Alexa was all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 held in Las Vegas this January. Thanks to its smartly opened third-party integration, there were plenty of non-Amazon devices powered by Alexa. It seems that the versatile digital assistant is present at every corner and the list of Alexa-enabled devices just keeps on growing. It’s getting harder and harder to keep track on all of them. For that reason, we have decided to make things easier for you and present some of our favorites and must-haves.
We have divided the devices into categories based on their functionality. If you’re wondering what can Alexa do, the simple answer is – everything. From Bluetooth speakers to cars, Amazon’s voice service is in just about everything nowadays. We’ll keep it short and informal to try to cover more ground. So, without further ado, here are some of the hottest Alexa devices.
Amazon Alexa Devices
We start with where it all began. Amazon Echo, the company’s flagship device, is a Bluetooth speaker that can control a variety of smart home products and perform numerous tasks. You can upgrade it with a number of Alexa Skills, effectively broadening its scope of abilities.
Next in line is Amazon Echo Dot, a smaller version of Echo that, naturally, has limited capabilities than its big brother, but not by much. You can connect it to other speakers for best performance.
Amazon Tap is a portable version of Echo, running on batteries. It needs a WiFi connection and a press on a microphone button in order to speak to Alexa.
Alexa Smart home hubs
Smart home hub is usually a mediator between different Alexa devices as some of them don’t fully support communicating with others. We’ll start with Samsung SmartThings Hub, tech titan’s solution for connecting all SmartThings devices, as well as other smart light bulbs, switches and outlets.
Wink Hub closely follows SmartThings Hub in terms of the volume of compatible products with an added bonus of Nest Learning Thermostat.
LG Smart Hub Robot is the newest hub device of the list. It connects to a bundle of LG’s smart appliances, including a smart fridge we mention further down on the list. Unlike other hubs, it can dance and play music.
Vivint Hub has a number of smart home and security solutions such as arming your security system, control lighting, temperature, garage doors and smart locks. In addition, it supports Amazon Echo.
Simple Control Simple Hub acts primarily as your media centre, focusing on audio and video control. Thanks to its high level of customization, the device has Echo integration and can operate TVs, cable and satellite boxes, receivers, Blu-ray players, lights, switches, thermostats and more, as well as all of SmartThings line of devices.
Amazon Alexa speakers
The ability to control your home with a voice-activated speaker is an ever-popular trend in the last couple of years. The fact that Amazon allows third-party Alexa integration means there are bound to be Alexa-enabled speakers not manufactured by the retail giant. Such is the Lenovo Smart Assistant Speaker that is actually cheaper than Echo and comes with full color range and Alexa functionality. There is also a special Harman Kardon version of the speaker with premium audio.
The Omaker Wow Speaker connects to Alexa as well, acting as a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled speaker. The dual built-in batteries make it a welcome portable choice.
The Onkyo VC-FLX1 is another third-party speaker with built-in Alexa controls. However, the difference between this and other speakers is that Onkyo VC-FLX1 has an integrated home security camera.
Alexa lightbulbs, switches and outlets
This is one of the first application of smart home products and it shows with a countless number of available products. Smart light bulbs comprise the majority of these products, with various switches and outlets thrown in for good measure.
Philips Hue is among the leaders in this category, due to a number of different kits and extension bulbs. There are White and Color Ambience Starter kits sold either as a mix or a separate kit, and a portable and rechargeable Go bulb that lasts approximately three hours on a single charge.
LIFX White and LIFX Color are equally fine choices for smart lighting. The bulbs are controlled wirelessly, making connecting to the Amazon Echo and Alexa quite simple. There are lots of sizes and colors to choose from, depending on the size of light fixtures.
The Cree Connected LED bulb is one of the most popular choices due to its rather affordable price and flexibility. The bulbs work well with almost any smart home hub, which you’ll need in order to control it through Alexa.
Osram Lightify Smart Bulb series offers a number of variations, such as a color-changing light strip, a recessed LED light and even an outdoor lighting kit. All of them require either a SmartThings or Wink smart hub to connect to Alexa.
When it comes to switches, Belkin Wemo line offers lots of options. Light Switch model is ideal for those looking for a simple on/off switch that uses WiFi for connecting to Alexa. Then, there’s Switch which is more of a smart plug used for toggling lights and various appliances on and off wirelessly. Insight Switch is an advanced version of Switch with the additional feature of monitoring the energy consumption of a device plugged into it.
TP-Link HS100 Smart Plug is one of the Amazon’s best sellers in Outlet Switches category. It doesn’t require a hub as it directly connects to Alexa via WiFi. HS100 also features an Energy Monitoring version.
