann, Vaillant and many more". For those who don't have a room thermostat, tado° also offers smart radiator thermostats. The Munich-based company promises savings of up to 31% on heating costs.

The system should automatically detect whether you are at home, leaving the house or on your way home. Accordingly, the temperature is regulated and adjusted according to the weather forecast. The control takes place by App or even with the appropriate skill ** also with Alexa. You can use tado° both in your own house, and in a rented apartment.

Netatmo not only manufactures smart thermostats, but also offers a complete range of products for your Smart Home. Among others smoke detectors, security cameras called "Welcome and Presence", some devices for weather and indoor climate monitoring.

The manufacturer promises savings of up to 37% on heating costs for radiator thermostats. In the case of room thermostats, the so-called "Auto-Adapt function" should calculate the switch-on time, taking into account the insulation of the house and the outside temperature.

Nest - is already selling its smart WLAN thermostats in the third generation. According to the manufacturer, it should be compatible with around 95 percent of all systems on the market. The smart thermostat adapts to your daily routine and has sensors for temperature and humidity.

Controlling air conditioning with Alexa

Sensibo Sky is the name of the smart air conditioning control system from a start-up company. Sensibo was developed to make your existing air conditioner or heat pump intelligent and to control it via App or Alexa. Unfortunately, the app is only available in English at the moment.

Tado Smart AC Control V2, the manufacturer offers not only room and radiator thermostats, but also air conditioning and heat pump control. The Smart AC Control V2 should work with all air conditioners with remote control that display the current settings. Manufacturers like Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Toshiba and some more are compatible with it.

AirPatrol WLAN air conditioner control, this control works, according to manufacturer, with all mini split air conditioners brands.

Sichler WLAN heater, no control for the air conditioner, but an Alexa compatible ceramic heater. The maximum power here is 2000 watts, the temperature can be adjusted in 1° degree steps to 35° degrees.

Netatmo Weather Station - The Amazon bestseller No.1 is the weather station of Netatmo . It can provide the following information: CO2 content in the house, humidity, noise pollution and, of course, temperature.

Optionally you can buy the Netatmo rain gauge and the wind gauge for the weather station.

Alexa WLAN sockets

With the WLAN sockets (also known as adapter switches) you can not only switch your devices on and off, but with some models you can also keep an eye on the power consumption & temperature. With the previously created circuit diagrams, you can also switch your devices on and off automatically. In many cases Alexa's voice control is much more convenient.

Aqara Smart Plug is a new coming Alexa compatible device from the well known smart home brand Aqara, which provides smart home products at best price compared with others.

TP-Link WLAN socket is a very popular smart socket and is available in two models: With power monitoring (HS110) and without (HS100) It is also compatible with the IFTTT platform so that it also works with many other services and smart devices.

D-Link DSP-W115 is an alternative to TP-Link. As with the TP-Link socket, the maximum output is also 3680 watts and 16 amps. The IFTTT platform is also supported here.

Wemo Insight Switch from Belkin is also compatible with Alexa and IFTTT platforms. It can consume a maximum of 1800 watts of power and is integrated via WLAN.

Amazon Smart Plug - Amazon also offers a smart WLAN socket itself since October 2018. With a stated current of 10 amps, the Smart Plug can therefore consume 2300 watts of power.

Meross WLAN Socket provides a low-cost alternative ** from a startup (founded by experts who before founding for big names such as Microsoft. TP-Link, Cisco, etc.). It can take up maximally 3680 Watts and is compatible with the IFTTT platform.

Netatmo Presence and Welcome compatible with Google Assistant

Netatmo Presence and Welcome, the smart surveillance cameras, are now compatible with Google Assistant.

Netatmo's two smart indoor and outdoor cameras are now compatible with Google Assistant, the digital language assistant, and it is possible, for example, to display images on your home TV.

An automatic software update should be available soon. The whole thing works with the help of Google's Chromecast Streaming Stick or a TV equipped with Chromecast.

If you want to turn on the floodlight of the Netatmo Presence, just say: "Ok Google, turn on the lights in the carport".

If you, on the other hand, want to display the camera images on the television, then say: "Ok Google, show me the Netatmo camera on my television".

Netatmo Presence Camera

The Netatmo Presence surveillance camera is designed for outdoor use and can reliably distinguish between people, animals and vehicles.

The camera is additionally equipped with a 12 Watt LED floodlight and infrared night vision.

