How to set up and manage a smart home through Alice

Smart home Alice is a worthy competitor to European, American and Asian counterparts. The modernized Yandex.Station multimedia platform has turned from an electronic column into a full-fledged living space options manager. A multifunctional automation system has been created to make the life of its owners as comfortable, healthy and safe as possible. To achieve the best effect, you should familiarize yourself with platform-compatible devices and their connection rules. There are many products and types of software on the market, each of which has its pros and cons, capabilities and scope.

Yandex application for managing smart home Alice

The Alice smart home control center can be any gadget that accepts voice commands

The devices are controlled using voice commands, which are processed not in the receiving unit, but on the servers of the Yandex. This requires constant and stable access to the Internet. In the absence of a signal, the manager turns into an ordinary multifunctional speaker.

The center of guidance can be any electronic device that supports the version of Alice. It can be a smartphone, tablet, laptop or similar smart speaker. With good coverage, it takes less than a second to process a command.

To install the application, you need to decide on the devices that are designed to work in the smart home system. You can find them by entering a request on the Yandex. Today, such products are manufactured by Sonoff, Xiaomi, Apple, Redmond, but this list is planned to be expanded in the near future.

Control of executive devices

In addition to these devices, Alice connects to Sonoff, Xiaomi, Apple, Redmond devices

The level of comfort when living in a building equipped with the Smart Home system is understood as the number of controlled devices and the amount of options that they can perform.

Yandex Smart Home can control the following devices:

  • smart socket and switch;
  • overload cut-off relay;
  • curtain control module;
  • light control module;
  • leakage protection module;
  • alarming siren;
  • security external and internal alarms.

Since Alice is only able to support a limited set of voice commands, the range of functions of the remote control will be minimal. Nevertheless, even this is enough to ensure a full-fledged existence.

Scenarios for working with devices from other manufacturers

Smart Home with Alice allows you to create several scenarios using commands that can be strict or playful.

There are such programming options:

  • Start only one device or group of devices. In one word or phrase, you can activate lighting, kettle, coffee maker, air conditioner, humidifier.
  • Inclusion of multiple devices. As a rule, this option is activated when a person enters a house or apartment. A speech signal turns on the light in the living room and hallway, a kettle or coffee maker, a humidifier or an air conditioner.
  • Remote access manual. It is carried out by voice or by entering commands over the phone. You can turn on the vacuum cleaner, washing machine, set the desired temperature of the heating system.

Alice's capabilities are still limited, but by showing imagination, you can configure a lot of interesting and useful scenarios.

Advantages and disadvantages of the smart home Alice

Smart home with Alice is easy to set up and does not require the purchase of a control device

The platform with Yandex support appeared in the field of automation relatively recently, but it managed to acquire many adherents. And this is due not only to a sense of patriotism or a desire to support domestic producers.

Advantages of the smart home Alice:

  • To control the elements of the system, you do not need to buy an expensive device from a well-known manufacturer. A simple budget device with Internet access via a network cable or local Wi-Fi is enough. This alone makes it possible to reduce the initial investment.
  • There is no need to buy and configure a home network node to receive, process commands, and manage home gadgets and constructions. All this is done by the server of the Yandex.
  • Commands can be given at any distance. For this, the Internet or satellite communication is used. The plus is that you do not need to perform any network settings, since they are automatically configured on the control device.
  • Compatible with modules from the world's leading electronics and software manufacturers. To connect a smart socket to Alice, it is enough to purchase a compatible adapter, install a sensor and synchronize devices.
  • A wide range of smart technology, which is synchronized with the Alice system without replacing parts and complex firmware.

The main disadvantage is the need for constant network access. We have to provide for the possibility of her disappearance. For this, another smartphone is purchased, which will be used as a modem in the event of an emergency.

The second drawback is that the domestic industry does not produce automated equipment and devices. To create a smart home, exclusively Chinese products are used. Since it is worth taking only the equipment of a trusted manufacturer, you will have to seriously spend money on it.

How to connect Alice to a smart home

To connect with Alice to the smart home options, there is no need to call the wizard. You can do this yourself, following the simple and understandable instructions of the program developers.

There are such options:

  • Television. To control the equipment, a universal remote control has been developed that is suitable for digital TVs of all manufacturers on the domestic market. A prerequisite is the transmission of a signal using an infrared beam. Alice's developers went further by introducing the air conditioner control function into the remote control.
  • Smart socket. On a voice command, it turns the devices on and off, works as a charging station for an electronic vacuum cleaner.
  • Smart lamp. So far, the Yandex platform supports work only with the products of the Chinese company Xiaomi. In accordance with the commands received, the lamp changes not only brightness, but also color.
  • Automated multicooker. It is enough to download the products, connect the product to the network and set the program. The activation is carried out by a voice command from the building or by smartphone from anywhere in the settlement. In this case, the user can control the cooking process through a video camera.

In addition to the listed gadgets, you can connect other devices with receivers of infrared or radio wave signals to Alice.

Managing Alice through Yandex Smart Home

Connection, configuration and control is carried out through an intuitive application

The initial stage in the construction of a smart home is design. A list of equipment and devices is compiled, their locations are determined. On the plus side, there is no need to think about cabling as the signals are transmitted wirelessly.

After installing the electronic devices, you should start configuring the system. It is not difficult to download the application, just enter the Yandex portal, find the Alice website and open the Devices section.

Then you should activate the gadgets and put the control device into the search mode. When all devices are found, they should be identified and given a name (floor lamp, kettle, coffee maker). The next step is to bind voice commands to devices. They should be as short as possible so that there are no problems with recognition. It is desirable that the command does not exceed three words.

If there is a need to use products in separate rooms, they are divided into groups, for this another team is formed.

A prerequisite is the constant maintenance of the sockets in the switched on state, since the platform does not provide for their remote activation.

The advantage of the Alice program is that at any time you can add devices, reshape them and change the voice commands.

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