If you have young children at home, I think this will interest you. Would it be a good or bad idea to use smart light bulbs and an Amazon Echo speaker with Alexa in the children’s room? I bet it’s a good idea, because I think they can be great allies at bedtime and even wake up . Although this is only the beginning.
Smart lights and speakers in the children’s room
He had been wanting to use a smart speaker and light bulbs connected in the children’s room for a long time. Why? Well, very easy, my children are surrounded by technology by my work and I have always tried to teach them to use it in a responsible and practical way. After all, this is what they are going to find in the future, so it is best to guide them from small to find themselves with her. However, this would give for an intense debate.
In my case the decision has been to allow them to play with this. So, taking advantage of the fact that I recently acquired an Amazon Echo Dot and a pair of Philip Hue bulbs, I thought it could be a good opportunity. Therefore, after performing some tests I began to define what and how we were going to use this in your room.
To not start overwhelming them based on options we went to the basics and simpler: explain how to use the speaker and what they could do with the new bulbs . You know, actions like turning on the light, activating certain modes and giving orders that activate Alexa skills or other previously programmed routines.
When they were clear about what it was going to do, it was my turn to define and configure everything in the simplest way possible. The first step: set up the Echo Dot and the bulbs. Since I already had previous Philips bulbs, the Hue pairing process was quick and I already knew many of the options they were going to offer me.
The Amazon Echo Dot the same, with the Alexa app also installed, I added the light bulbs and began to investigate a little more with the subject of skills and programmable actions . My initial idea in all this to integrate a speaker and light bulbs was as follows:
- Offer them a control of the lights by voice, so they don’t need to get out of bed when they go to sleep
- Allow them to have a light that adapts in intensity and color according to the time and activity
- Help them at bedtime and wake up
Configuring actions in Alexa and the Philips Hue app
With the lights already defined by name and location, the next step to achieve the above was to resort to Alexa routines and skills. So, to start, create these three.
Alexa, let’s sleep
The first routine was simple, I wanted the “Alexa, let’s go to sleep” lights to go to a certain setting in which the intensity was 50% and the color temperature is warm white (if they were off, it would turn on with these same settings). Thus they would begin to have a more relaxed atmosphere in which they could still take a book or story and read or browse it.
Alexa, we fell asleep
The following command turns off the main light (that of the ceiling) and places the desk light (placed on the floor to further reduce the visible light point) in a blue tone and with an intensity of 20% . This light allows them to sleep without that habitual fear of the little ones to the dark. But, it has an extra, and after 30 minutes it turns off automatically.
In this way, and because it is something that is proven, sleeping without any light allows them to rest better. In addition, it allows us not to have to be aware of whether or not we turn off the light.
Waking up progressively
I programmed this action using directly the Awakening option of the Philips Hue app. Thus, establishing 7:30 as the start time and increasing the intensity progressively , at 30 minutes everything was already at the level of intensity that I wanted.
This function, although it is not the same as sleeping in the field and waking up with the first rays of the sun, is the most comfortable when you live in the city and the lights of other neighbors or street lamps prevent you from sleeping with the curtains or blinds of the window open.
In addition, although here it will depend on each one, it is my personal awakening that gradually helps me not to feel so sleepy in the morning. But what has been said is something personal.
Use experience
After a few days of use, adapting to this way of controlling the lights and the options established convince and like them , especially that of waking up progressively. And although we continue to accompany them for a while, the truth is that with the “game” they are encouraged to leave themselves.
Logically, this first approach to the use of voice assistants in your room and the combination with Philips lights is very simple. In the coming weeks we will be testing another series of integrations to see how far we are able to take advantage of it. And also, be aware of any problem. Because, as I said, my idea is that they make responsible and practical use of technology.