When was the first time you ever saw or heard about voice control? Perhaps it was when you watched Scotty on Star Trek talk to the brain of the Enterprise by calling out “Computer!” Or maybe it was in Back to the Future 2 when Marty McFly heard his smart home system say, “Welcome home, Marty!” Up until recent years, voice control had been a fantasy or imaginary idea in pop culture. Then we witnessed the creation of Apple’s Siri in 2011, allowing you to ask your smartphone all kinds of different questions, and even make commands. And today we have the newest voice control technology, Amazon’s Alexa.
Developed by Amazon, Alexa is the smart home automation software that allows you to perform all kinds of tasks with your voice. As the newest trend and biggest buzz in the smart home world, we want to inform you all about what Alexa can do and how you can benefit from it in your own Winter Park, Florida home. Keep reading to learn more.
SEE ALSO: What Really Makes a Home Smart?
Amazon’s Alexa
This year at CEDIA – the largest home technology event in the country – Alexa was the hottest topic. Alexa is the “intelligent personal assistant” software that runs on the Echo and the newly released Echo Dot - a smart speaker that can perform tasks with voice commands. Previously seen as a standalone product for DIY-type home automation products, now Alexa can be integrated into a number of different sophisticated systems, like Control4, Crestron, Lutron, and Savant.
Amazon’s smart home director, Charlie Kindel, said, “The original inspiration for the Echo was the Star Trek computer. We wanted to create a computer in the cloud that’s controlled entirely by your voice — you could ask it things, ask it to do things for you, find things for you, and it’s easy to converse with in a natural way. We’re a ways off from that, but that was, and is, our vision.”
Up until now, smart home companies have focused on developing apps homeowners can use to manage their homes. Wireless devices like smartphones, tablets, and touch screens have been the primary vehicles for control. But Kindel believes the tide is turning.
He said, "At Amazon, we think we're on the cusp of the next major disruption in computing. We think that disruption is around voice."
With Alexa, you can simply ask for the lights to turn off, your music to play, or give you the weather report, and it will perform your request instantly. Alexa even gives you a confirmation response of “OK” to re-affirm she heard your command.
Taking this concept a step further, you can even ask Alexa to perform your smart home scenes, such as “Good Morning,” “Welcome Home,” or “Movie.” All you have to do is say, “Alexa, turn on Welcome” and right when you step through the front door, your house lights will turn on, the shades will rise, your favorite music album will start to play, and the HVAC system will begin cooling the room.
Recently Google announced pre-orders for their soon-to-be-released Google Home. It, too, will provide voice control and communications to the home. With Google’s large search engine and partners with Nest and other Internet of Things (IOT) companies, it will be interesting to see where they take Voice User Interface (VUI). We await our chance to test it out and see how the two compare.
This hands-free solution is both convenient and enjoyable to use at home. And if feeling like Captain Kirk on the Enterprise is a motivator, we wouldn’t be all that surprised. After all, that’s how Alexa was born.
If you would like to add Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home to your smart home so you can start controlling features with your voice, contact us today by filling out our online form.
You may have heard of smart ovens, smart refrigerators, and smart washing machines, but what exactly makes an item smart? And what determines whether or not you are living in a smart home? The team at Control Designer is here to tell you that smart home automation isn’t as much about connecting your coffee machine to the Internet as it is about turning all the lights on and lowering the shades at the same time with your phone. Here’s the scoop on what really makes a home smart, as well as a comprehensive summary of the best solutions we offer to everyone in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and beyond.
SEE ALSO: Home Automation: Mystery, Mayhem, or Magical?
The Internet of Things is just as it sounds – it’s connecting things to the Internet. So in a connected home, your fridge can give you the latest news report, keep your weekly schedule on hand, and send updates to your phone to let you know you are low on milk. While this is certainly cool, it’s not exactly what we call automation or living in a smart home. Connecting all the items in your home to the Internet doesn’t exactly make your home smart. Those objects need to communicate with each other, and also start and stop tasks all on their own. It takes a sophisticated system to be able to connect your lights, shades, security, audio, video, and thermostat together so that by pressing one button they all turn on or off. Uniting all of your technology under one control system eliminates the need for dozens of apps on your phone and spending extra time figuring out how each piece of technology operates. We want your smart home system to be easy to use and seamless so it works perfectly with your daily lifestyle. Here are our core services.
Home Energy Management: The green movement is pushing many families to make an investment in energy management systems so they can help save our world’s natural resources – and also save some money in their bank accounts. Having a smart home is one of the best ways to go green. Use a smart thermostat, dimmers, occupancy sensors and motorized shades to ensure you’re not wasting energy and make the most of the energy you do need to use throughout the day. We can customize your program to suit your goals.
Are you interested in making your home smart? Fill out this online form and we will schedule a time to meet with you and learn your needs.