4 Amazing Smart Home Automations I Couldn’t Live Without

Your home may be filled with the best smart home devices, but if you don’t use automation, you’re missing out on many of their capabilities.

Google and Amazon both have the ability to create automations, or “Alexa Routines,” as Amazon calls them, built into the Alexa or Google Home app. The apps also offer pre-made automations to help you get started.

Sometimes the best approach to creating a Google automation or Alexa routine is to keep it simple. For example, you might have your lights on at certain times of day, but other times you might want something more complex or niche.

I have collected four of the most unique, yet not too complicated, smart home automation systems that will make your life easier and may even become the inspiration to create the automation of your dreams.

Automate your home the way you want

Amazon and Google have done a good job of extending automation to each ecosystem’s app, but for some tasks, you’ll need outside help. Of the automations I mention below, some can be done entirely within Alexa or Google Home, while others require the help of an outside service. I use IFTTT.

IFTTT, or If This Then That, is a platform that connects brands and platforms like Facebook, Google Assistant, Philips Hue, Govee, and about a thousand others. This powerful functionality lets you create custom automations that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

One useful feature of IFTTT is using AI to help you create custom automations. Instead of having to build each step in an automation process, you can simply tell it what you want to happen, and IFTTT’s AI will build an applet for you—that’s what IFTTT calls automations. You can then customize the steps as needed.

Prepare for bad weather

One of my favorite automations is getting an alert on my phone an hour before severe weather is forecast to arrive. What’s more, my Govee floor lamps turn blue when a notification is sent. It’s a simple automation that’s been helpful in making sure I don’t leave anything outside during an unexpected shower that could be damaged by the rain.

How I built it

I was able to ask IFTTT AI to create this automation for me. I simply said, “send me a text message and turn my floor lamp blue if it starts raining in the next hour.” It only took a few seconds, but once it was done I could see each step and check if it was correct. Below is a screenshot of what it looks like.

Limit the repetition of music

This automation is especially useful for anyone who has kids who are obsessed with a song, need to hear it over and over, and know how to get the smart speaker to adapt. With this sanity-saving automation, you can let the smart speaker be the villain instead of you and program it to skip the song before it even starts.

The brilliance of this automation is its simplicity. You tell your voice assistant that when a request for a song, like “Baby Shark,” is sent, the assistant takes action and the automation ignores the request.

How I built it

Building this automation is done in either the Google Home app or Alexa, depending on your smart home setup. The process is basically the same for both. I’ve dropped screenshots below so you can see what it looks like in each app.

1. Add a custom automation/routine.

2. Choose your voice as your starting point or trigger.

3Type or say a phrase you want the voice assistant to listen for.

4. Save, then select the action you want the automation to perform when triggered.

5. To choose Announcement and type or say the phrase you want the speaker to say.

6. Save automation.

Raise the alarm level

Creating an alarm on your smart speaker is common, whether you set it to wake you up in the morning or to keep you focused throughout the day. For some, a standard alarm just isn’t enough to get you out of bed. Using the power of automation, you can set off all the bells and whistles you want to wake you up and get you going.

I have my alarm set for 6am, and I also have an automation that turns my bedroom lights on 100% and plays “It’s A Beautiful Morning” by The Rascals at 75% volume from the speaker in my room.

How I built it

I created this automation entirely in the platform app for Google or Amazon. The steps and actions will depend on you and your smart home setup, as well as your music preferences.

The mood of the game

Alexa Sports lets you build automations around the start, end, and/or halftime of your favorite team’s game. You can have Alexa send you a notification and turn on your TV. You can go further by setting the TV volume to a specific level and launching the app you use to watch sports.

I have it set up so that Alexa reads a custom phrase and turns my Govee floor lamp red. It’s not a very complicated automation, but it’s fun and adds to the game day vibe.

How I built it

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s possible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart home devices when you use automation. Add in third-party curation services like IFTTT and you open the door to an even more rewarding smart home experience.

It’s not always about the complexity of automation, but rather about getting the desired results you want from your products and services. Making your smart home do exactly what you want is a very rewarding experience, and automation is key.