Home Automation - Smartkit

So I bought the Google Mini and am comparing it to my Dot. Only had it a few hours, but I love the fact it's more local - weather and traffic etc. I love the fact I can use Google Mini and I prefer the sound quality - quite an improvement. In fact I prefer it so far except for :

1. OK Google or Hey Google just doesn't roll off the tongue like Alexa. I wish they'd change the wake word.

2. Second point relates to the switches. With the Dot, I can select what I want to say to shut them all down. 'Alexa, Good night' or Alexa, turn off the lights' or just 'Alexa, turn off everything'. The Google doesn't seem to have that ?
 
Dolby said:
So I bought the Google Mini and am comparing it to my Dot. Only had it a few hours, but I love the fact it's more local - weather and traffic etc. I love the fact I can use Google Mini and I prefer the sound quality - quite an improvement. In fact I prefer it so far except for :

1. OK Google or Hey Google just doesn't roll off the tongue like Alexa. I wish they'd change the wake word.

2. Second point relates to the switches. With the Dot, I can select what I want to say to shut them all down. 'Alexa, Good night' or Alexa, turn off the lights' or just 'Alexa, turn off everything'. The Google doesn't seem to have that ?
Click to expand...
You know what I can say "turn off downstairs" with? My Amazon Fire TV Stick!
 
Dolby said:
So I bought the Google Mini and am comparing it to my Dot. Only had it a few hours, but I love the fact it's more local - weather and traffic etc. I love the fact I can use Google Mini and I prefer the sound quality - quite an improvement. In fact I prefer it so far except for :

1. OK Google or Hey Google just doesn't roll off the tongue like Alexa. I wish they'd change the wake word.

2. Second point relates to the switches. With the Dot, I can select what I want to say to shut them all down. 'Alexa, Good night' or Alexa, turn off the lights' or just 'Alexa, turn off everything'. The Google doesn't seem to have that ?
Click to expand...


The echo can now also do local weather and traffic. In fact the commute always worked. The weather been fixed early this year, by allowing you to specify a South African address now at https://echo.amazon.com and also in the latest version of the app on android at least.
 
Definitely won't do my commute, even though settings are local. Weather it does - but nothing with local businesses. Google does all 3.

Have you got the traffic working?
 
Dolby said:
Definitely won't do my commute, even though settings are local. Weather it does - but nothing with local businesses. Google does all 3.

Have you got the traffic working?
Click to expand...

The commute I got working by adding my home and work address under the "traffic" section in "settings" at https://alexa.amazon.com/spa/index.html#settings/traffic

In From address add your home address.
In To address add you work address.

Bit strange to figure it out the first time, but it makes sense that your echo is at home, so it should be the from address. If you have an echo at work, you would have to do it the other way around.

Also maybe why that works easier with google home, is google auto detects your home/work address by looking where you spend most of your time daily during the day and at night when you sleep.


Edit: I do however think google has a lot of advantages over the Echo.
I am highly annoyed by the Echo's search results from Bing :(
 
Thanks.

I'll give it a go.

It's got my home address, but the problem seems to be the work address that it won't accept. Or, is it accepts it in the app, it doesn't seem to acknowledge.
 
Dolby said:
Thanks.

I'll give it a go.

It's got my home address, but the problem seems to be the work address that it won't accept. Or, is it accepts it in the app, it doesn't seem to acknowledge.
Click to expand...
If buying trying to decide which one of these devices to buy for the last month or so. Hoping you can give some feedback once you have both properly running.
 
phaktza said:
You know what I can say "turn off downstairs" with? My Amazon Fire TV Stick!
Click to expand...

So I've just tested my LIT box with mic remote ... can't control my lights or get info as the Google Home Mini can :/ Maybe I'm doing something wrong (setup before 8am) - but hoping I could also turn on/off lights
 
Dolby said:
So I've just tested my LIT box with mic remote ... can't control my lights or get info as the Google Home Mini can :/ Maybe I'm doing something wrong (setup before 8am) - but hoping I could also turn on/off lights
Click to expand...
Google with Android doesn't always work as expected - it took years to get Google Navigation on Google phones.
 
xrapidx, regarding your IP150 integration, did you get an IP150 with the old firmware or did you manage to get this all working on an IP150 with the latest firmware. I want to start getting going, but I'd hate to buy an IP150 and realize that I bought a doorstop.

Did you by any chance document on how you got things going? Perhaps consider making a good step-by-step video?
 
The old firmware... and I don't document - sorry :)

Its fairly simple though... and you're welcome to ask questions.
 
Did you downgrade it or did you buy one with the old firmware.

Re: documentation - you’re speaking like a true software engineer
 
I've always maintained my code is self documenting... until I read it a few years later... :p

Mine was already the old firmware - although I did find a video of a guy who claimed to have downgraded his, I'll see if I can find it.
 
xrapidx said:
I've always maintained my code is self documenting... until I read it a few years later...

Mine was already the old firmware - although I did find a video of a guy who claimed to have downgraded his, I'll see if I can find it.
Click to expand...
That can’t happen.

That doesn’t happen on my machine.

That shouldn’t happen.

Why does that happen?

Oh, I see.

How did that ever work?
 
My envisalink thingy arrived. All hooked up and working, and home assistant is seeing the zones and partitions :)
Now I need the USB coder thing. And waterproof housings. When will you guys have stock?
 
I think we have right now ... Maybe just in the system we yet
 
Sinbad said:
My envisalink thingy arrived. All hooked up and working, and home assistant is seeing the zones and partitions :)
Now I need the USB coder thing. And waterproof housings. When will you guys have stock?
Click to expand...

Cleared customs last night! We'll have later today.
 
I've got my paradox installation very stable now with Home-assistant - only problem is the lack of alarm modes in home assistant.

It only supports disarm, arm_away, arm_home, triggered and pending - missing arm_sleep :(
 
Awesome!! Any chance that you were able to track down that video to downgrade the IP150 firmware?

Do you know if this supports alarm panels with 2 partitions? I e got an SP6000 which has two partitions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X