Automation and AI in our homes

[Huntn]

I had a perception of automation in the home that you’d need either an Alexa or something running Siri (HomeKit) with electronic switches like wall switches to control lights with your voice, set up so they auto come on when you walk into a room, or remotely control, them.

We are visiting our son, who has an Alexa unit and smart light bulbs, he talks to Alexa, so a wifi switch does not have to be installed. So I’m asking Apple or Alexa?

This stands out:
While Apple's HomeKit grapples with compatibility with a few hundred brands, the Alexa ecosystem is compatible with as many as 100,000 smart home devices according to data from Statista.

I have both a Roku and Apple TV so I don’t consider myself an Apple prisoner, and although I prefer IPhone and iOS to Android, I am willing to go with what is the better, and more economical setup, although since I am particularly vested in iOS if all other things like compatibility were equal, I would choose Apple. But as it is, Alexa seems like a better choice. Opinions?

Amazon Alexa vs. Apple HomeKit: Which Smart Home Ecosystem Is King?

We'll compare two of the most popular smart home options and help you decide which one is best for your home.

www.makeuseof.com

Alexa compatible lights:

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www.amazon.com

Siri compatible lights:

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www.amazon.com

I’m very interested to see how long it takes AI to make it into these devices.I don’t know if this is still current but if it is, it sounds dismal. Of all companies I thought Apple would be on this like a duck on a June bug.

 

[Pumbaa]

I had a perception of automation in the home that you’d need either an Alexa or something running Siri (HomeKit) with electronic switches like wall switches to control lights with your voice, set up so they auto come on when you walk into a room, or remotely control, them.

We are visiting our son, who has an Alexa unit and smart light bulbs, he talks to Alexa, so a wifi switch does not have to be installed. So I’m asking Apple or Alexa?

¿Porque no los dos?

I have both a bunch of Amazon Echo speakers and use Apple Home on the phone and iPad (and AppleTV).

If I had to pick one, I’d go with Apple, but I don’t have to pick one.

This stands out:
While Apple's HomeKit grapples with compatibility with a few hundred brands, the Alexa ecosystem is compatible with as many as 100,000 smart home devices according to data from Statista.

I’d bet good money on most of those 100,000 smart home devices representing surprisingly few unique products.

I have both a Roku and Apple TV so I don’t consider myself an Apple prisoner, and although I prefer IPhone and iOS to Android, I am willing to go with what is the better, and more economical setup, although since I am particularly vested in iOS if all other things like compatibility were equal, I would choose Apple. But as it is, Alexa seems like a better choice. Opinions?

You probably should ask yourself if you want quality or quantity.

I have never bought a smart home gadget because of the “Works with Alexa” or “Works with Apple HomeKit” logos. I typically check if it is realistic to get it running with openHAB (previously) and Home Assistant (currently), if the company making it seems reliable (Do I trust them to make electrically safe products? Is it likely they will be there for warranty and replacement/new products? Will there be software updates? Things like that.)

So far everything’s worked directly with both HomeKit and Alexa. I would be very skeptical of something only supporting Alexa, probably some cheaply engineered stuff I wouldn’t want to connect to mains. Even if the company seems credible, I would only consider the thing if it also supports an open protocol.

Amazon Alexa vs. Apple HomeKit: Which Smart Home Ecosystem Is King?

We'll compare two of the most popular smart home options and help you decide which one is best for your home.

www.makeuseof.com

Alexa compatible lights:

Loading…

www.amazon.com

Siri compatible lights:

Loading…

www.amazon.com

Looks like comparing apples to oranges. Cheaper white bulbs to more expensive RGB color bulbs supporting Matter. No-brainer, I would never ever consider the first ones (not because of the lack of RGB of course).

If you’re not scared of having a hub, Ikea has pretty decent options, especially when it comes to bulbs (both white and color). Philips Hue would also be a pretty safe bet but way more expensive.