You get notifications on your SmartPhone or also on the Apple Watch.

Netatmo Welcome Camera

The Netatmo Welcome is designed for indoor use and can recognize people and animals, but not only easily recognize, but also distinguish faces of people.

Thus it is possible to receive a notification with a picture and video as soon as an unknown face has been detected. It is also possible to turn off the notification for known faces, so you preserve the privacy of your family members.

With the animal recognition you can exclude false alarms by simply deactivating the animal recognition function.

If the camera hears an alarm, for example from a smoke detector or an alarm system, you also get a notification on your SmartPhone, a video is also recorded.

The data of both cameras can be stored locally on a microSD card, in your dropbox or via FTP, and the cameras use the so-called end-to-end encryption.

CES 2019: all the announcements and news from Google during the show

Google took the opportunity of CES 2019 to make announcements and present new products. As these are particularly numerous, we have condensed them for you.

Google, through its parent company, Alphabet, is much more than a search engine. The American giant is present in many fields from smartphones to artificial intelligence. The mastodon also has several laboratories conducting advanced research on new technologies. While some are subsequently abandoned, others find a commercial future. Alphabet therefore took advantage of the technology fair to make numerous announcements and present new products. An update on the statements made during the exhibition.

Mass artificial intelligence for Google

The search engine giant is at the forefront of artificial intelligence, particularly voice-activated intelligence. The American firm has been working hard on its AI-doped personal assistant, Google Assistant. According to figures provided by the search engine, by the end of the month 1 billion devices worldwide will be equipped with the voice-activated PDA.

This personal assistant is widely distributed through the mobile operating system, Android but also Google Home. The American giant has just announced that its Assistant will also be launched in Google Maps on Android and iOS in an upcoming update.

Google Assistant will also soon be able to control Sonos brand speakers. Although promised for a long time, this function would now be imminent. The latest Samsung brand televisions will also be compatible with the search engine's personal assistant and it will even be able to display instructions on the TV screen.

Google Assistant becomes an interpreter

Another big innovation announced by the search engine giant for Google Assistant is that artificial intelligence can soon be used as an interpreter. No less than 27 languages can be translated (including French). When launching the function, each interlocutor will have their sentences translated into the other's language and vice versa. It will not even be necessary to indicate which language your interlocutor speaks since it will automatically be detected by artificial intelligence.

A smart wake-up call in partnership with Lenovo

Google has also partnered with Lenovo to develop an intelligent alarm clock to compete with Amazon's but with its own personal assistant. Of course, this intelligent alarm clock is used to give the time and wake up, and offers many other features. You can launch a scenario before going to sleep, such as turning off all the lights and closing the shutters, but also playing music or recharging a smartphone. This smart alarm clock will be sold for $80 and will be available in the spring.

Accessories with Anker and JBL for the car

Google also discussed its collaboration with car accessories manufacturers Anker and JBL. These accessories use the car's 12-volt socket (also known as a cigarette lighter socket). The PDA will be able to take advantage of a noise cancellation and echo cancellation function. It will also be possible to use Google Assistant without having to unlock the phone.

50 MILLION DOLLARS: TADO RECEIVES GRANTS FROM AMAZON, E.ON & CO.

The Tado brand is known above all for its smart heating thermostats. Now the company is receiving a financial injection from large companies and the European Investment Bank. With the new 50 million US dollars, the Munich-based company wants to strengthen its market position.

Amazon, E.ON, Total Energy Ventures, Energy Innovation Capital, Inven Capital, the European Investment Bank and other companies have invested in the Munich-based manufacturer of smart electronics. With the financial injection of 50 million US Dollar the enterprise comes up-to-date on a total financing of 89 million euro according to current press release.

Tado belongs to the large ones

About one third (30 percent) of the energy used worldwide is used for heating and cooling buildings. The German manufacturer Tado sees a correspondingly strong market here, in which one can still grow considerably. The company is right: an annual growth rate of 54 percent for smart heating is forecast until the end of 2022.

How the technology works

The smart thermostats from Tado connect heaters and air conditioners to the Internet. An app on the smartphone detects as soon as the residents leave the home or approach it again or a window is open and sets the temperature accordingly efficiently. In addition, weather forecasts and self-learning algorithms help to save up to 31 percent on heating costs and at the same time improve comfort and well-being - says the company.

