Voice control is one of the must-have features of luxury homes. And Amazon Alexa is one of the most popular voice control options. Since Amazon released their voice control assistant, more than 10 million people have purchased it—including the Echo, Dot, and Tap control devices. Google, Apple, and other companies are trying to compete with their own versions, but there isn’t a main competitor yet that rivals Alexa in the voice control department.

While Amazon Alexa has opened up many new people to the possibilities of home automation, those who already have a smart home system can still benefit from it by integrating Alexa into their home system. You can customize your home any way you like. Control your home that suits your personal style, whether it’s turning on the TV with your voice, a universal remote control, a keypad on the wall, or an app on your smartphone.

Voice Control Actions

Amazon Alexa can perform a multitude of actions from turning on your lights to giving you the weather report. The following are features you can benefit from with voice control in your luxury home.

• Play Music: The Echo doubles as a music player too. Say, “Alexa, play 80s Bollywood hits” and it will start playing songs related to that genre.
• Act as a Clock: Alexa can give you the current time, set an alarm for you or a timer.
• Order Food or Cabs: Say, “Alexa, open Domino’s” and it will help you order a pizza. You can also get an Uber to pick you up and a number of other similar services.
• Control Your Lights: Alexa is compatible with numerous smart lighting systems.
• Integrate with Smart Home Systems: If you have a smart home system, you can control any feature in your home using your voice with Alexa, like the audio, video, thermostat, security, lighting, shading and more. It can also access scenes like “Good Morning” and “Good Night” to make performing a multitude of actions quick and easy.

Setup Alexa Voice Control

First, you need to place the Amazon Echo, Tap or Dot in a room. If you already have a home automation system, you can integrate Alexa into your home by connecting the system to the Alexa app.

Once it recognizes your devices and scenes, your home is ready for voice control. Say, “Alexa, dim the lights 50%” and it will change your lighting levels instantly. Or, ask Alexa to turn on a specific scene like, “Away,” as you leave for work in the morning and it will turn the lights off, adjust the air conditioner, activate the security system, and lock the doors.

Amazon currently has three different devices that run the voice control assistant software Alexa. The difference between the three different devices is as follows:

Amazon Echo: This is the flagship model and is suitable for large rooms. Plug it into the wall and simply say “Alexa” before any command to turn it on and activate the device.

Amazon Tap: The Tap is almost identical to the Echo, except for a couple of small features. First, it sits on a charging dock so you can move it around your home, or easily transport it to another location. Second, in order to turn the device on, you must “tap” a button on top of the speaker.

Amazon Dot: The Dot is a smaller version of the Echo and is ideal for small rooms, like bedrooms or a home office. Place a Dot in every room of your home to use voice control seamlessly.