I’m very interested to see how long it takes AI to make it into these devices.I don’t know if this is still current but if it is, it sounds dismal. Of all companies I thought Apple would be on this like a duck on a June bug.

Pretty broad topic, one would need to be more specific with what AI means to even begin talking about it.

 

[Pumbaa]

Whatever option you go with, trust me on this:

Always go with options that can be controlled locally!

You won’t be thrilled when Alexa refuses to do your bidding due to server or internet issues…

Also remember that smart bulbs need to be constantly powered. The wall switch must be left on and cant be used to turn the bulbs off without interfering with their smart abilities. With the Ikea or Hue ecosystems one would typically get a wireless remote/dimmer and put it by the traditional switch to keep things easy.

 

[Huntn]

Whatever option you go with, trust me on this:

Always go with options that can be controlled locally!

You won’t be thrilled when Alexa refuses to do your bidding due to server or internet issues…

Also remember that smart bulbs need to be constantly powered. The wall switch must be left on and cant be used to turn the bulbs off without interfering with their smart abilities. With the Ikea or Hue ecosystems one would typically get a wireless remote/dimmer and put it by the traditional switch to keep things easy.

Alexa has to connected to the internet to function? I’m not surprised that you need it to search the net, but do you need an internet connection vs a wifi connection to control a light?

 

[Pumbaa]

Alexa has to connected to the internet to function? I’m not surprised that you need it to search the net, but do you need it to control a light?

Some newer devices supposedly have offline speech recognition, that might make a difference. But it also will depend on the way the “smart” devices integrate with Alexa and if they rely on the cloud for other reasons.

 

[P___X]

Alexa is much more universal. Apple - at least to me - looks a lot safer. Since IoT can open your home network to the whole world, I consider this a security issue and prefer homekit more. That said, if you want ease of use and universal control, Alexa is still the winner. Siri feels cognitively challenged compared to any other AI assistant that comes to mind.

 

[Pumbaa]

Alexa is much more universal. Apple - at least to me - looks a lot safer. Since IoT can open your home network to the whole world, I consider this a security issue and prefer homekit more. That said, if you want ease of use and universal control, Alexa is still the winner.

Apple Home is pretty sweet with shortcuts and automations, but I completely agree that Siri currently is no match for Alexa when it comes to spoken interactions. And the really sad part is that Alexa isn’t even remotely good…

Siri feels cognitively challenged compared to any other AI assistant that comes to mind.

Not sure what you mean… 😂

From The Complaint Department:

Siri.

”Turn off all lights” apparently now means “Turn off fracking everything, including power outlets and air purifiers”.

I should really get my migration to Home Assistant over with and code that extension for refusing to turn off the computer outlets while the computer is up and running…

Siri. As usual.

She just keeps ignoring what I’m saying, pretending not to hear. Didn’t know we were married…

In my mind this exchange proves that she actually did hear me correctly every time she said ”I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you please say that again?” without showing a transcript of the recognized speech.

🤬

View attachment 874

I'd like to extend my apologies for the coarse language in the final exchange. In my defense, I obviously did not say exactly what Siri claims I said. 😝

 

[Huntn]

How much connectivity or should I say interoperability do you get using Homebridge to interact with Ring, vs opening the Ring App?

My first goal is to see if I can gain control of my 4 year old Visio TV or Roku box or Apple TV box with such a device and since I already have iOS devices, I would seriously consider Homebridge, however that article I posted regarding Siri in the initial post made me hesitant.

As I think about it, I just turn the TV on which happens automatically when I energize my Roku or my Apple TV boxes via a universal controller. They are the hardware calling the shots so I should be looking at Alexa or Homebridge control of these devices which would include, a channel and a search for a new or a currently being watched show. Example: “Alexa” or “Siri” (Homebridge), “Roku, Netflicks, Bosch, next show”.., yes?🤔

Apparently, no… the goal here is no remote…

How to Control Your Roku Device with Amazon Alexa

You can now control Roku with Alexa.

www.howtogeek.com

Now Roku is addressing that with a new Alexa skill. After installing the skill, you'll be able to control any Roku device or TV running Roku OS 8.2 or higher. You can launch movies, apps, and if your TV has Roku, you can even control functions like Volume or switch inputs.

