# Amazon echo for late adopters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Projects & Stories\ **Created:** [June 14, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375 "2016-06-14T14:11:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tycalmc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tycalmc](https://community.smartthings.com/u/tycalmc)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/1 "2016-06-14T14:11:21Z")
Okay I know I’m late to the party but I am getting my first Amazon Echo for Father’s Day I have read through the threads in a lot of things seem out of date or new things out. What is everybodys must have or must do with an Amazon Echo when they first get it or for new people getting one ---
**Author:** ![bamarayne](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/bamarayne/32/18206_2.png) [@bamarayne](https://community.smartthings.com/u/bamarayne)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/2 "2016-06-14T14:38:18Z")
AskAlexa. Plain and simple, hands down it will evolve your experience. > [@\[NO LONGER SUPPORTED\] Ask Alexa](https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-ask-alexa/46786/158): > > @jnschemm MichaelS is absolutely correct. the AskHome programming is for programmers. Those that like to and have the ability to fully program and customize their system. AskAlexa is for those that are not programmers, but want the ability to do the same as the programmers. Michaels software allows you to have that as well. And the integration of askAlexa and CoRE have brought ST into the next level of HA. ---
**Author:** ![JDRoberts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jdroberts/32/56577_2.png) [@JDRoberts](https://community.smartthings.com/u/JDRoberts)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/3 "2016-06-14T15:14:21Z")
It helps to understand that there are three different approaches to using Alexa, mostly depending on whether you’re willing to do more technical work in order to get more features. One) Use the **IFTTT “trigger” method** which uses Alexa’s own IFTTT channel as the “if” and the smartthings channel and/or the harnony channel as the “that.” Pros: extremely easy to set up, very reliable, lets you use custom phrasing like “Alexa, trigger open the front door,” works with anything (including smartthings) that has an IFTTT channel, works easily with device classes that Echo does not yet recognize like locks. Cons: you have to use the “trigger…” Format which some people don’t like. If you want to use virtual switches you will have to create your own in smart things. And IFTTT can introduce additional lag. Extra features: you are limited to the standard echo features except that you can easily control device classes that echo doesn’t recognize during its usual “discover devices” process. > [@FAQ: Amazon Echo: The Official SmartThings Integration is here! (Initial SetUp FAQ)](https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-amazon-echo-the-official-smartthings-integration-is-here-initial-setup-faq/20903): > > NEW: Alexa IFTTT Triggers As of November 12, 2015, there are now two official ways to integrate Alexa and SmartThings. The first way is fast and simple, and can do any one thing that you can do in the official SmartThings IFTTT channel. You pick any phrase you want to use, and use that as the “if” in the Alexa channel at IFTTT for a new recipe. Then you just pick from the dropdown options in the SmartThings IFTTT channel as the “that.” To use a recipe, you say “Alexa, trigger {my phrase}.” So you could say “Alexa, trigger open the pod bay doors” to open your garage door, “Alexa, trigger autodestruct” to turn on your siren, “Alexa, trigger kitchen lights” to turn on your kitchen light. Whatever you want. This is the power of IFTTT, and why SmartThings having a channel there is so u… Two) Use the **official SmartThings/echo integration**. Pros: many of your smartthings devices will be listed in your echo app, which allows you to group them for direct echo voice control; you don’t have to use the “trigger” format, but instead can use “Alexa, movie night on.” (Where "movie night is the name of a group or switch.) Cons: this breaks relatively often (since it was introduced in August, it has broken at least four times, and maybe more). Some of the breaks are relatively minor, like echo telling you that the device isn’t available but actually doing the control you requested anyway. (That one had to do with a timeout failure in the smartthings response to echo.) some have been more significant, like a class of devices that used to work with echo now not working for a while. Also, you are limited to the standard device classes that echo officially recognizes meaning you can’t control locks this way unless you use a virtual switch as a stand-in. Extra features: none, you are limited to the standard echo features. [https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/205275404-Amazon-Alexa](https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/205275404-Amazon-Alexa) . [FAQ: Amazon Echo: The Official SmartThings Integration is here! (Initial SetUp FAQ)](https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-amazon-echo-the-official-smartthings-integration-is-here-initial-setup-faq/20903) 1. **Ask Home** and **Ask Alexa**. To use this, you set up your own AWS account and run custom code which allows you to query SmartThings and Play the answers through Alexa. This is an unofficial implementation built by community members. It is very popular among the kind of people who run their own servers. It is much too technical for many other people. Pros: it let you query Echo for things like “which doors are open?” And adds additional two-way features Cons: setup is complex even for those with significant technical skill; it is only as reliable as SmartThings; requires an Amazon developers account and a way to host your AWS code Extra features: adds many significant features to echo. > [@\[NO LONGER SUPPORTED\] Ask Alexa](https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-ask-alexa/46786): > > All, this is a new thread from my conversation in the Alexa Helper area ([[RELEASE] Alexa Helper](https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-alexa-helper/29380)) I am officially announcing my new Ask Alexa Smart App. This is what a lot of us have been looking for when it was announced that SmartThings would work with the Amazon Echo (‘Alexa’). Unfortunately, the integration was one-way and limited. You could not query your devices to find out their status, and you had NO access to modes, SHM or routines. I attempted to fill the gap with Alexa Helper, and it did a great job at giving you additional control over items using simple on/off commands. I even got into the ‘feedback’ piece by sending a voice output to a Sonos speaker. But, I always felt this