More about Tado

We are invited to Tado on November 02, 2018 and will take a closer look at the products and philosophy of the company. A corresponding assessment by our editorial team will follow.

If you can't wait any longer, you'll find the manufacturer's current products here.

Smarten up your fan

Since connecting your home is now done from floor to ceiling, from light to lock, plug, air purifier and thermostat, why not also connect our fans?

The fans also have the right to be smart

Today we are on the way to connecting all our lives: our clothes, our food, our interiors. But if there is one thing we have never really paid attention to, or even abandoned, it is our fan. Yes, this object that you all know, especially when you don't have air conditioning and summers are often too hot to be tolerated. By integrating intelligent sensors and other information gathering systems, it has never been easier to connect our windmakers.

Hunter and Haiku, your allies against the heat wave

Hunter is an innovative and beautiful product. Presented at the last CES in Las Vegas, USA, it was developed to work with the Apple HomeKit, and is obviously available on iOS operating systems. It will, we hope very soon, be available to the general public.

The Apple HomeKit, in case you land straight from a spatiotemporal flaw, allows you to control your home with Apple's famous voice command: Siri.

Haiku, on the other hand, works with the company's technology at the head of "Big Ass Fans", designed to cool large industrial spaces. Equipped with "Sense Me" technology, this fan will become smart. It has WiFi connectivity, as well as motion, temperature and air sensors. This way, you can control and program it directly through its application.

Also compatible with the Apple HomeKit, you will also have the Haiku application from your Nest thermostat or your Amazon Echo or Alexa virtual assistant thanks to Android.

The problem with Haiku is that it will become more of an ally of cost than of price. Do not expect to pay less than 400 dollars or even up to almost 1000 dollars. If this price is an obstacle to the purchase of the latter, you can always buy the wall switch of the same brand which is worth the coquettish sum of 110 dollars. All this being worth no less than 360 dollars and more, it is certainly expensive to connect your house, but useful in view of the savings that can be achieved.

An application with multiple functionalities

Easy to use, the features of the smart fan will be divided into 5 tabs.

The first one controls the speed of your fan, as well as its brightness, because it necessarily offers the advantages of a luminaire. The second tab will allow you to customize the reactions of your object according to the movements it detects in the room or the temperature it makes in the room. The third tab will allow you to program the fan and light at specific times determined in advance. The 4th function allows you to determine the actions of your object during your sleep. Finally, the 5th feature will offer you the possibility to activate "Whoosh", which will adjust the ventilation speed of your object as a game.

Do you need a smart teapot?

Tea is one of those drinks that can be enjoyed for a long time, a very long time. Methods have improved and our habits have changed. Is there a new stage? It is in any case the idea of Teamosa, a smart teapot present on Kickstarter.

Make some tea? Easy, isn't it? However, a simple search on the Internet reveals dozens of different methods, each of which is explained with a lot of photos and details. So what's the best one? Each of us will have our own answers to this question. Teamosa, a smart teapot now wants to claim this title.

The ambition to produce the best tea

Are you satisfied with the way you make tea or do you feel it could be better? If you are in the second category, then it's time to take a look at Teamosa. This smart teapot promises to make the best possible tea every time and better than any other machine.

How does it work? The object is composed of two parts. A reserve located at the top where you can put a capsule designed by the company or classic sheets. Below, a water tank But rather than just running the machine, you will then have to open the application and adjust the settings to your convenience. These include temperature, maceration time, tea hardness or the quantity you want to make (up to 250 ml). These settings can be saved to make the tea the way you like it every time.

The device uses ultrasound technology for the operation to extract as many antioxidants as possible. The company cites several scientific studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique even if the real impact is probably still something very personal.

Teamosa already funded on Kickstarter

Presented on the Kickstarter participative financing platform on September 13, Teamosa has already reached its goal of $100,000 thanks to the support of more than 350 backers. If you purchase Teamosa, the first available price is $239, the machine then comes with 10 capsules. The next one is $279 with 20 capsules. Be careful, however, you will not have to be in a hurry since deliveries are scheduled for September 2018 to destinations all over the world.

As always, it is necessary to be careful when you support a project on Kickstarter. On paper, Teamosa seems to be very interesting. But, it is still difficult to know if Teamosa will fall into the category of really useful DIY projects like Yomee for example or totally useless ones like Juicero. The possibility of using sheets instead of capsules is surprising.