Similar to Google Assistant, voice commands need to use Roku for the name, i.e. tell Roku to open Hulu or open Hulu on Roku. And unfortunately, you can't control Netflix with voice commands.

 

[Huntn]

Interesting article, Is Alexa in trouble?

Amazon devices unit morale wanes amid cuts, weak development pipeline

Some workers within Amazon’s hardware division say morale has suffered amid staff cutbacks and a lack of likely hits in the pipeline.

www.reuters.com

 

[Pumbaa]

Personally I’m not too worried about the current state or future of Alexa, Siri, or any of the other proprietary assistants. There will be such options, they will evolve and improve, there will be privacy concerns, bugs, flaws, and regulation. Exciting times to be alive!

I will likely go for something open source and fully offline once I get my ducks in a row. Rhasspy looks promising but time will tell.

 

[Huntn]

Nov 2023- Alexa or Siri?
I’ve been visting my son who has Alexa, and uses it for setting timers, turning on lights, and playing Amazon music. I’ve become enamored with this device, but I got a lot of iOS stuff back home. Which is superior?

One thing, I’d like some personality. Alexa is all busines. I asked her if she enjoys teaching, and I got “not in catalog”. Come on, you can do better than that… The other thing noticible, as a basic Alexa unit, the sound is crappy. 😐

How long before something ChatGPT appears on this scene?

From 2020: https://www.lifewire.com/siri-vs-alexa-4800418

 

[Pumbaa]

Neither is perfect. Both are evolving (and sometimes regressing). If you already have tons of iOS devices just give Siri a try and see how it works out for you.

I mainly use Alexa for home control. It is easier to just say “Alexa …” than to push a button on the watch or phone (no HomePod yet). I prefer the manual way since I bring those devices out in public…

Oh. Worth mentioning: Alexa can tell me Chuck Norris jokes. Siri cannot.

 

[P___X]

Neither is perfect. Both are evolving (and sometimes regressing).

Siri doesn't seem to be evolving much. It's voice control is almost useless. The fact that it can't even consistently tell me the weather whereas Alexa's only use is that is telling. I have smart knobs that just do what I want without having to yell at either of these "assistants".

 

[Huntn]

Neither is perfect. Both are evolving (and sometimes regressing). If you already have tons of iOS devices just give Siri a try and see how it works out for you.

I mainly use Alexa for home control. It is easier to just say “Alexa …” than to push a button on the watch or phone (no HomePod yet). I prefer the manual way since I bring those devices out in public…

Oh. Worth mentioning: Alexa can tell me Chuck Norris jokes. Siri cannot.

I read that Siri has a better sense of humor than Alexa… 🤔 Personally, I think it would be cool to have a friendly AI personality in the house. Note, I don’t consider either of these as AI personalities.

 

[Huntn]

Siri doesn't seem to be evolving much. Its voice control is almost useless. The fact that it can't even consistently tell me the weather whereas Alexa's only use is that is telling. I have smart knobs that just do what I want without having to yell at either of these "assistants".

ChatGPT or something related, I imagine will eventually appear as part of these devices.

 

[P___X]

ChatGPT or something related, I imagine will eventually appear as part of these devices.

Apple is working on its generative-AI-based enhancement of Siri. So it's coming, and when it comes it will be very polished

 

[Huntn]

Well, I just told Siri on my phone to set a timer which it did. 🫣 I have this old Bose speaker iPod setup, I may configure for music with a new iPod via an updated cable and I like the idea of telling it to play music, which I assume I could do via the iPod, Siri, and Apple Music.

My question is with Alexa it appears you have wide access to Amazon music for free. Is this the case with Siri and Apple Music?

Also can your iPhone, iPad, and iPod be linked together to relay music play commands to the iPod with Apple Music?