was a ‘hack’…why ask a speaker (Alexa) to report out on another speaker. Well, with the guidance of @N… > [@AskHome - Alexa/SmartThings programmers kit. Alexa can do anything](https://community.smartthings.com/t/askhome-alexa-smartthings-programmers-kit-alexa-can-do-anything/46613/): > > Hi Guys, In real life you view your home as a structure filled with rooms, people, and objects. This kit helps you use Alexa to interact with your house by talking about those things - and not a list of devices. …which is great if you are helping someone non-technical make a smarthome. This is not a supported release, but a “share”. I’m sharing what I’ve done, and giving you the code so you can try it yourself if you want. Here is a short video with a few sample interactions from my home - and the kit code: documentation, smartApp, cut/pastes for alexa skills and lambda is here – [https://github.com/n8xd/AskHome](https://github.com/n8xd/AskHome). The demo code is configured to work with some things at my house…to make it YOUR AskHome, you’ll have to program your house into it. The AskHome kit is for groovy pro… You can also use both methods one and two which will let you put SmartThings – controlled devices from device classes that Echo officially recognizes into echo groups while not relying solely on SmartThings for control of third-party devices like Phillips Hues or harmony. And getting easy Echo control of the device classes that echo does not recognize like locks. **Summary** Most people seem to be either using the official method (2 above) or a combination of IFTTT and the official method (1 and 2 above), with power users who have a significant technical background using the Alexa skill method (3 above). You will find forum discussions on all three methods, which I’m sure it can get confusing. I myself now use a combination of one and two. I am quadriparetic, so voice control is really important to me, and I am willing to trade a couple of extra seconds for the improved reliability and simplicity of method one. But everybody’s needs are different. Other people want the absolute fastest response time, and go with method two. And people who are programmers tend to love method three which gives them a lot of features that echo doesn’t have out-of-the-box. 🚀 I hope that helps clear up some of the confusion. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![JDRoberts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jdroberts/32/56577_2.png) [@JDRoberts](https://community.smartthings.com/u/JDRoberts)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/4 "2016-06-14T15:37:28Z")
As far as your original question, which is what are people using echo for, in our house Echo is now the main method for controlling lights. One of the great things about echo is that you can put a device into as many different groups as you want. So you can say “Alexa, sink light on” which at our house turns on a light over the kitchen sink. Or you can say “Alexa, kitchen lights on” which at our House turns on the light over the kitchen sink +2 other lights. Or you can say “Alexa, bedtime on” which at our house turns on one of the other kitchen lights which is actually a hallway light on the way to the bedroom, one of the living room lights, and one of the bedroom lights, so it creates a pathway of lights from the living room to the bedroom. Or you can say “Alexa, turn off all lights” which at our house turns off all the lights in the house except The lights in my housemate’s bedroom which he will turn off for himself when he’s ready. We have a lot of people coming through our house. Three housemates who live here, plus all our various friends and family, plus home health workers for me. Everybody likes voice control of the lights. We have a sign on the wall by the entry that tells you what the voice commands are for the rooms just as a reminder. But it’s pretty intuitive. It works for everyone whether they have a smart phone or not. And we set up functional groups like “bedtime” which can have lights from different rooms under one voice command. Honestly, just light control in groups would be enough to justify the price of the echo at our house. I also use it for voice control of our harmony universal remote, which gives me voice control of the television, something I didn’t have before. It’s great for just on, off, and switching to a different input like Netflix. It’s pretty clunky for volume control or channel surfing, so my housemates just use the regular button remote for those activities. I also use the echo all the time to play music, sports results, news briefing, and the weather. Stuff like “Alexa, when do the Giants play next?” Is really nice. Personally, I don’t use echo for most information searches other than sports schedules. But that’s just me. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![bamarayne](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/bamarayne/32/18206_2.png) [@bamarayne](https://community.smartthings.com/u/bamarayne)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/5 "2016-06-14T15:58:24Z")
> [@JDRoberts](#): > > 1. Ask Home and Ask Alexa. To use this, you set up your own server and run custom code which allows you to query smart things and Play the answers through Alexa. This is an unofficial implementation built by community members. It is very popular among the kind of people who run their own servers. It is much too technical for many other people. JD, Correction. You do NOT require your own server to run either of these. AskHome is definitely not for the non technical non programming type of user. It takes a lot of skill to program. This is a great option, but very few will be able to accomplish it easily. AskAlexa is becoming more user friendly by the day. The documentation is outstanding and the features continue to grow. Initial set can seem daunting, but the documentation lays it out fairly simple. Just follow the steps and most are good to go on the first try. Again though, you do not need to run your own server. Everything is done in groovy on the ST servers and in the Amazon developer environment. ---
**Author:** ![JDRoberts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/smartthings/user_avatar/community.smartthings.com/jdroberts/32/56577_2.png) [@JDRoberts](https://community.smartthings.com/u/JDRoberts)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/6 "2016-06-14T16:03:05Z")
Thanks for the correction, I fixed my post. 🕶 ---
**Author:** ![tycalmc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tycalmc](https://community.smartthings.com/u/tycalmc)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://community.smartthings.com/t/amazon-echo-for-late-adopters/50375/7 "2016-06-15T00:14:41Z")
WOW Guys this is alot of information and can not wait until I can “open” my alexa on sunday when my kids give it to me for fathers day.