How to automate a Winix Air Purifier Model 5500-2

We want to automate our Winix Air Purifier Model 5500-2. It came with a small IR Remote. Later models of the Winix line come with built-in wifi control but not ours.
We would like to automate our unit for Alexa voice control and would like to know whether this can be done through Smart Things.
We did try simply programming an IR Blaster purchased from Amazon, but had no success in getting it set up with the Tuya Smart Home templates provided.

There are a few options that have ST integration. Switch Bot Mini, Bond, and Logitech Harmony. I know Switch Bot gets a lot of love from other users here, but I’ve never used it. I have a Bond and it works great. The Switch Bot Mini is a lot cheaper, and looks like it’s on sale right now. But as a thought, would the Globe Suite integration work once it is back up? They keep saying it’ll be ready by the end of the month. I guess not since you couldn’t get it working with the Smart Life app.

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I wonder whether SwitchBot uses the same Smart Life DIY templates as my present IR Blaster, or different software. I wrote to WonderTechLabs last month but they were a bit noncommital, to-wit:
“Our hub does not support this air purifier now but you could use the customize mode or Others mode to learn it with our hub.”
Having already tried the SmartLife software DIY templates with two other IR Blasters that were not successful, I think I will write back to them and ask specifically whether they use the same SmartLife software as those do, or something different.

Thank you so much for your suggestion, Andrew!

As it turned out, the SwitchBot Hub Mini worked Great!
Although this product is called a 'hub" by Switchbot, it is really an IR Blaster, but … the most sophisticated of all the IR Blasters I have tried. Its “learning mode” for appliances not in their database works much more reliably than any other IR Blasters I have tried and, unlike many other extremely frustrating IR Blasters, its accompanying software enables you to convert “learned” IR buttons into “scenes” which can be found and recognized by Alexa and thus triggered by verbal commands.
Although the names of the scenes led to some rather awkward Alexa commands, I found that using Alexa “routines” I could create plain-English, easy to remember non-cryptic voice commands.
In addition, my experience with other IR Blasters was that technical support coming from the sellers was virtually non-existent , whereas I received personal responses and advice directly from the SwitchBot company itself, in most cases within 24 hours. I was confused at first as they have some old support pages up which refer to using IFTTT as a bridge between the Hub and Alexa, but it turned out that the revised software within the SwitchBot app makes IFTTT unnecessary.

When I first heard the name “SwitchBot” I thought only of their sort of Rube Goldberg-like tiny little robotic button-pusher and pictured little fingers stuck all over the face of our Air Purifier panel LOL, but their “Hub” turned out to be a first-class solution.
Thanks again for suggesting it!

Hi!

I’m trying to automate the air purifier too. Did the switchbot hub mini work out of the box for you? Was it able to recognize all the commands?

No there was no template with the name of my air purifier so I would not call it working out of the box, but I did include the instructions for adapting their generic template in my comment above and pasted below:

You just follow their simple instructions to teach it each button on your air purifier (or any other device not in their database), then convert each button into a Scene discoverable by Alexa and then create a “When I say …” Routine in Alexa for each button.
If you get stuck, use their email tech support as they are very responsive. I do not recommend seeking support through their FaceBook page as it is concentrated mainly on the introduction of their new curtain mover which has been delayed by the pandemic.

Ah I see, each button is “taught” separately. Got it, thanks for the insight!

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