12 Cool Alexa Routines: Automating My Smart Home with Alexa

[@SmartHomeSolver]

We are on a week with no more “Baby” by Justin Bieber...these routines are a lifesaver. Which song would you ban Alexa from ever playing again?

[@doshiempiresandpuzzles8822]

Smart Home Solver any song from the Troll's soundtrack. I would love if the new Wyze sensors would integrate with Alexa routines.

[@TheJamesJones]

Baby Shark, do do do do...

[@Shudita]

Hello! I’m on the fence between Wyze sense and SmartThings sensors... the front door alert is a really cool idea, especially in a two story house with kids being kids. You use SmartThings here so I know they work, question is: can I have that setup using Wyze sense? Thank you so much for your videos, I learn a lot from them. PS. I’d block Despacito and baby shark 😖

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Hi Judy that's funny you ask because the current video I'm working on is about that. Right now the Wyze sensors won't be able to trigger Alexa routines but I think they will be able to in the future.

[@spinbastianvettel5477]

Despacito and Baby Shark

[@baukevanderkooi8712]

Thank you for the silencing when you say alexa

[@GlovedGame]

Why was it even silenced?

[@Starpotion]

@@GlovedGame So our own Echos don't go off

[@sergiohenrique9694]

like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, kzbin.infoUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....

[@chemicallyfreenolye5462]

😂”a child has escaped”

[@renjithvakkayil]

That was epic😛

[@janw8310]

😂😆

[@trickstur5994]

That killed me too :D

[@Melinas_Vlogs]

😂😂

[@teahee847]

"the chase begins"

[@zainabbah8128]

ur an absolute god for not actually saying alexa!!!!!!!

[@Veenotonsum]

Ikr I'm in my room with my Alexa and I was a little spooked

[@jennys9043]

Srsly! 100% of viewers have Alexa right next to them if they’re watching this

[@AmronExperimental]

#AmazonAfter

[@Phawx_]

why don't u just mute Alexa

[@andrewbrooks9235]

Phawx it’s easier for us

[@Tabonava]

"There is no place in this home for Justin Bieber"... hahaha Im dying xD

[@DB_Videos275]

I love saying “ execute order 66” to turn on all my lights on

[@haxanator1513]

Shouldn't it turn off the lights though?

[@ialastairi115]

Danny Brooks I have mine say yes my Lord and turn all the lights red when I says execute order 66. That's my gaming lighting lol

[@elthpiano]

PHAHAHAH

[@elthpiano]

I Alastair I Thats sick

[@bryanhilfiger2842]

Haxanator no, you can rename certain commands for example my room led lights I have as “Bryan’s penis” so whenever my roommates or girlfriend comes into my room they are forced to say “turn on Bryan’s penis” and it’s funny every time

[@markoglisic9624]

😂 red alert! A child has escaped 😂

[@azurish7820]

It sounds like their in prison 🤣🤣🤣

[@xXDeadJesterXx]

Why hasn't anyone asked the most important question of all........Where did you get the bat-signal lamp?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

That lamp is from IKEA and I have a LIFX bulb inside.

[@batista98854]

How about the rgb light which looks like cloud?

[@johnjames4834]

thats the most important question of all??????

[@johnjames4834]

@@SmartHomeSolver IKEA FORGET IT! It took me 3 days to find the exit! (luckily they sell beds)

[@Mrs.Fineapple]

“Time to get up and do something with your life” 🤣

[@thatsmybiscuit1973]

I love the whole concepts of smart house but i draw the line at co-parenting with alexa 😂

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Haha that's probably a good call!

[@bIabbb]

fair enough

[@brokeneyes6615]

Idea: you get your echo, outdoor motion sensors, outdoor speakers, a smart home sliding door and your German Shepard’s. Set up the motion sensor so it scans for motion in your yard at night. If it detects movement it lures The German Shepherd‘s to the sliding door by playing the sound of a meowing cat on the echo. It then turns on the outdoor security lights and announces that it will release the hounds in five seconds. It then opens Thr sliding door, releasing Thr hounds. The echo that is still inside the house waits 5minutes before plays the sound of a dog whistle, calling the German shepherds back in before closing the door and turning the lights off. One of those things does not yet exist on market but can be DIY’d.

