Can you visualize stepping into your home one evening, with your arms filled with a ton of shopping bags and no one to assist you as you make your way from the front door to the kitchen?
Even if you have made the point of putting smart lights into your home, you would still have to put down all your luggage, grab your smartphone, get on the app and search for the control for the power or the light bulb that you would like to turn on.
In other words, you should have just stuck to maintaining the contemporary old power socket that you were initially using. With Alexa, however, all you need to do is command the app to perform certain tasks for you.
For example, you can just say, “Alexa, switch on the hallway lights.” The good thing is that Alexa can perform more activities than just switching on your power. Alexa has the ability to manage everything from opening and closing your garage door to switching on your smart plug.
History on the amazon speakers
The Amazon industry was the first to release an Echo speaker and that was in the year 2014. Since then, using voice commands in homes has become so popular and it is so important because it plays a major role in how we manage our smart home appliances.
Siri and the Google Assistant industry have also joined the club, releasing smart speakers and also versions of voice control features. Alexa, however, has remained ahead of the curve because it was the first smart speaker to ever be released into the voice integration industry.
The platform also maintains an edge over the rest because it is quite convenient as it works well with more smart appliances than Google Assistant and Siri. The larger family of Amazon Echo devices makes it a lot easier to control all the devices in your house.
Why go for Alexa Smart Devices?
Alexa devices provide users with a really appropriate interface for you and your home. Alexa also provides you with a ton of features and functions that even an app on your smartphone cannot.
If you have a number of smart devices in your home introducing Alexa into your house definitely makes gaining access to these devices so much more interesting and easier. Making use of Alexa’s quick feedback time and dependable voice-recognition processing software is definitely better than searching for your smartphone and navigating to an app just so that you can turn up the heat or switch on the lights.
These are some appliances like the Nest thermostats and the Philips Hue lights that work well by making use of Alexa support, however, other devices require users to adopt a third-party function.
With so many people across the globe now using smart Assistant-powered appliances in their houses, experts have continued to test a number of smart home varieties in a bid to determine the most ideal and high performing recommendations in the market.
Popularity of Smart devices in today’s market
In the last decade, so many homeowners have purchased smart speakers and many apps and other platforms have continued to gain so much more attention and importance.
So many of us now own smart devices and this is probably the best time to research what products and smart accessories you can purchase to improve your smart home.
Today’s market is saturated with a ton of smart-home enabled devices and as a homeowner, you must ensure that you are going to make the best use of the most ideal smart devices products in the market.
To make the task of settling on the best Alexa products possible, we have taken the time to list down the best Alexa compatible devices. In this review, we focus on the main features of these devices as well as the advantages.
This guide will give you a glimpse of what you should expect from your smart device. If you are browsing through the market searching for the best Alexa compatible devices, this article will definitely guide you to the best decisions for your home.
1. Aukey Wi-Fi Smart Plug
The Aukey smart plugs are quite small and easy to carry around. They measure 2.48 inches x 1.46 inches x 1.3 inches. These plugs are actually one of the smallest plugs in the industry. With these plugs, you can place two of them onto your wall outlet. They are white in color and have a rectangular shape.
The plug is designed with a power switch on one of the long ends. There is also a small LED on the top surface that indicates the status of the plug, letting you know if it is on or off.
Just like most smart home devices, the Aukey Home app can be downloaded onto your smartphone. When downloading this app, however, you have to be very keen because there are a ton of Aukey apps, including an app known as an Aukey Smart Plug + app. Make sure that you have downloaded the right app for your device.
After downloading the app, the next step is to register an account
Most accounts require users to provide an email address, however, with this app all you need to do is provide your mobile phone number which they use to send a confirmation code via text. Once you have input your confirmation code, you can set your password and you are now ready to use the app.
Once you are on the home page, you will notice that there are three kinds of Aukey appliances that have been listed down. This app will allow you to link to electrical switches, the power and also wall buttons.
At the top part of the screen, you will see a popup message that notifies you that the app is currently scanning for any device or device to connect to. The performance of this plug is outstanding as it quickly connects to your home wi-fi system just as soon as you switch on the plug by pressing on the button from your app.
You can use the app to make use of different features and scenes such as the Away scene, Home, Sunrise and Good Night scene. This function comes in handy when automatically switching the light on and off.
There are not many smart plugs in the market that have this feature that comes in quite handy.
Other states and surrounding conditions that you can automatically manage with this plug is the room temperature, the humidity in your home as well as the quality of air.
For example, if the temperature in your area is more than 85 degrees, you could easily switch on your Aukey plug and start off your air conditioner or your fan to cool the temperatures in your room.
Unfortunately, this plug does not use the geofencing feature, which means that your plug cannot automatically begin to operate as soon as you step into your home. It also cannot operate when you are away which is a feature that would come in handy when you want to maintain an illusion that you are around.
Pros
[su_list icon=”icon: check” icon_color=”#5fd725″]
- It has a very small and compact design
- Is compatible with Alexa
- It is quite affordable
- The automation is fast and ideal.