D-Link WiFi Smart Plugs are very similar to TP-Link’s offerings, having two smart plugs that work directly with Alexa. The DSP-W110 is a regular smart plug, while the DSP-W215 is the energy monitoring model.
Samsung SmartThings Outlet connects to company’s SmartThings Hub to turn on and off lights, electronics, and small appliances automatically via WiFi.
GE Z-Wave line of switches, outlets and dimmers is compatible with the SmartThings hub. You can wirelessly control them to turn lights on and off, adjust the brightness of any hard-wired, dimmable light, schedule a timed event or create a custom scene.
The same applies to Leviton smart switches, outlets and dimmers, with the notable addition of Wink Hub support alongside SmartThings.
Alexa thermostats
Alexa can also control the temperature of your home, along with some additional extras, depending on the device. Among the most popular ones is Nest Learning Thermostat, one of the most widespread smart products. Thanks to direct Alexa connection, it’s even better now.
Honeywell Lyric and Honeywell Total Connect Comfort are two products from the renowned thermostat maker. Both require SmartThings Hub to be controlled by Alexa, with the latter featuring a hi-def touchscreen and more options for scheduling.
Ecobee3 Smarter WiFi Thermostat and Sensi WiFi Programmable Thermostat were among the first to directly integrate with Alexa. Both are best sellers on Amazon, with Ecobee3 having an extra sensor to recognize when you are home, thus saving you energy and money when you’re not. It’s also more expensive that Sensi, which is compatible with Android and iOS.
Alexa Car Integration
Because Alexa is so versatile, there’s practically no boundary to where it can be integrated. Vehicle integration is slightly behind other categories in terms of compatible devices, but it seems automakers are catching up.
Ford announced in-vehicle Alexa controls for cars with the Sync 3 voice platform. This means drivers will be able to search destinations, but also control their smart home setup. You’ll need Echo, Echo Dot or Tap for this to work.
Hyundai is also integrating its cars with Alexa, albeit using it a simpler fashion – for starting the vehicle, shutting doors and windows from home and so on. Volkswagen’s CarNet system will also support Alexa, but in a more comprehensive manner. In car, the assistant will check fuel levels, order service parts and be in charge of the built-in navigation system. Outside it, Alexa will control smart home equipment.
For a gadget-type of Alexa support, there’s Automatic. This nifty little device connects to the car’s diagnostic port and sends insight about driving data to your smartphone via Bluetooth. It can check fuel level and consumption, time spent on driving, engine light codes and so on.
Garageio, as the name would suggest it, enables you to control your garage doors wirelessly from your phone. You can control up to three garage doors.
Alexa for refrigerators, boats, security and more
These are the products that don’t fit into our makeshift categories. We’ll start off with one of the biggest Alexa products, both literally and figuratively, from the latest CES event. LG Smart InstaView Refrigerator boasts a 29” translucent touchscreen door, along with interior cameras. The refrigerator features full Alexa integration, meaning you can use the virtual assistant for actions like grocery ordering and to-do list compiling
While we are on the subject of do-it-yourself, Samsung Powerbot VR7000 is the Korean manufacturer’s answer to Roomba. It’ll have some stiff competition in Neato Botvac Connected, another robotic servant controlled by Alexa.
Keen Home Smart Vent is one of the more interesting smart products you’ll find around. It can integrate with your thermostat via Nest, SmartThings, and others to regulate air flow into separate rooms, thus preventing them from reaching too high or low temperatures. You can also open and close it with Alexa.
ADT Pulse takes care of your home security needs. The recent Alexa integration means you can use voice commands to arm or disarm your system and lock your doors.
For the environmentalist in you, Hydrao Smart Showerhead now tells you how much water you saved, thanks to Alexa.
Another similar product is the Coway AirMega Air Purifier. It provides updates on air quality and filter status, change of fan speed, timer setup, and more with your voice.
For fitness junkies, Fitbit now supports Alexa, making it easier to see your training stats and incorporate activity tracking. You can ask the voice agent how many steps you’ve walked, how many calories you’ve burned and much more.
GreenIQ Smart Garden Hub is a WiFi sprinkler controller that also connects to your plant sensors and weather stations for overall garden management. Alexa can turn sprinklers on and off, control outdoor lighting and provide details about water consumption.
Finally, Huawei Mate 9 now fully supports Alexa, making it the first smartphone to come preinstalled with Amazon’s voice agent. Already circulating models will receive over-the-air Alexa update.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, now you have a better understanding of Alexa’s capabilities, even if this is only a handful of supported products.