[@wearejungians]

until the door lock feature is triggered by a storm and the automatic door closer fails and your house is ruined.

[@deemabon314]

That shut down house routine was pretty funny 😂

[@SandipDas30]

"Love you" touch was neat! :)

[@VersaVoicePodcast]

Since I bought Alexa I am never late waking up because of my Alexa routines. It's amazing how you can set up where it turns on your lights and gradually increases the brightness and then it can turn on the TV and play your favorite shows :)

[@nerdnoodles1182]

I set mine to play music and everything after I dismiss my morning alarm so I can't turn my alarm off and just go back to sleep like I used to do

[@royruganijr8857]

Thanks for the alexa says part. Never really played much with her routines but so glad you brought that up and the announcement part!!

[@RACAPE]

The most funniest video I saw about Alexa. 😂😂 I laughed so hard that I'm in tears. Well done! I just ordered mine yesterday and can't wait. I have a Google home mini already, but Google doesn't have location routine.

[@ScoffMathews]

I want alexa to be able to start an interaction with me. Say I have a webservice thay knows my wife is on her way home, and also sees that I haven't looked at recipes or been in the kitchen for few hours. Dinner is probably not ready. Webservice sends a custom message to alexa to some custom skill: "There doesn't seem to be any food ready, do you want to order something, or should I preheat the oven? Goals.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I like that! I might have to see if I could figure out how to do that.

[@tanyasalmon6907]

Lol 😂

[@Tk5869]

That dog, innocence in person😂 06:43

[@artsoto137]

Can you come to my house and install the entire system 😂

[@bman_2024]

No place in the home for bieber, I love it

[@heathercostello6705]

I love these tips!! I want this morning routine.

[@BatBrisco]

This is great! Thanks for the demo! I always feel like there's so much more we can do with Alexa so thanks for the tips!

[@HighTen_Melanie]

I just got my first Echo dot yesterday so this is a great help. I like the use of your routines and geo fence. Proud to be your newest subscriber. Greetings from Scotland, UK.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

That's awesome and thanks for subscribing!

[@marieovergaard4189]

Thank you so much for not saying Alexa 50 times, mine threw a damn house party yesterday at 3 am when I watched another video.

[@kendrabean2868]

😂

[@AptusWI]

Geotrack with smart phone once "x "feet out of garage, garage door automatically shuts, smart vacuum starts up, lights go off, front door locks, Alexa controlled fireplace shuts off, Heat or AC goes to desired "Away" temperature, music automatically plays and security system automatically armed. Great routine tips in your video. Impressed!

[@jennybthick]

I have three ceiling fans that I have turn off/on when I leave/arrive. Its my favorite automation so far. I purchased the bond hub thingy to turn my fans WiFi btw.

[@APurples]

Alexa when the front door is open: I sleep Alexa when a child walks out from their bedroom at 12am: NOW THIS IS AN AVENGERS LEVEL THREAT

[@heathercostello6705]

coolest smart home blogger out there!!!!

[@mandywinter6490]

I have a memory issues so excited to try this in my house thanks so much

[@themeditationandrelaxation1486]

Letting Alexa make coffee for you in the mornings is brilliant for me, all you need is the smart plug and she does the rest at the given time. :-)

[@whothetechknows]

Pretty cool stuff. We use Alexa a lot at home as well. She has schedules for our lights and she locks our doors.

[@RichDiedrich]

The routines that I use most often include different lighting combinations depending on what I am doing in our family room, turning on the back hall lights when I come home after sunset (this one uses some of my controller logic), and routing my Echo's sound through the built in speakers in my house to play music.