[/su_list]
Cons
[su_list icon=”icon: remove” icon_color=”#dc3820″]
- The setup process is more complex and involving than other plugs in the market.
[/su_list]
[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Socket-Amazon-Google-Assistant/dp/B07CC9S4MS?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Aukey Wi-Fi Smart Plug Today! [/su_button]
2. Marshall Stanmore II Voice
The Marshall industry is popularly known for producing products with a fast and powerful amp range. The industry has recently used its effectiveness and skill in producing high audio to produce a Bluetooth speaker.
If you are interested in having a speaker that produces loud music and additionally it comes with voice control features then this is the speaker for you. This speaker provides you with an amalgamation of nice and high sounds with a nostalgic feel.
This speaker has a very retro and old-school design. It is not a small device as it actually measures 13.78 inches x 7.68 inches x 7.28 inches. That means that you cannot really place this device into a compartment where it wouldn’t be seen. It is also not so light in weight.
It weighs 10.3 lbs so as you can tell you cannot easily carry it from room to room. The battery is inbuilt and requires to be recharged. The Marshall speaker is covered with brass plating and it also has a very pretty LED light that appears on the surface of the speaker as well as around the treble, bass and volume controls.
More features of the Marshall Stanmore II Voice
The knobs are actually metal and rubber, which is quite different from the brass knobs that many users are used to.
This speaker produces a really loud and bold sound that fills up the entire room when turned on but it does not compromise the quality of the audio that the speaker produces.
The bass may be quite loud and thunderous releasing a loud thud when the track requires it to, however, there is still enough space within the trebles and the mids for a track to breath and perform well.
Users do not really need to adjust the treble and the bass too much, even though the option to do just that is present through the controls on the device.
The good news is that you can easily use voice control to adjust the treble and the bass. Voice control works perfectly with this speaker and once you have ensured that your speaker is Alexa enabled, your speaker can definitely be the device that represents your smart home.
Pros
[su_list icon=”icon: check” icon_color=”#5fd725″]
- Has a nice and ideal look
- The speaker produces a loud sound
- It is so easy to set up this speaker
[/su_list]
Cons
[su_list icon=”icon: remove” icon_color=”#dc3820″]
- It occupies a lot of space and it is heavy
- Does not come with an option for a battery
- It is not cheap
[/su_list]
[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Stanmore-II-Wireless-Speaker-Control/dp/B07H7DRWJN?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Marshall Stanmore II Voice Today! [/su_button]
3. Amazon Fire TV Cube
The Fire TV Cube is actually just like an Echo speaker but instead of corners, it comes with curves.
This device is designed to look like a small box equipped with a number of buttons to adjust the volume, setting off the muting and assistant function. The device also has a power-on bar. The blue light indicates Alexa functionality while the orange light is used to indicate technical difficulties.
The Design of the Amazon Fire TV Cube
The surface is matte and the sides are quite shiny and glossy. This design actually makes a lot of sense because the surface actually attracts your fingerprints and you will definitely touch the top of your speaker more often.
As mentioned earlier the Fire TV Cube is actually quite small, measuring 3.4 inches x 3.4 inches x 3.0 inches. As you can notice by the uneven dimensions, it is not an actual cube.
The device is also designed with different power ports like the IR blaster, that enables the device to maintain communication with the cable box, the micro USB and the HDMI. At the backside of the cube, the Fire TV cube has a micro USB-to-Ethernet adapter that comes in handy for 4K/UHD content.
The USB port is great enabling the playback of local media files. Additionally, the TV cube comes with a remote. The remote is compatible with Alexa allowing you to have absolute control of your device.
The buttons of this fire cube have a clicky and sturdy feel.
The interface of the Fire Tv cube places ads and a lot of Amazon content. This is great as this action minimizes the time and effort that would be spent looking for certain content and discovering new content.
Presenting this content on the interface proves that all the channels and streaming services are equal.
Amazon Fire TV Cube benefits
A great advantage is that with the Fire TV Cube, you don’t have to use a remote to navigate through the home screen. This is because you can just command the actions using Alexa. For example, to get more options on what shows to watch, you can say, “Alexa show more.”
In the same way, you can easily command Alexa to play the show that you would like to watch. If you are a smart home enthusiast then you will definitely love this device.
Setting up the device is not hard or complicated. The Fire TV cube quickly identifies the make of your TV and your cable box. The TV cube then uses the assistant to manage the selected satellite box, cable, soundboard, A/V receivers.
As you go through the menu searching for shows to watch, Alexa can be commanded to play a trailer or add and remove items from your watchlist.
Pros
[su_list icon=”icon: check” icon_color=”#5fd725″]
- The Amazon Fire TV Cube provides you with high and fast performance
- The controls for the Alexa cable box are very nice
- The HDR images are of high quality
- The device’s interface is really nice.
[/su_list]
Cons
[su_list icon=”icon: remove” icon_color=”#dc3820″]
- The home screen cannot be customized to your preference and is often packed with a number of different adverts
- A lot of users have mentioned that the Ethernet adapter looks awkward.
