On the Coast – Over 55 Issue 32 I November/December 2019(clone) | Page 26

PREMIER SHADES
Talking to the blinds!
I
walk in the door, throw my handbag
on the dining room table, and as
I walk to let the dog inside, I yell
“Alexa – activate RELAX”. Still walking,
the blinds come down, the lamps in the
loungeroom come on. I’m now in the
kitchen, pouring myself a glass of wine.
That’s how easy it is to do the mundane
tasks when everything is hooked up to
your smart devices. Voice activation has
become so popular in such a short space of
time. Now, even your blinds, lights and
outside awnings can be activated by a
command to Alexa or Google Home.
You choose the command. “We have
one client”, says Sharon Tieman from
Premier Shades that has Google Home
programmed to give him a brief weather
and news update as the blinds rise for
the day. The command he uses “Good
morning Sunshine”.
Over 30,000 household appliances
can now be controlled by Alexa or
Google Home. The top 5 most popular are
entertainment devices (think TV’s),
Security, lighting, thermostat control
and blinds.
Before you scream out “how lazy can
we all get?” remember it wasn’t that
long ago you could only change the TV
channels by getting up off the lounge and
doing it. Now, if the
remote gets lost, we are
too.
Home automation is
about simplifying the
everyday repetitive
tasks. You can also get
even “smarter” with
it, and pre programme
things like blinds to go
up and down at certain
time of the day. This
allows you to keep
your house cooler or
warmer. Imagine that
hot western window
that heats the bedroom
up and its never seems
to cool down by end of
day. Programme your
blinds or awnings to go
down in the afternoon,
just in time to block out
the heat and keep the
house cool for you.
Voice activation is
proving popular with the
elderly or less mobile. Rather than getting
up and down for simple tasks around the
home they can speak and get
the job done.
Somfy – The world market
leader in blind automation
has recently launched
Connexoon. It’s a plug-in
device that talks to ITTT
who talks to Amazon Alexa
or Google Home. It retails for
under $350. You download
the free Connexoon app on
your phone. You can control
Phillips Hue lighting on the
app as well as your indoor
and outside blinds and roller
shutters.
Article supplied by Sharon Tieman. Premier Shades
18/482 Pacific Highway, Wyoming. NSW 2250.
www.premiershades.com.au Phone: [phone]
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