[@Neodx2]

I love how you treated alexa like a swear word so it doesnt trigger all our alexas 😂😂

[@dentonfender6492]

"Time to wake up and do something with your life" LOL

[@ModernDayTech]

Now I just need a routine to fully ignore my daughter's voice (and her friends) while it still listens to mine.

[@TheBondsJamesBonds]

ModernDayTech maybe just switch the wake word? Computer is a weird one that people don’t tend to think of.

[@ModernDayTech]

@@TheBondsJamesBonds Duct tape works but she says it hurts when we take it off.

[@TheBondsJamesBonds]

ModernDayTech clever :P

[@tamarahanderson9354]

Ft to hghh pp000

[@Del-Canada]

Someone broke into some friends home because they trusted Alexa to control their locks. Speak loudly, "Echo/Alexa unlock the front door." into any home to see if they have Alex controlling their locks. Never use these things for security unless it's to view cameras. We trust these assistants too much. Don't be too dependent on them. I also change their routines so easily when I visit them. LOL

[@WeekendWarrior604]

I want this... all of it!

[@bradsbirds8502]

3 for 3 videos in a row that I've learned something from. Great job! Today, I bought a bunch of TP link HS200's on clearance and installed them on the 5 bathroom exhaust fans. Made a routine to turn all of them on, set all ceiling fans to 100%, ramp up the air purifiers, switch the thermostats to fan, wait an hour, then turn it all off.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks! That's a cool routine! I'll have to remember that for the future.

[@adamharris234]

@christopher Clark, where did you find HS200's on clearance? I need to pick up some more of them

[@bradsbirds8502]

@@adamharris234 Amazon "used" they were all brand new (I bought 12 total). I saw what appeared to be the remnants of a clearance sticker on several of them that I'd dare say came from Target. I installed all of them without a problem. Best smart home deal I've ever found. I did the same thing with lutron maestros for all my closets.

[@adamharris234]

@@bradsbirds8502 awesome thanks

[@TheJamesJones]

Another great video Reed. I told my cousin about the song override hack a few months ago. "Alexa, play Baby Shark", "No!" I wasn't aware of the suppress functionality, that is a good tip.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks James! Haha song override hack, I love it!

[@A453]

James Jones i like baby shark

[@bman_2024]

change the anti-biber ring to " the hell I will play that , request denied"

[@zrohit]

Can the message in the Routine be in a different language ? Thanks

[@JonathanGrahamVideo]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not saying Alexa!!

[@reddwitdreadz]

I can’t imagine my childhood having to hear “welcome home, it’s time to do your homework” 😶🫠

[@farmlandusa777]

I made my Alexa sound like Samuel L Jackson lol

[@bynlb]

Great video, it gave me some ideas. Nice touch of censoring the word "alexa" I literally muted the mic on my echo dot before playing this video lmao

[@Wizardaron]

I've been thinking, you could build an escape room using this feature

[@Saahib_K]

Alexa gives you a fastest route but corona cuts it off completely by you working from home, so which one is better? lol just for giggles :) Cool video..thanks for ideas

[@matthewgrant2785]

Welcome to the future

[@mxz2024]

Hmm not the real future... Just some toy for comfort with some useful tools. Mostly speeding up things you could handle with your hands, by using your voice. I mean the implementation of this is pretty simple compared to other complex systems like in a Tesla or in the industry

[@AnnieBananaaa]

I now use a routine to turn on my coffee machine, wait 10 minutes, then turn off my coffee machine whenever I say "Alexa, make coffee"

[@themodulator2345]

0:38 Reed threw his hand up while he is sleeping with the words "Go away" "GO AWAY!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Hahaha!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Haha it's my only defense to get a little more sleep in the morning.

[@themodulator2345]

Haha, that was so funny of you throwing the go away responses.

