- Home
- Houseplans
- Affordable Home Automation
Affordable Home Automation
Whether you live in a townhouse in Houston or in a condo in Austin, you’ve probably thought a little about home automation. If you’re building a new home and have only started looking at floor plans you can do a lot of really cool things before the walls go up. But what if you aren’t building a new townhome? Then what can you do to make your home a smart home without breaking down walls or breaking the bank?
Actually there are a lot of really cool things you can do to automate your home, and most of them are pretty affordable. To get started with home automation you’ll want to check out the Amazon Echo, it will be the hub for all your smart home gadgets.
What is the Amazon Echo?
Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service, to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly. All you have to do is ask.
Echo has seven microphones and beam forming technology so it can hear you from across the room—even while music is playing. Echo is also an expertly tuned speaker that can fill any room with 360° immersive sound. When you want to use Echo, just say the wake word “Alexa” and Echo responds instantly.
The Amazon Echo pairs with other smart home products like the Nest thermostat or Belkin’s Wemo light switch. Simply install any of the compatible devices and pair with Alexa and now you can tell Alexa to turn the heat down or turn off the porch light.
Alexa Can Go Anywhere
Alexa can be positioned anywhere in the home, all she needs is a standard outlet and Wifi. It’s very easy to start calling your Amazon Echo a she since she sounds so lifelike. At the moment you cannot change Alexa’s name (although you can call her Echo and get a response).
The family room, living room or great room are all great areas to put Alexa. Amazon Echo is a powerful speaker and can be paired with iHeartRadio, Spotify, Pandora and of course Amazon Prime Music. Simply ask it to play any station (including local stations) to catch the game, hear the news or listen to the music of your choice. You can create your own playlists on Amazon Prime Music and have her play those as well.
Alexa, Order a Pizza
Amazon and Dominoes have now partnered allowing you to now order a pizza with just a voice command. You’ll need to create a pizza profile on Domino’s website before your first order, but after that all you have to do is say “Alexa, open Domino’s and place my Easy Order”.
Everyone Loves Alexa
Alexa helps make cooking fun. Whether you’re dictating your grocery list (which is available on the app on your phone for easy access while shopping) or setting a timer (so far the hands on favorite feature) or listening to Audible books or the news while cooking, Alexa makes everything just a little easier and lot more fun. Ask Alexa to convert cups to liters or when the game is on.
Alexa is great in the bedroom
Use Alexa in the bedroom as an alarm clock and radio. Pair it with a WeMo Insight Switch and you can have Alexa turn the lights off for you or open your shades (if they work electronically).
Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo has great range so if you have an open floor plan you probably only need one per floor. If you have a larger home with multiple levels you’ll probably want to add to your system with the even more affordable Echo Dot. The Echo Dot is a much smaller version of Alexa that provides many of the same functions. The Echo Dot also needs an outlet and Wifi to connect to your home. Currently, you can only order an Echo Dot by asking Alexa to place to the order (though there are work arounds to buy it outright). It will not be shipping until late April.
Brands compatible with Amazon Echo include:
Wink
Samsun Smart Things
Insteon
Phillips Hue
Belkin Wemo
- Tags: Alexa Amazon Echo Echo Dot Technology
Recent Posts
Collections
- Beach House Plans
- Bedrooms
- Duplex Plans
- Garden Home Plan
- Home Plan Styles
- One Story Home Plans
- Patio Home Plans
- Small Affordable House Plans
- Townhouse Plans
- Two Story Home Plans
- Urban House Plans
Categories
- 1420 Wrightwood
- 1420 Wrightwood Street
- 2 car garage
- 2 story
- 2 story floor plan
- 2 story home floor plan
- 2020
- 3 bathrooms
- 3 bedroom
- 3 bedroom duplex
- 3 bedroom home
- 3 Bedroom Townhouse
- 3 bedroom townhouse floor plan
- 3 bedrooms
- 3 story
- 3 story design
- 3 story townhouse
- 3 Story Townhouse Floor plans
- 4 bedroom
- 4 bedrooms
- 4 story
- 4 story floor plans
- 4 story townhouse floor plan
- 4 Story townhouse floor plans
- 4 story townhouses
- 4th of July
- 50+ housing design
- 55+
- AARP
- aC5030
- Academic Departments
