Internet of Things (IoT) platform provider Ayla Networks announced it has added Amazon Alexa support, allowing its manufacturer clients to enable voice command on their connected products.
Internet of Things (IoT) platform provider Ayla Networks announced it has added Amazon Alexa support, allowing its manufacturer clients to enable voice command on their connected products.
With the new Alexa integration, connected products on the Ayla IoT platform (Product Introduction: Ayla Networks – Agile IoT Platform) can have Alexa “Smart Home skills” – Alexa’s name for capabilities – without code input from manufacturers or any servers on AWS. From a technical perspective, all manufacturers have to do is to connect and configure their connected products using the Ayla dashboard.
Manufacturers still have to certify their products through Alexa, however, but they don’t have to worry about technical issues, APIs or coding, Ayla said.
Unlike other IoT technology approaches that require custom coding for every configuration change, the Ayla IoT platform uses templates—virtual representations of a connected product in the cloud—to map properties between the Ayla cloud and other clouds and services, such as Alexa.
Manufacturers using the Ayla IoT platform also do not need to worry about ongoing support for the Alexa integration. Ayla will make sure the integration is properly managed over time, and that the API and coding are debugged and properly maintained.
Voice control of IoT products is expected to be an important interface option for smart home products. Instead of using smartphone apps to control devices, users can simply say commands or ask questions, like “It’s too hot in here”; “Wake me at 7:00 am”; “Dim the lights for my dinner party”; “What dryer cycle should I use for my flannel sheets?” The corresponding devices will respond or make adjustment accordingly.
By integrating Alexa, Ayla allows manufacturers using its IoT platform to quickly and easily implement functional Alexa voice-controlled products, said Adrian Caceres, CTO, vice president of engineering and co-founder of Ayla Networks. “It’s just another example of Ayla’s fundamental approach to building our IoT platform, which is to do the hard work it takes to support IoT connections and functionality so that both manufacturers and end users can benefit.”