[@andrewdiamond2697]

Security and money saver I'm about to implement. I have one Ring floodlight camera, some other ring cameras and a ring doorbell that sense motion. 1. I have smart bulbs in the next floodlight over that Alexa turns on when the first floodlight is triggered....for about 10% of the cost of the Ring Floodlight. 2. That second floodlight covers down the side of my house. I can have other Alexa routines that turn on that floodlight at night anytime a Ring contact sensor on any of those windows is opened. 3. Installing a front porch light that illuminates when the ring doorbell senses motion. Ultimately, in a few months, I'll have lights around the whole perimeter of my house that will illuminate when a contact sensor is broken.

[@OldWorldNobility]

"I'm a better parent than you anyway!" XD Love it! How do I turn my Alexa into a smart ass?

[@michaelrosencrants9177]

Phenomenal stuff thanks for all this. Very entertaining video as well.

[@TheXTruthAbout]

Thousands of dollars in electronics and smart home devices. 45 cents on a cereal bowl. =D

[@berylwhite2983]

I created a routine as a backup when the SmartThings Cloud goes down you can say a code word and all things that are triggered by the SmartThings switch will happen and I've set a timer that normally would allow for the time that you're using it and then it will shut it off. I've also used the question and answer blueprint to create a reminder of what the words are to start these programs. I found it works very well although I don't need it very often she can do 14 things at one time just like when you activate one switch. It saves a lot of problems if your SmartThings Cloud goes down

[@scotth6814]

I laughed out loud at "Red alert! A child has escaped!"

[@spaghetti9067]

When you are in bed at 3 am and Alexa says 'front door open'

[@harleyrdr1]

I use Alexa,IFTTT, Wyze cams & Sensors, and Hue. You can do almost anything with this combination! Good ideas in this vid! 👍🏻 But please, if not already done, please clip doggies claws. They are long enough to start causing discomfort. 😞

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks! Yeah the dog claws got a little too long, I should have done it earlier.

[@oneilbuchanan8377]

Did Alexia say love you ...oh wow ...lol

[@silentslipperz6991]

This is awesome! Keep up the good work!

[@isabeaureyes8293]

I love Alexa, she’s great. I have her connected to all my Gosund Smart Appliances, haven’t had a problem.

[@FrenchyHitman]

Id crap my pants if i lived alone, in bed ready to sleep and i suddenly hear "front door open"

[@aprilrichardson620]

I am loving all this technology with Alexa, thank you for sharing this information!!!!!

[@reneesworld4356]

Thank you so much! I am just getting started with my Echo Dot and making my home a smart home.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

That's great! Good luck getting started! 😊

[@WilliamHeine]

How about a routine to have Alexa say “he’s right”, when I need her help? 😝

[@mirage538]

A robber walks into your smart home... Dun Dun Dun. (Curb Theme playing through Smart Speakers) Dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah *whistle* BOOM

[@peterpowis4145]

great video! I love Alexa routines but haven't used them much - you have some great routines set up! - I think i'm going to have to play around with setting up routines a lot more!! 'dog pushes button' - "Let me out!" :D

[@rezasayafzadeh1579]

Alexa super super super super cool!!!

[@lillyinstagram5224]

great video!!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks!

[@luis4171]

Its really nice how you did not trigger my alexa, thanks. Good vid btw

[@pedrodecarvalho6227]

i love this video so much

[@CCCC-tq8yo]

When ur have no power in Texas lol no smart home now smart is buying a generator lol

[@luvbeast77]

Can the doorbell camera display on a smart TV?

[@MoisheSinger]

What do you feel the best way to temporarily disable multiple routines as- for example if I have people coming over and I don’t want them to run or my kids are driving me berserk so when I disable them all with a click or word. Your videos rock

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I'm not sure of a simple way to quickly disable multiple routines at once. It is pretty easy to disable them individually, since you can just go to the routine and toggle it from "enabled" to "disabled." It would be great if you could schedule that functionality though.

