Amazon Alexa device routines and smart home devices compliment each other very well. If you aren’t looking into this technology, I highly recommend that you do.
Amazon Alexa has so many options and features with device routines for smart home devices. There are many people that don’t even know they exist. There are so many of us that have these Alexa enabled devices.
We aren’t even scratching the surface of the full capabilities of them. I’m just as guilty as the next person with this. Sometimes I get a new gadget or device and only explore my immediate needs.
I fail to explore the full feature sets of the device. One of these very useful features I just started using is the Amazon Alexa enabled devices in my home. Did you know you can set routines up on these devices?
You can setup your routing to detect when you arrive with your phone at home. Once your device is detected, you can program your device(s) to turn on the lights. This is just one of the many features that is available to you. In this post, I am going to cover just how to do that.
Amazon Alexa Mobile App for Device Routines
From the Alexa app on your phone or mobile device, you can select “Devices”. Your devices will be listed. In this example, I am going to select my Alexa enabled dimmer switch. Select Switches and you will see yours listed.
I select my “Living Room Lights” switch. If you have multiple smart home device that are Alexa enabled, you can select “All On” or “All Off”. This will be very helpful if you are coming home to a dark house and want plenty of light.
From an energy saving perspective, you could set your routine up to recognize nobody is home. Then you can make sure that all of your lights are off.
Creating an Amazon Alexa Device Routine
Once you have selected your switch, you can select Create A Routine.
Click on the + sign to add your routine. This will lead you to a routine builder type wizard and it gives you many options.
You will need to enter a name for your routine and follow the steps that are listed. I recommend creating an intuitive routine name so when you look later you can easily figure out what it is doing.
Device Routine Names
The routine I am building is what I want to happen when I arrive home. I name my routine then select Next.
Below is just another example of what you can build. If there is a change in weather, you can program your lights to come on as well.
You can expand the “When this Happens” menu option, and then select what you want to do. I chose Location for this routine.
Amazon Alexa Location Settings
If you are at home, or whatever location you want to program the routine for, you can select “Current Location”. Once you make your selection, click Next.
Then you select what you want to happen when the device arrives or leaves. Also, you can set another routine to turn the lights off when you leave. This is a nice feature to use if you are in a hurry and forget to turn your lights off.
If you chose Current Location, you could name your location whatever you like:
Additionally, after naming your location, then you will need to add your action to your routine.
In the next menu, I select “Smart Home” to select my Alexa enabled device living room lights.
Then you can select your device. If you have multiple ones, they will show up here.
After you select this device, you can customize your settings to whatever you like. This can include the brightness level and if you would like to ramp up the level.
This is just one example of many options you have for customizing your smart home devices. These Alexa device routines have countless customizations that can make your life much easier. Many people, myself included, only scratch the surface on what you can do.
If you are looking for some options to get started with home automation, here are some switches you may want to consider.
I hope you find more useful tips here.