I've been ordering some Amazon Alexa smart home devices. Started simple, now I can't seem to stop! Ha!
I have 3 Echo Dots, 1 Echo, 1 Echo Show 5 and 1 Echo Show 15. These are the devices to communicate through. Then I changed out my wall switches and outlets to smart devices. On some lights that are hard wired and work from a pull chain, I changed out to a smart bulb. I added a 'Blink' security camera system consisting of 5 wifi/battery cameras and 10 wifi/AC powered cameras. I set up organization by room and started setting up Routines. For example, one routine uses the command, "Alexa, good night". Alexa turns off all the lights, set the thermostat to sleep temperature and arms the cameras. If a camera trips, Alexa will wake me with a message and a tone. I can then ask Alexa to show me the activated camera on the Echo Show 5, which is at my bedside or on the Echo Show 15 which is in the kitchen. Most times it's a skunk at the 1/2 whiskey barrel filled with water plants to get a drink or a raccoon in the garage to get at the cat food. But those critters let me know she's doing her job. If I tell Alexa I'm going away, she will 'arm' the house, listening for noises outside through the cameras and inside through the Echo devices. If she hears a noise outside, it starts recording on the camera assossiated with the mic and sends me a message/text. She will also start making loud barking noises to scare anyone off. If it's a inside noise, she sets off a siren sound. It can be tied in to call the police or any other alarm system company you care to contract with.
She also listens for smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and glass breaking and will call a number you designate.
That's a start. I'll also have it do some specialty items I've been seeing on YouTube. Such as lights going on when entering a room based on the Echo's microphones that can pick up ultrasonic sounds. These little balls, Echo Dot and Echo, have up to 8 mics to listen to all sorts of stuff. I have played with setting up so when it hears the dog bark and we are gone, it will tell the dog to go lay down and message me that the dog is barking. It will also send me snapshots from the camera sensing motion inside of the dog. Maybe Pup is barking because there's a water leak or something.
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