12 Awesome Alexa Routines - Automating My Smart Home

Here are 12 of my favorite Amazon Alexa routines that i use to automate my smart home.
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TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:39 Wakeup Routine
2:19 Bedroom Fan
3:13 Morning Routine
3:53 Bedroom Shades
4:57 Air Purifier
5:17 Aquarium
6:16 Garage Lights
7:27 Door Announcement
7:46 Security Camera Motion Sensor
8:04 Front Door Lock
8:30 Good Night
8:55 Turn Everything Off
9:24 Final Thoughts
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#alexaroutines #homeautomation #smarthome

[@hildalopez1252]

Awesome video. My favorite routine... Alexa, goodnight! She willl then turn off the lights downstairs and turn on the bedroom lights. She will also ask if I've taken my medicine. Having chemo brain, I tend to forget or I don't forget anymore 😉

[@SteveDOES]

What a great reminder!

[@aminebenayad5794]

Hey Steve great content… so I have a ton of routine on my Alexa app. I’m also a SmartThings power user and got a ton of routines there as well… few of them.. I have the Ring Alarm system and if I arm in home mode then all (3) my smart locks get locked. Then my Alexa will announce that the house is secured (I know cheesy but the wife likes it ). Another routine I have is when we are about to watch a movie. Like you, I have multiple phrases set up but the routines consists of turning off the whole house, and turning on the movie theater I set up in basement. Then my Hue Sync Box turns on, starts the sync mode, and my Fire Tv Cube launches Netflix automatically. And then I say :movie started.. and then the entire home theater dims off until it’s dark. I love the flic buttons, got 12 of them around the house doing various things including controlling my sonos system and I added the Symfonisk sound remote by ikea to control the volume of the system. Pretty cool. I love your videos keep them coming. Great work

[@SteveDOES]

Oh man, i'm jealous of your setup. I love SmartThings and plan to dive into that as well. I had to keep some automations out of this "Alexa Only" video but i'll get to them eventually. There is just SO much more you can do with Smartthings.

[@aminebenayad5794]

@@SteveDOES absolutely! Great platform specially now that Samsung is paying a little more attention to the software

[@GeekyDrones]

I use homeassistant, one of my favorite automations is motion bathroom lights. By using aqara motion they have a motion and occupancy triggers. So it uses the occupancy to trigger lights then goes off once there is no motion. But, not everyone just walks out and leaves the light on, some turn it off. So the motion trigger it check to see if the lights on then checks to see if occupancy is on if the lights off but occupancy is on then it turns on the light. So far it works great.

[@SteveDOES]

Awesome! Great example!

[@Denny_T.]

Please keep making these videos, I like them! They are very informative.

[@StumblingGamer648]

Great video! Something I figured out when my kids got echos in their rooms is... You can setup groups or rooms in the alexa app, and assign a specific echo device to a single room/group. What this does is allows you to use the same command in different rooms and it'll only impact the items in the room. Example: Alexa, Goodnight (turns off lights, and turns on fan): when echo in room 1 gets command, only lights and fan in room 1 will be controlled. Etc Thanks again for a great video with good ideas!

[@SteveDOES]

Yes, room grouping is a great feature.

[@weircottage]

I have a Hive smart plug linked to an irrigation system that pumps water from my river!

[@edric_munster5531]

I love my kasa power strips for my fish tanks. I run lights, pumps,......on timers in kasa or could do through Alexa. In master bathroom, I have a motion sensor after sunset turn on shower light. It acts as a night light when motion is present.

[@SteveDOES]

Great examples!

[@clive7788]

Great video ...so much i can say here .....lots of great info 👏👏👏👏

[@SteveDOES]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NavyCopMA1]

As I am renovating I am replacing light switches with Lutron dimmers, have several different lights with wifi bulbs as well. Just started adding some the aqara sensors into the mix and slowly building up as I go. I have several routines that I use but one I have found to be useful is "watch TV" where it turns off the kitchen and living room lights and changes color and dims the led floor lamp (Govee Lyra Floor Lamp) that sits behind the TV to make it easier to watch. Will be working on more indoor and outdoor lights and sensors as I continue to renovate. Biggest thing I am looking at, but is still out of my price range at the moment, are the curtains.

