I see there are a number of light switches that can be controlled by an Echo or Dot. Anyone have a good or bad experience with any of them? I've got a lot of track lighting that is controlled by dimmers and I want to swap them out with smart dimmers than I can control via an Echo.
With regards to "control via an Echo" there are 2 basic groups of devices:
- Direct (sort of) controlled devices.
- Hub/bridge controlled devices.
The devices in the first group can be controlled/accessed via your Echo (or any other Alexa-enabled device on your Amazon account) without you needing any additional hardware to act as an intermediary. The "sort of" qualifier refers to the fact that even you don't require any intermediary gear/software in your home, the fact is that Alexa still accesses these devices indirectly via internet "cloud" servers maintained by the vendors of the controlled devices. And even that's a bit of an oversimplification...but, it works. The devices in this group are generally those that are WiFi enabled, allowing the aforementioned vendors' servers to access and control them across the internet. Belkin's "WeMo" line of smart switches and bulbs is just one example of this category of directly internet-accessible device.
The devices in the second group still require Alexa to go through a cloud-based vendor server to control them, but they also use some sort of short-range wired or wireless (almost exclusively the latter these days) communication mechanism that requires a local "hub" or "bridge" in your home to act as an intermediary between them and the vendor's server. Examples would be switches, bulbs, et al that are communicated with via Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave or one of a few proprietary wireless protocols...hence the need for an internet-connected hub that translate between the commands received from the vendor's cloud server and whichever wireless protocol being used by the device in question. There are a number of vendors currently making and selling hubs...all with different capabilities and architectures...competing for dominance in the home automation space, which is still in its infancy. The hubs involve extra setup, management and cost, but they also provides far greater flexibility and choice when it comes to smart device selection.
With regard to the latter group there is an additional level of breakdown between standards-based hubs and those that use proprietary interfaces. Obviously those based on open standards yield the greatest flexibility, as you can mix and match equipment from multiple vendors and still have them all work together in a single HA (Home Automation) system. On the other hand, that also tends to be slightly more complicated to setup and manage than a single-vendor solution. Everything is a trade-off.
You thought this was going to be simple, huh?
A shorter answer based on my own experience is this:
I have a SmartThings hub that I use to control a variety of standards-based devices, including GE Link smart bulbs, GE Link smart wall switches (in both ZigBee ad Z-Wave versions) for overhead lighting and ceiling fans, a couple of Z-Wave motion sensors and a Z-Wave deadbolt on my front door. Oh, and our (my wife's and my) phones act as "presence" sensors, letting the SmartThings hub know when we are and are not home. They also host the SmartThings app, which allows us to control everything. In addition to all that, Alexa is officially integrated with SmartThings (among other vendors), which allows us to use our Echos and a couple of other Alexa-enabled devices to use voice commands to control everything that is connected to the SmartThings hub. Alexa is also integrated with EcoBee, allowing me to use voice commands to also control our two EcoBee3 smart thermostats (1 upstairs and 1 downstairs). The thermostats are also accessible/controllable via the SmartThings hub, but Alexa's direct integration allows me to bypass that (since the EcoBees are actually in the first category of internet-accessible smart devices). Except for some growing pains with the SmartThings hub itself (which at the moment seem to be mostly behind us) I have had very good experiences with all of these devices.
OK, maybe that version wasn't all that simple either. Sorry, but the fact is that there's a lot to learn if you're going to make good choices in home automation gear.
Wait...did I forget to mention the Harmony Hub that I can use to control my TV, Blueray/streaming media player and satellite TV box via Echo voice commands?
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