Jordan O'BrienThe Amazon Echo is finally a little bit more useful in the UK, with IFTTT support launching to the voice-activated Bluetooth speaker, as well as more advanced control for Logitech Harmony users.
IFTTT is a key component to the smart home functionality of the Amazon Echo in the US. It allows advanced commands that otherwise wouldn’t be available and can trigger certain actions based on a particular scenario.
With IFTTT users are able to automatically lock down the entire house using a single command, sync Alexa’s to-do functionality with other apps such as Wunderlist or Evernote, control light fixtures just by changing the song, and even control smart home devices that are otherwise not supported by Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.
Using the IFTTT Alexa skill users are even able to customise commands to their own liking. Users are even able to create their own recipes to control devices that others may not have even thought of – and then share those recipes with the rest of the community.
US Amazon Echo owners have enjoyed IFTTT support for well over a year, but UK users have thus far been left out. The service was promised at the UK launch of the Amazon Echo – but a timeframe wasn’t announced. The Alexa Skills store has also been rather bare in the UK versus the one available in the US.
With IFTTT’s roll-out to the UK, German Amazon Echo users are still left out in the cold. Amazon has yet to confirm when the service will launch to those in Germany, but given the delay in launching in the UK, don’t expect it anytime soon.
In addition to IFTTT, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant is also getting better AV control for users of Logitech’s popular all-in-one remote solution, Harmony. Logitech Harmony has already added smart home device control to its list of capabilities, but now with Amazon Echo users will be able to customise their Harmony with voice commands.
Previously the Amazon Echo and Logitech Harmony tie-up allowed users to activate pre-set scenes using their voice, but the new functionality allows a little more fine-tuning. That means users will be able to control the volume on their home theatre set-up, without having to create a whole scene for it. Users will also be able to navigate to TV channels using nothing but their voice and even set a sleep timer to turn devices off after a set period of time.
For those without full on automation systems, such as Crestron and Control4, this functionality should be passable. Users are able to control their AV equipment using their voice and for a relatively low cost. The definitive advantage to Logitech’s support over that of professional home automation systems is the fact that Harmony has an Alexa skill that is available in the UK. Both Crestron and Control4, while having an Alexa skill in the US, have thus far shunned this side of the pond.