[@SteveDOES]

Love that routine. Yea, smart curtains and shades are surprising expensive.

[@JandJsMemoryLane]

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[@ash1983]

Awesome video! What air purifier are you using and what is the compatible motion sensor for it?

[@nmraidernation.6092]

Dude, the ceiling fan with a bride was a time saver, as 90%of the fans sold today have a remote.... Now with this option I went on to Amazon and ordered a bridge, tone will tell if it works but it should, thanks, great stuff on your videos!!! Keep it up, love the suggestions, ideas!

[@SteveDOES]

yeah used to have my fan running 24/7 because i would forget to turn it off. Now it pretty much just runs when i need it to. :)

[@funnyperson4016]

If you’re looking for some super advanced stuff, you can run chat GPT through Apple shortcuts so it can figure out what you want. You can also do IFTT (if this then that) to set up no code automations as well that when certain triggers are met to activate or do whatever your connected devices can already do. For instance, if your fit bit detects movement, start coffee. Or you can connect it with other things. I haven’t figured out what I want yet.

[@shrekthedad]

My morning routine turns up the furnace so warm air starts blowing out the vents 10 minutes before the kids wake up for school. Also each of my children have their own morning routine to wake them up. They each have their favorite music play to wake them up and the routine also reminds them to brush their teeth before school. I have many many routines at my house. Mostly for the kids. There's even one that tells them that its time to go out to the bus stop. My back door has a contact sensor that triggers a routine 5 minutes later reminding the person that opened the door to not forget the dog outside. I could go on and on with all the useful routines I've made.

[@SteveDOES]

Oh i love these ideas! I was thinking about making a video based off routines you can use for your kids. I may just have to do that now. :)

[@shrekthedad]

@@SteveDOES I've got a bunch more that I use for my kids daily. I could make a list and email it to you for inspiration. Just let me know. I've been using alexa routines for 5 or 6 years and we have 3 boys and 3 girls so I've gotten pretty creative with it.

[@SteveDOES]

@@shrekthedad Oh wow, yes! That would be awesome. Thank you!

[@WalktheLake]

Hi steve,, thank u! Hey one thing I would love is heavy automatic blinds that could be placed in front of an open window to hold out (some) heat late at night and then open automatically around midnight. where I live it’s blistering hot in the summer until MN when it’s breezy and 70ish. Any ideas? Thanks!

[@scottdenton3023]

My kids rooms only have 1 switch for the existing light. I want to add a ceiling fan/light combo and make them smart. My question is does the broadlink allow you to control both the lights and the fan separately on 1 switch?

[@HaleyShelton-gc6uh]

THANK YOU FOR MUTING THE WORD ALEXA

[@americansmark]

I understand you're using it to show the possibilities, but it's so much cheaper and easier to use a motion sensing light switch for a garage than use a smart device. And I like my blinds closed all the time so I don't need that one handled for me. Lol On the whole, awesome demo. We bought an old ranch house along w us route that has gigabit Ethernet, so we're setting up an echo show 15, blink cameras, and a lot of other smart stuff. The setup can be frustrating, but the payoff is worth it.

[@msjhind]

Does any of this home automation equipment require installation during home building or refurbishing, or can it all be installed in a finished home.

[@lmorgan1509]

I have a automation in the works right now involving our stove which barely gets used cause everyone is either tired from a long workday or we just being lazy. So whenever the stove or oven is turned on a announcement is sent out over both Google and Alexa Speakers that says, someone is making dinner or breakfast depending on time of day. Home Assistant is what I used to set this automation up.

[@craig4451]

so your porch lights go on all day whenever you exit the front door or walk outside during the day?

[@YTEEsenior]

I have a Eufy doorbell and the motion sensor doesn't work well with Alexa. Sometimes there can be a five minute delay before Alex warns you of motion alerts or you just don't get them at all. Not a very good integration and certainly doesn't work very well with front light motion sensing routines. Any advise that could make this work more efficient?

[@dlproductions9574]

i see there isnt a link to the Flic button? can you include/add that in the description of the video? thanks!

