Set Alexa up so it does the most work for you.
While the individual commands you can give your Amazon Echo are plenty diverse, you still have to give those commands one at a time. That can be more than a little tedious if you have multiple commands you regularly give, which is why Amazon created Routines for Alexa. Through the Routines system, you can set up multiple commands under a single spoken phrase. You get to say less, and your Echo does more. Everybody wins.
These are my favorite routines, which I have set up to better automate my home through my Amazon Echo.
Alexa, start my day
Amazon gives everyone a "Start My Day" Routine. By default, it reads you the weather followed by traffic in your area and wraps up with your Flash Briefing. These are all useful, but not really what I need in the morning.
Instead, I have this Routine edited to turn on my bedroom lights. Once the lights are at 50% brightness Alexa starts telling me the weather for the day. After this update, I have TuneIn set to play my local radio station.
- Press the + symbol on the Routines page
- Tap "When this happens" and choose Voice from the two available options
- Type Start my day into the text box and tap Save
- Tap Add Action and choose Smart Home from the list
- Find your light in the Control Device list and set it to 50% on, then tap Next
- Tap Add Action and choose Weather from the list, then tap Add
- Tap Add Action and choose Music from the list, add preferred radio station from TuneIn then tap Next
- Tap Create to finish
Alexa, I'm leaving
Thanks to my Philips Hue bulbs and my Harmony Hub, I can use Alexa to turn off all the lights in the house as well as both of my televisions. This way, if one of us has left something on in a different part of the house, I know Alexa has by back as I'm walking out the door.
- Press the + symbol on the Routines page
- Tap "When this happens" and choose Voice from the two available options
- Type I'm Leaving into the text box and tap Save
- Tap Add Action and choose Smart Home from the list
- Find your light in the Control Device list and set it to off, then tap Next
- Tap Add Action and choose Smart Home from the list
- Find your Harmony Hub and set it to off, then tap Next
- Tap Create to finish
Wake up the kids
With a new Kids Edition Amazon Echo Dot in their rooms, I can now create time-based Routines to wake up the kids. This routine turns their lights on and starts with Alexa saying good morning and telling them a fun new fact about the world. If this wasn't enough to wake them up, Alexa starts playing Reville from Amazon Music.
- Press the + symbol on the Routines page
- Tap "When this happens" and choose Schedule from the two available options
- Choose what time you want this Routine to activate, and how frequently
- Tap Add Action and choose Smart Home from the list
- Find your light in the Control Device list and set it to off, then tap Next
- Tap Add Action and choose Alexa says from the list, then select Good Morning
- Tap Add Action and choose Music from the list, add Reville from Amazon Music then tap Next
- Tap Create to finish
What are you using Routines for? Share your favorites in the comments!
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