One of the great advantages of Alexa and its home automation platform is that it is very easy to configure access from outside the home. Compared to other solutions, it is enough to have your device at hand with the application and in a couple of steps everything is done. But if you had not yet considered this option, we show you how to control your connected devices from anywhere in the world .
Alexa and home automation control outside the home
When you are considering creating a connected home, it is important to stop and assess which of the platforms you are most interested in. If you also intend to actively use any of the three most popular voice assistants today, even more so.
Right now, both Alexa and HomeKite and Google Assistant have a good number of supported devices, so it is usually not a big problem to choose one or the other. Although it is true that Amazon’s Alexa has managed to position itself as the most universal so to speak.
The voice assistant of the online commerce giant has been able to adapt very well and thanks to its cloud-based platform it is able to interact with a multitude of connected devices. From light bulbs to smart scales, thermostats, surveillance cameras and much more.
However, one of the great values of Alexa and that cloud-based design is how easy it is to configure for access to these connected devices from outside the home . Basically during the initial configuration process everything is ready, but let’s do a review.
How to use Alexa to control home automation
To configure access from outside the home to any connected device that you have, the first thing you need is to have the Alexa application on your smartphone. If you already have it you have to make sure that the device appears in it. If not, something that could happen by using only the manufacturer’s app for its control, just add it.
The process of adding a new device to Alexa is as simple as opening the application, going to the Devices section and hitting the + icon in the upper right corner. Now click on Add device and from there select by the type that is. For example, if it is a light bulb, select the brand and follow the instructions on the screen.
Once the device has been detected, the next step will be to install the appropriate skill if necessary . This will be the key, so that then access from outside the home works. So once everything is done, the last thing you need is to check that in the Devices section, in the upper area, all those you have connected appear.
Done, you already have it, now when you use Alexa on your smartphone or access the application you will see the list of devices that you have configured at home. When you touch or interact with one of them, the application will send an order not to the device through a local connection as it happens with some home automation solutions, but what it does is send it through the Amazon cloud. Therefore, without having to be connected via wifi to the same network, you can control all the home automation compatible with Alexa.
Compared with Google or Apple solutions it is much easier. In the case of Apple, an Apple TV, HomePod or iPad is necessary to be used as an accessory center, which brings certain advantages, but also that inconvenience of needing one more device. While other platforms require a redirection of router ports that also complicate configuration for less advanced users. So you have one more reason to bet on Alexa.
