Amazon Echo - Always Listening - My Take on that

I’m just wondering if anyone know of a way to “connect to my echo, to listen to that it hears?”

My use case is I want to be able to listen to see if the dog barks while we’re out, and then if he is, to turn on the radio for him?

Anyone with ideas?

Echo will not handle that. While its always listening its listing for a keyword.

You could probably set something up using a RasperryPi and a microphone. Or something like this hooked up to IFTT:

edit:
Depending on you dog an how it barks an old school Clapper may work hooked up to a radio.
or
A dog barking collar hooked up to a contact sensor. Sure there is a way to hook it up. Then you can set up rules. Probably doesn’t need to be on the dog.

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Instead of another edit I found this:

http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/dog/dog-training/dog-bark-control/petsafe-indoor-bark-control-ultrasonic-pet-training-system

Bet you could remove the speaker and splice in a zwave contact in its place. Dog barks will send a contact closed. or if you don’t want to solder you may be able to plug it into a smart outlet and see if there is a spike in power and make a rule based off of that.

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Yep. LittleBits (sort of Legos with electronic components) even has specific project plans for a “bark monitor” that will connects to the little bits cloud IFTTT channel.

Use that to trigger IFTTT, and you can then easily combine it with smartthings events. And one of those events could play a pre-recorded voice command next to echo to turn on the echo radio if you wanted. :sunglasses:

And of course once you’ve thrown smart things into the mix you can do different things at different times on different days etc.

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Some of the D-Link cameras have sound activation, even the cheaper $30 ones. They can send you a push notification.

You can also hook them up to ST using this:

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Thanks all for your positive ideas. I was hoping to use kit that o already have rather than buying additional stuff as money is really tight at the moment :frowning: