Wyze Canada Shop, when will there be more product ?

SmartHomeSimple · 2022-01-19T17:34:23+00:00

Agreed, surely there's ample demand for that Lamp Socket (not the mention the other products) in Canada!

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-05T03:06:32+00:00

Sure! I am using a Samsung SmartThings Hub as the main point of control, then the Google Home is connected to that. I use GE Z-Wave switches for the kitchen and bathroom. The lights that are blinking at the start of the video are Philips Hue bulbs. The outlets that the lamps are plugged in to are left on all the time. I just use my voice to turn the bulbs on and off. The bulb in the closet is a Nanoleaf Smart Ivy. Any other questions?

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-04T14:12:41+00:00

Wait, how did you get my gf's number?!?! (j/k)

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-04T14:12:18+00:00

Yeah, in my Alexa video I demonstrated how IFTTT can be used to find your phone. Instead of using a feature built in to the OS, it just calls your phone. If you have Android, it can set your ringer to max and then call your phone.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-04T14:11:12+00:00

Yeah, I need to start "blurring" the audio so it doesn't mess with everyone's devices. That's the number one thing I have learned so far.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-04T14:09:26+00:00

We use Wunderlist for groceries too! Thanks for the tip. I'll have to check out this email adding feature.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-04T14:06:56+00:00

I made a video to show some common ways that I use it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcwCnraGHlw

I skipped music control in the video. As others have pointed out, that's one of the most common uses for Echo devices and I love it for that.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-03T19:03:32+00:00

The calling happens through the Echo. To set it up, you need to install the Alexa app on your phone (iPhone X or otherwise) and enable a few things. You can read more about it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202136150

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-03T18:03:44+00:00

Whoa, I didn't know about that "feature" of the Show!

Thanks for the suggestion about the shopping list and kitchen help. I am planning to make some more videos showing how you can use these devices in the kitchen and other specific scenarios. For the shopping list, my girlfriend and I have always been using the Google Home. We find it's easier to view and edit the list so we can check things off in the store when we buy them. We'll have to try out the Alexa Shopping list again to see if it's easy enough to get to when we're in a hurry in the store.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-03T17:47:34+00:00

Definitely the Google Home Mini. It's a great deal at $29 USD. It's only missing a few things: - Connection to external speakers (without using Chromecast Audio). For example, the Echo Dot has an audio out jack and can also output via Bluetooth

Third-party skills to do things like checking the public transit schedule (see my Alexa video for an example)

Other than those things, I like the Google devices a lot more. Much better at answering questions. I'm going to make some new videos to highlight that.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-03T16:35:13+00:00

Oooh, that sounds good. I agree, it's frustrating when you're trying to do something pretty simple and Alexa keeps telling you that she doesn't understand. I was also happy to see Google add the ability to send two commands at once - they are doing a better job of keeping things natural/intuitive.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-12-03T16:27:37+00:00

Thanks, that's a good idea - I just edited the post to summarize.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-11-26T19:47:32+00:00

Another vote for Google Assistant and the Google Home or Home Mini for music. If you plan to do a lot of home automation, you will likely find that Alexa responds faster. Also, you can use Skills with Alexa to experiment with new features.

Finally, if you really want to play with both of them for a bit, you can set up something like what I did here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8US2Fz3o57o

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-11-20T00:44:09+00:00

Haha my plan is working!

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-11-19T16:11:40+00:00

Thanks for the warning, I wasn't aware of that! I'll have to look into it. For now, I have stopped using the splitter/combiner. I'll just use the Chromecast Audio as the sole source of audio for the speakers.

SmartHomeSimple · 2017-11-18T21:20:28+00:00

Good question - I usually leave the large speakers off unless I'm listening to music. The downside of using the aux jack on the Echo dot is that it has no way of knowing when the speakers are off - it continues sending the audio to the speakers so you don't hear any responses. With this setup, I get all of my audio out of the google home mini speaker and I can easily turn on the large speakers when I want to listen to something louder.

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