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What are you doing with Alexa?

I picked up a Philips Hue starter pack yesterday and installed 4 basic white bulbs. They can dim but can't change color. 3 of them are in one room and the 4th is in our bedroom. So far they are pretty cool. Very nice to be able to tell Alexa to turn on the family room lights. I imagine I will add some others and might try at least one or two ambiance lights as well. I can also see this making me add one or two more Echo Dots into the mix. Hey, it's only money (bastards)!
 
I use Wink and TP-Link products mostly for home automation. I'm not sold on smart locks yet. I just got into Homebridge so I can have both Alexa and Siri control lights, AC and switches throughout the house. Homebridge is kinda fun to work with since it allows to connect devices to Alexa or Siri as long as you have the product API codes. I'm a bit rusty on my programming skills but it's like riding a bike. Once you learn it you just need to practice a bit and things comes back. And you have to open developer accounts to get access to the API's. NPM. org has a list of open source codes you can use too if you don't want to start from scratch. I've also turned on all HDMI-CEC on all my TV's and video sources so it saves me from using multiple remotes.

I kinda like being to use the DOT's as intercom in the house and make announcements to all the dots in the house.
 
I installed an electronic deadbolt on my front door and when I was researching options I really wanted one Alexa could control, or which came with an app allowing my to control it from my phone. Ultimately, price and the sheer fear of failure from battery failure, WiFI network failure, and so on, led me to get what I considered the most reliable electronic deadbolt which only engaged the manual control for the deadbolt when the proper code was pressed in. So, the battery shouldn't die if I replace it annually and the network is never a problem. I can text people the code if I want to share it. The only missing feature I wish I had was a log of which code was used and when.
 
Flint said:
The only missing feature I wish I had was a log of which code was used and when.
Click to expand...
Maybe you can use the same app you used to log how many times they brought cheese on your hamburgers when you didn't ask for it? :bouncygrin:
 
Flint said:
I installed an electronic deadbolt on my front door and when I was researching options I really wanted one Alexa could control, or which came with an app allowing my to control it from my phone. Ultimately, price and the sheer fear of failure from battery failure, WiFI network failure, and so on, led me to get what I considered the most reliable electronic deadbolt which only engaged the manual control for the deadbolt when the proper code was pressed in. So, the battery shouldn't die if I replace it annually and the network is never a problem. I can text people the code if I want to share it. The only missing feature I wish I had was a log of which code was used and when.
Click to expand...
Which brand did you go with for the deadbolt?
 
apcarandang said:
Which brand did you go with for the deadbolt?
Click to expand...

It is a Schlage I picked up at Lowe's with a 15% coupon and the standard 5% off paying with my Lowe's card. Very simple, really. The code engages the lock so you can turn the knob on the front to lock or unlock the deadbolt. The inside is a standard manual mechanism. I programmed four codes on the lock, after deleting the factory default code. I use two of the codes all the time, but for the other two, I gave one to my stepson and one to my ex-wife. My thinking was I could delete any of the codes as I saw need, but if the lock could record code usage, I could tell how the user got the code should someone break in using one of the codes.

DoorLock.jpg
 
Flint said:
It is a Schlage I picked up at Lowe's with a 15% coupon and the standard 5% off paying with my Lowe's card. Very simple, really. The code engages the lock so you can turn the knob on the front to lock or unlock the deadbolt. The inside is a standard manual mechanism. I programmed four codes on the lock, after deleting the factory default code. I use two of the codes all the time, but for the other two, I gave one to my stepson and one to my ex-wife. My thinking was I could delete any of the codes as I saw need, but if the lock could record code usage, I could tell how the user got the code should someone break in using one of the codes.

View attachment 7785
Click to expand...
Thanks so it works with the keypad and actual keys too right?
 
Flint said:
It is a Schlage I picked up at Lowe's with a 15% coupon and the standard 5% off paying with my Lowe's card. Very simple, really. The code engages the lock so you can turn the knob on the front to lock or unlock the deadbolt. The inside is a standard manual mechanism. I programmed four codes on the lock, after deleting the factory default code. I use two of the codes all the time, but for the other two, I gave one to my stepson and one to my ex-wife. My thinking was I could delete any of the codes as I saw need, but if the lock could record code usage, I could tell how the user got the code should someone break in using one of the codes.

View attachment 7785
Click to expand...


I’ve had that exact model on my back door for years. It works great. I don’t have to worry about connectivity issues. I’ve only replaced the 9V battery once.
 
"Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like "Alexa." Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a "send message" request. At which point, Alexa said out loud "To whom?" At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, "[contact name], right?" Alexa then interpreted background conversation as "right". As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely."
 
Flint said:
"Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like "Alexa." Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a "send message" request. At which point, Alexa said out loud "To whom?" At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, "[contact name], right?" Alexa then interpreted background conversation as "right". As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely."
Click to expand...

I’m not disputing what you’re saying but ... Where did you see that? The handful of articles I read said Amazon engineers reviewed the logs and said that the Alexa guessed “send message” but literally nothing else: no command confirmation or subsequent confirmation of which contact to send the message to.

”He told us that the device just guessed what we were saying," she said. Danielle said the device did not audibly advise her it was preparing to send the recording, something it’s programmed to do.”
 
I just saw them in my news aggregator and was going to post it to the forum and saw Jeff's post.

I've been driving in my car pretty much sense yesterday morning and haven't had access to much news.
 
Flint said:
I just saw them in my news aggregator and was going to post it to the forum and saw Jeff's post.

I've been driving in my car pretty much sense yesterday morning and haven't had access to much news.
Click to expand...
And just wait until Alexa takes control of your car and drives it off a cliff with you in it because "she" thinks you've been cheating on her!
 
I think since Alexa's microphones are really sensitive, you can activate it if you say your wake up word by mistake. I changed the wake up word on one of my Dots to " computer " and if you have Star Trek on it will respond every time someone on TV says " computer ". Even on my daily news feed from Alexa, any ad that says, "Alexa" will stop the news and pause since Alexa is waiting for your next command. Ameritrade has an ad that says, "Alexa, enable the Ameritrade skill" and Alexa stops my news and says which skill? And I always have to say cancel then it continues reading my news
 
Flint said:
It is a Schlage I picked up at Lowe's with a 15% coupon and the standard 5% off paying with my Lowe's card. Very simple, really. The code engages the lock so you can turn the knob on the front to lock or unlock the deadbolt. The inside is a standard manual mechanism. I programmed four codes on the lock, after deleting the factory default code. I use two of the codes all the time, but for the other two, I gave one to my stepson and one to my ex-wife. My thinking was I could delete any of the codes as I saw need, but if the lock could record code usage, I could tell how the user got the code should someone break in using one of the codes.

View attachment 7785
Click to expand...
How easy is it to install? DIY or I need to call a locksmith?
 
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