[@holdingmaradiagawtf2060]

Awsome

[@SteveDOES]

Thank you!

[@tpickett1945]

How do you set up routines using the word computer?

[@williamsdtp]

Is it possible to create a routine to have echo show stop/go home when a smart button is pressed? I have my show display wyze camera in front of house when motion is detected, but sometimes i want to turn that camera feed off right away by pressing a button rather using voice command (echo show is in bedroom) since it stays on a long time.

[@adarahhl4418]

What desk is behind you?

[@cheekeyslumped]

How do you get the air purifier to turn on by the smart plug and motion sensor ? Everything I tried to do like that it just gives power I still have to physically press the on button

[@varistybc]

Hey Steve do the Flic buttons need any kind of hub?

[@partyalbertabland8439]

Thanks for this Steve! I'm in the process of rehabbing my whole house and trying to go smart at the same time. After research, I have chosen to go the Amazon route; with the note that when Matter hits the market, I may have to adjust. One concern I have is getting to 'smart' and then if my wifi has issues, I struggle. Also, getting the necessary mesh set up so that I have appropriate coverage across the whole house. The house is a 5000 sq ft ranch style spread out in the shape of a U with a pool in the center of the U. Do you have a video where you cover tested and recommended network equipment? Thanks again Steve and I look forward to your next video!

[@SteveDOES]

Sounds like an amazing house! I've tested out a few mesh networks from Netgear, TP-Link and Google WiFi. Any of those 3 brands are good. With Matter around the corner i'd wait to upgrade your mesh wifi, if you can.

[@InspiredInsights4U]

Sounds like you’d be better off putting in wireless access points additionally I would set up a virtual net work so that all of your IOT devices work off of virtual networking keep them off of anything where your real data lives i.e. don’t let them have the same access or same network that your computers have security on a lot of the devices is not up to par so with that you don’t wanna leave yourself vulnerable to hacking and everything else 5000 square-foot shape of you I would certainly be looking at wireless access points as a way to go probably with a ambiguity router

[@partyalbertabland8439]

@@InspiredInsights4U Thank you John! Good point and I am concerned about the security. I'm not familiar with the router you noted. Is that a brand or a type? Any recommendations on particular access points that are good?

[@InspiredInsights4U]

@@partyalbertabland8439 i’m equity is a brand name of a router and a C used for a lot of people who want something that’s better than what’s at the namebrand stores in off-the-shelf I would suggest going over to the KZbin channel network Chuck he has done some several videos regarding this router setting up VLANs setting up wireless access points and basically you would connect the equity to your net work modem and then the wireless access points would also connect with a network cable but once you’re all connected in you’re going to have extremely good Wi-Fi access the VLAN which is great for security because it isolates everything is also built into this router so there’s so many features and so much Customer custom millet customizable things that you can do with it FYI I apologize for the message being a little difficult sometimes for you to know I am a blind user and this is all coming in via voice to text

[@partyalbertabland8439]

@@InspiredInsights4U No worries at all John. To confirm, are you saying Ubiquiti router? I will check out NetworkChuck. Thanks!

[@lindstrem]

Hi, i am trying to figure out if there is a routine than can be started by connecting to wifi. When i return home and my phone connects to the wifi, why cant it start playing music??? It seems thats not possible but would be the easiest way without sensors. Is that really not possible?

[@Nonnie1227]

Great video! Is there a way to suppress turning on the porch light during daytime hours? I have tried but haven't been successful and they come on during the daytime when I do not need them.

[@faengelm]

You can enable your motion detection routine with a "custom action" in another routine that is started at sunset or some fixed time. Then create a second routine triggered by sunrise or some fixed time with a "custom action" to disable your motion detection routine

[@SteveDOES]

Like Frank already mentioned, you'll need 2 routines. Create one to turn on the lights at sunset and the second routine to turn them off at a certain time.

[@psovitzky]

What broadlink did you purchase? What model is that you used to hook up to your ceiling fan? Thanks

[@SteveDOES]

It's the BroadLink RM4 pro. I added a link to the description.

