With more and more homes using virtual assistants to complete tasks around the house, it is no wonder that many can now be paired with smart appliances. Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant is one of the most integrated virtual assistants. In 2017, Amazon released the Alexa Voice Service to third party developers. This means any company can easily integrate Alexa’s voice into their products. Amazon may soon be releasing Alexa’s audio transcripts and audio recordings so developers can further customize Alexa’s voice and expand the commands she can understand. Even though Alexa Voice Service was only released recently, numerous companies have integrated Alexa’s voice into their products. Many other companies have paired their smart products with Echo and Echo Dot (Alexa’s home base), which users can speak to in order to fulfill tasks like starting a dishwasher or dimming the lights. Here, we give some of the best smart appliances that are integrated with Alexa’s commands.
Smart Appliances
Kenmore Smart Washer and Dryer
Of the few washers and dryers that have been paired with Alexa, Kenmore’s model seems to be the best at washing and drying clothes. The commands that Alexa can respond to are starting, pausing, or stopping the washer and dryer, checking how much time is left on the cycle, and asking what cycle the appliances are on. While potentially helpful, several people have argued that Alexa isn’t necessary for these appliances since she can’t help users to load, switch, and fold their laundry.
Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
The latest technological advancement in refrigerator development is the integration of the touch screen onto the door. Samsung’s Family Hub allows users to see inside the fridge with the door closed, make grocery lists, watch tv, and even search the internet. The options are nearly limitless, and the fridge comes with its own app that syncs activities between multiple devices. While Alexa is compatible with the refrigerator, its functions are limited since users are more likely to use the specially designed app. Alexa can check the temperature of the fridge and start a power cool or power freeze.
Neato Botvac
While not a true appliance in the traditional sense of the word, the Neato Botvac is too good not to mention. The robotic vacuum has been rated as being much better than iRobot, and slightly cheaper. Alexa can be used to control the vacuum by downloading the Neato skill, and saying, “Alexa, ask Neato to clean.” Alexa can also pause or stop cleaning, let users know where the vacuum is, and what the battery level is.
Alexa Appliances
Echo and Echo Dot owners that want to further integrate Alexa into their daily routine will be interested in exploring Amazon’s Alexa Smart Home page. There, users can browse all the appliances and products that Alexa can control. The most basic Alexa devices for smart home integration are lights and thermostats.
Amazon Alexa Lights
The most popular and highly rated smart bulbs are the Phillips Hue color and white bulbs. The 10 watt LED bulb can be dimmed and connected with other Hue bulbs to control the bulbs all at once or separately. The color bulbs (in three colors) are advertised as being able to combine and provide 16 million colors, which can be tailored to suit any mood. Alexa can recall previously used color pallets, dim the lights, and make rooms “warmer” or “cooler.”
Amazon Alexa Thermostat
The two smart thermostats that are most highly related and compatible with Alexa are the Nest Thermostat and the Ecobee. The smart thermostats detect when a room is occupied and adjusts the temperature automatically based on learning the occupant’s temperature preference. Although both thermostats are fairly accurate at appropriately adjusting the temperature, users may have to sometimes manually adjust the temperature or ask Alexa to do it for them. Both thermostats are very alike and Alexa can react to similar commands on both devices. Users can say to Alexa, “Alexa, ask ecobee to make it warmer by 2 degrees” or “Alexa, ask Nest what the current temperature is.”