[/su_list]
[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/all-new-fire-tv-cube-with-alexa-voice-remote/dp/B07KGVB6D6?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Amazon Fire TV Cube Today! [/su_button]
4. Lifx Candle Color
This smart bulb is actually one of the most pristine electric candles that have ever been released into the market.
It provides users with a flickering feature and a one-of-a-kind multicolor ability. This smart light is compatible with Amazon Alexa giving you smooth and flawless smart-home integration capabilities.
There are a number of people all across the globe today who live in apartment buildings and complexes where using real candles is prohibited. Such users would definitely be delighted to set up the LIFX Candle that connects to the home Wi-Fi and features a bulb amongst a series of smart lights.
This candle bulb is actually the first product from the LIFX industry that has an E12 base. It only weighs 3 ounces and it is 4.4 inches. Once it is switched on, the lamp really improves the atmosphere and aura of a room.
The LIFX candle does not only make use of one single color. Thanks to the Polychrome technology that it uses, this candle supports many different colors all at the same time.
One side of the bulb can reflect a pink light, while another side can release blue light. When there’s an inclusion of yellow and orange, it can release the outward form of a real-life candle.
More features of the LIFX candle
With this candle, you can make use of the predesigned sequences. Alternatively, you can customize your own scene on the LIFX app. The good thing is that Polychrome integration supports 26 color zones that can be edited and customized.
This means that you can style a ton of amalgamations from the available color temperatures.
There are actually over 15 million color temperatures available. If you are not a fan of fixed and unchanged light, you can modify the bulb to strobe, emulate fire, flicker and you can even synchronize the light with your music.
This candle color bulb works well with Amazon Alexa. Once your LIFX Candle bulb is paired with Alexa you can control it to brighten up or dim by simply commanding it.
You can also schedule the candle to come on or off, automatically change colors and also fade. Basically, this bulb can be set to work together with your smart home routine. Each and every one of these functions can be managed within your home’s wi-fi network. Users do not need to use a hub with this color bulb.
Pros
[su_list icon=”icon: check” icon_color=”#5fd725″]
- Users are provided with paint options that they can customize
- You do not need to invest in any kind of hub
- It works well with most smart assistants.
[/su_list]
Cons
[su_list icon=”icon: remove” icon_color=”#dc3820″]
- It is quite expensive
- The brightness is quite limited
[/su_list]
[su_button url=”https://www.amazon.com/LIFX-E12-Candle-Color-Wi-Fi/dp/B07XKYKJ9Q?tag=smarthomegizmos-20″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2D3194″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”5″ icon=”icon: external-link”] Get Lifx Candle Color Today! [/su_button]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How does someone use Alexa?
Alexa gives you the opportunity to ask a series of questions as well as make different requests by simply using your voice. For example, you can ask Alexa,” Alexa, how does the weather look today?”. You can also command Alexa to perform a certain task. For example, you can say, “Alexa, include milk and bread into my shopping list.”
When you talk to Alexa, a recording of the statement you asked is sent directly to Amazon’s cloud. Amazon then processes your commands and questions and then quickly responds to your question or sets the device to do exactly what you have asked.
You can access Alexa in different ways, depending on what kind of smart tool you are using. For devices that are hands-free, you can make use of Alexa just by saying, Alexa, Computer or even Amazon.
For other appliances, however, you can only access Alexa by pressing on a button to turn on the device.
2. Does Alexa document each and every one of my conversations?
Alexa does not document any one of your conversations. Echo appliances are automatically set to only recognize your wake word. That is Echo, Computer, Amazon or Alexa. The tool notices your wake word.
It does this by recognizing auditory patterns that equal the wake word. Alexa does not keep any audio or send it to the cloud for storage. Additionally, there is Alexa Guard. This app allows users to notice certain sounds such as the sound of carbon monoxide sirens, smoke sirens, and glass shattering.
3. What usually takes place when I talk to Alexa?
When you talk to Alexa, the device records what you have just asked and sends the command or question to the Amazon cloud. At this point, the command or the question is processed and the information is sent as a response back to you.
For example, if you say, “Alexa, start playing the top 10 hits on Amazon.” this recording is used to begin playing the Amazon’s greatest music hits.
Conclusion
A number of us want to have our own Artificial Intelligent assistant to help us with our routines and household tasks. However, Alexa is the best machine we can access today that will help us operate our smart home.
The good news is that Alexa continues to acquire a lot of skills and a ton of features and functions.
This is from operating thermostats power switches and outlets. Over the years, the number of devices that can work with Alexa continues to grow. When working on its own, Alexa is just a simple smart device that can answer any question that you have and can work well with a number of different platforms.
When Alexa is paired together with a smart home apparatus, however, it becomes one of the best tools in your home.
It is really powerful and comes in quite handy assisting you with simple tasks helping you improve the mood and condition of your home. This article has a compilation of the most ideal smart home tools that are compatible with Alexa. With this article, you are guaranteed that you will get off on the right foot with Alexa.