[@whitewolf8545]

interesting video

[@SteveDOES]

Thanks for the visit

[@larsonl6376]

i see one of the door sensors you have is the ring sensor. i notice they list as requiring a ring alarm? can they still be used even without the ring alarm? thanks

[@GreeniusGenius]

The Ring Alarm acts as a Z-wave bridge. So you’d still need to look for another hub, and check online if the Ring sensor works with that hub. Small battery powered devices use Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-wave, and Thread, because it allows for much longer battery life.

[@perrybette]

Adding Phillips hue lights and Google nest camera and doorbell to Alexa.

[@lasongablackwell6535]

Using my motion sensor on my living room camera to activate my morning routine My dinning room lights turn on at sunset so dose my porch light plus My porch light comes on when my door open amd shutoff when it is closed Goodnight shutdown my apartment and lock the door Door sensor let me kmow when door is open and close But my favorite is my new smart lock now I don't have to worry if I lock the door or not

[@7KC]

What smart shades/ curtains do you use

[@SteveDOES]

Lutron serena shades

[@trishmoore9684]

I love your videos but I’m pretty tech stupid. I need to set up my Vivint security on my Echo Show 10 3rd gen but just can’t figure it out. Same for putting my Pinterest on it. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

[@SteveDOES]

I have Vivint also. Are you referring to showing Vivint cameras on your Echo show 10? If so, that’s not an option that I’m aware of. Unless things have changed.

[@trishmoore9684]

I was talking about the Vivint doorbell camera which I’ve heard can be linked but can’t find a way. I must have misread it. Thanks for your reply.

[@cristian_c]

Why do I'm not able to create routines in Alexa by using other devices which are not made by amazon, when I select "when this happens" and "smart home" I only see the ring devices there, nothing else, and when I select "add action" "smart home" I see all my devices.... Thank you!

[@ruffer1]

I'm new I'm 79 and a disabled veteran. I We have the Show 10 and Ring Pro 2. The alerts us when someone comes down the entry sidewalk, and however I can Not get it to show that person on our Show 10 as they walk up. Suggestion, Please

[@SteveDOES]

Hey Paul, so you're getting a verbal notification when "motion is detected" but a live view isn't showing up based off motion. I'm not sure if that's an option but let me test it out and get back to you in a week or so.

[@daveschmarder-1950]

I trigger my bedtime routine (all lights off, weather report and start news reading) by saying "Robinette". :) My evening lights come on when I say "Milhouse". I don't have any automatic lights as my neighbors guess if I am still alive by looking at lights going on and off.

[@SteveDOES]

haha, like your custom trigger words.

[@daveschmarder-1950]

@@SteveDOES "dotard" is another favorite trigger word.

[@RollingAlongTheRIver]

I use a routine to turn on various echos to automatically play a regular Sunday morning program. LOL, the first week they were all set up and turned on, I jumped. I forgot.

[@SteveDOES]

Haha! I like this idea though :)

[@drucraig7407]

I want to set up my home but this seems so complicated

[@donnastrand4869]

Will you come do my house 😀

[@SteveDOES]

haha

[@rafaeldv2004]

I’m actually starting… and I’m looking forward to be in Amazon echo system

[@SteveDOES]

Hope these routine ideas helped you out. :)

[@mechellecrosby2621]

Let There Be Light=all lights on Let There be Darkness Let's Get Ready For Bed=lights on in back of house, lights off in front I'm Home=certain things on Good Morning =certain things on, date/time, appointments for today and tomorrow, news

[@SteveDOES]

Love these. :)

[@tsantos9073]

What devices and their brand used in these routines? thanks

[@TheMercury-13]

I hate that they used 'Alexa' as the corporate name.. I think 'smart' appliances have great uses for disabled people, but otherwise gimmick that some will enjoy & others find creepy, susceptible to power cuts, hacks & glitches. I'm not sure how I ended up on here; I was looking for how to release an over-tightened tap valve, I'm more of a DIY person.. 😄

[@SteveDOES]

Well thanks for getting side tracked and watching. :)

[@clive7788]

Great video ...so much i can say here .....lots of great info 👏👏👏👏

[@SteveDOES]

Glad it was helpful!