Echo Button, a device introduced by Amazon for playing Alexa trivia games, has got a new ability: controlling multiple smart home devices with a button click.
Echo Button, a device introduced by Amazon for playing Alexa trivia games, has got a new ability: controlling multiple smart home devices with a button click.
Starting today, Echo Button can trigger smart home routines. For instance, one button click can turn on the kitchen light and the coffee machine, while Alexa is triggered to read news brief of the day.
Homeowners just need to update their Alexa app to the latest version, and set it up so that their Alexa Routines will be triggered with a click on Echo Button.
Amazon introduced the Echo Button last year, a colorful device with a size smaller than the Echo Dot. It was designed to let Echo owners enjoy voice games such as Trivial Pursuit, Guess The Logo and Would You Rather. The device is powered by two 3A batteries and glows different colors depending on the context. A two-pack Echo Button costs US$20.
With the Alexa Routines integration, the Echo Button now has greater capabilities in homes. For instance, when a visitor doesn’t know the customized Alexa command to have multiple connected devices turned on, he or she can simply press the button.
Although voice has become a trendy way to control smart homes, buttons still have good reasons to exist. Philips Hue, for example, has the Philips Hue Tap and IKEA has the TRÅDFRI remote control for homeowners to control smart lighting devices.
Triggering routines is just the beginning. The button linked with Echo devices could be applied in various home automation commands.
Amazon has released a new Alexa voice feature that allows users to add a connected device to groups. Groups let users trigger multiple devices faster. Commands like “Alexa, add the lamp to the living room group” can give users another way to organize their home gadgets besides using the mobile app.