[@Emtbtoday]

Thanks that's very thoughtful of you blanking out ALEXA! Lol the amount of time's mines activates when people say it on here! I'm trying to set my chromecast up with mine just now has it 2 year it sits at the back of my tv think this is the first time I've heard her voice since lol never use the thing! It just doesn't seem natural yet and makes me feel stupid when speaking to it! I just get a funny look from my mum or Girlfriend when in like I'm nuts lol

[@Jenny.MG82]

Hello, how does it work with welcoming kids home and the dog button?

[@paulcurtis5496]

@4:22 Priceless...

[@paulavillar6117]

Your video is awesome! Thank you

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@JOAT2003]

5:27 Just imagine you are sleeping and At 3 am Alexa goes "Front door has opened"🤣 I'll definitely die

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Yes that would be creepy! 😵

[@TeamGB-Diving]

You have it’s called a wife 🤣😂🤣😂 in my case it’s a niece. 😂🤣😂 Paul Hibbert recommended your channel. Great video. 👍🏻👍🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@bondibread3667]

Reed! Can you PLEASE tell me where you got that little cloud light on the shelf behind you?? Thank you

[@BitsyDisplays]

You are great 👍🏼

[@manasada9084]

this great i hope creat my own smart house

[@whiskeydigitial]

Thanks for the ideas. Do you have a detailed article of the routines that you have for your Amazon Echo? I am looking to ideas I am not that creative. Thank you and keep up the great work.

[@jenkat339]

Great videos! Love your humor.

[@quatie]

I have 4 Google Minis but seems that Alexa is getting more advanced and maybe I should have gone with Amazon.

[@jieevo]

I'm in your shoes , thinking about the same

[@lollymanna]

Alexa is getting crazily advanced. No joke.

[@kwrench1]

Great video, Reed! I'm just getting started with Alexa routines so this is very helpful. I appreciate the giggles as much as I do the tech advice, thanks!

[@inelonwetrust9169]

Great video

[@Charlotte-te8fe]

Dude thank you so much for not actually saying alexa!!

[@javianjohnson8746]

Man these are some great ideas. Thanks man

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Glad you like them!

[@felicial7628]

Whoa! Impressive!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks!

[@dustinwilliams9394]

Do you think you could figure out a way to connect an Amazon Echo Studio to the hue sync box so I could listen to the music and enjoy a nice light show.

[@daziahphillips8595]

This is so nice

[@MarkSmithMCS]

To handle the multiple people thing, I use Life360 and IFTTT (i.e. "When last person leaves, do xyz", "When first person arrives, do xyz")

[@MmeRousseau]

If like to know more about this please. We use Life360 but I don't know abut IFTTT

[@MarkSmithMCS]

@@MmeRousseau not sure how to describe it concisely, but I'd start with the iffft app on iPhone or Android. If you verify your Life360 credentials in iffft then you can get various smart home actions to happen based on certain arrive at x OR leave Y conditions. You would also connect, for example Phillips Hue or Smart Life or Nest or Wyze or a whole laundry list of smart home device vendors in iffft with each of their account details so you can trigger lightbulbs, thermostats, cameras, etc. based on whatever conditions you set. I hope that's of some help to get you started!

[@MarkSmithMCS]

Also, if you have multiple people in a family group on life 360 then you can use that to trigger the iffft action ONLY if everyone's device has left a location or only when the first device in your group arrives at a certain location. That's why I got life 360 in the first place. Most geofence things are only based off the location of a single device.

[@lindseymoss]

The video is equally helpful and hilarious! 😂

[@willsmith-gw2ce]

I love how he edited out the alexa’s

[@alialmezel2929]

"A child has escaped" Me : "Execute order red and close all the doors including the basement door" Btw why you bot saying alexa

[@stopdalies]

Going to program mine to alert me by whispering "the monsters have made their way into the house".

[@ArkansasEV]

Thank you for NOT saying Alexa. On my videos I also make sure I mute my voice when I say that name in the editing software.