- Accessibility
- Advantages of stock plans
- Advantages of townhouse
- Advice
- Affordability
- Affordable
- affordable floorplans
- affordable home floor plans for sale
- affordable home plans for sale
- affordable townhouse floor plans
- Aging in place
- Aging-in-place
- AIA
- Air conditioning
- Alberobello
- Alexa
- amazing floor plans
- amazing floorplans
- Amazon Echo
- American architecture
- American Craftsman
- American Home floor plans
- American Institute of Architects
- and how-to-workshops
- Anderson Canyon
- Angel Reach
- Anxiety
- Apartments
- Appliances
- application
- April
- Architect
- Architects
- Architectural style
- Architecture
- Area
- Around the yard
- Art
- Arts
- Associates
- August
- Austin
- austin home builders
- austin homes
- Austin Texas
- auto show
- Autumn Chores
- award winning floor plans
- Awards
- Azalea Trail
- backyard playground
- backyard playground safety tips
- Balcony
- Barbecue
- Bathroom
- Bathroom Design
- Bathrooms
- BBQ
- Beach House
- Beach House Plan
- beautiful floor plans
- Bedroom
- Benefits
- Benefits of living in a duplex
- benefits of living in a townhome
- best days to have a man cave
- best floor plans
- best kitchen appliances
- best mediterranean home plans
- boat show
- Bold Colors
- Bollente Companies
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Bretagne
- brick homes
- budgeting
- Build
- Buildable Lots
- Builder confidence
- building
- building a dream home with children
- building a green dream home
- building a home playground
- building a mediterranean home
- Building Costs
- building in Houston
- Building in the news
- Building Types
- building your own home
- bungalow style
- bungalows
- Business
- Business and Economy
- Butler's Pantry
- Buyer
- California
- Cape Cod
- Carbon Cycle
- Carbon footprint
- Carbon Management
- Caregiver
- casual entertainment
- Catch me if you Can
- Celebration
- Challenges faced by home builders
- Charity
- Charlotte
- Charlotte North Carolina
- Chicago
- Chief economist
- Chimney
- choosing the right floor plan
- Christmas
- City
- Clean up
- Cleaning
- Cleanliness
- Closet
- Clothes dryer
- Colleges and Universities
- Color
- comfortable home floor plans
- common home floor plans
- Community
- Condos
- Conservation
- Constellation Field
- Construction
- Construction and Maintenance
- contemporary design
- contemporary home floor plans
- Cool
- Coronavirus
- cost effective
- cost of home building
- Cottage
- courtyard
- covered patio
- Covid-19
- cozy floor plans
- cozy home designs
- Craftsman
- Craftsman home floor plans
- Cumbria
- custom floor plan
- custom floor plans
- custom garden home floor plan
- Custom home
- custom home floor plans
- custom home floor plans for sale
- custom home plan
- Custom House Plan
- custom kitchens
- custom stock floor plans
- Customer Service
- customizable floorplans
- customizing your new home
- CYBER MONDAY
- Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
- Cypress
- Dallas
- Dallas New Years Eve
- Dallas. Trinity River
- Debris
- December
- Decks
- decluttering
- Decor
- decorating your new home
- Deed Restrictions
- Design
- Design & Construction Week
- Design Trends
- designing a dream home
- Detached Town Homes
- Development
- dining
- Dining room
- Directories
- Diverse community
- DIY
- Do it yourself
- does the size of a home matter
- Downtown Houston
- dream home
- dream home designs
- dream home floor plans
- dream home plans
- dream homes with man caves
- dream kitchen
- dream kitchen designs
- Dulles Avenue
- Duplex
- Duplex Floor Plans
- Duplex Townhome
- duplex townhome floor plans
- E-book
- E2137 B1.1
- easily maintainable home designs
- East Beach
- Easter
- Echo Dot
- eclectic floor plans
- eclectic homes
- Eclectic Style Floor Plan
- Eclectic Style Home
- Eco Friendly
- eco friendly floor plans
- Ecomony
- Economic Recovery
- economical home designs
- economical lawn care
- Economy
- Edmund Burke
- Education
- Efficient energy use
- Elderly care
- Eleanor Tinsley Park
- Election Day
- Elevator
- Empty nester floor plans
- Empty Nester Home Floor Plan
- End of summer
- Energy
- Energy conservation
- Energy Costs
- Energy efficiency
- energy efficient floor plans
- energy efficient home designs
- energy efficient home floor plans
- energy efficient home plans
- energy efficient housing
- Energy Smart Builder
- Energy-Star
- engineered wood
- England
- entertainment
- Environment
- Environmentally friendly
- Events
- Events in Houston
- Events In Houston TX.
- Expos
- ExxonMobil
- Fall
- Family
- family dream home
- family dream home floor plan
- family floor plans
- Family Friendly
- Family room
- Farmers market
- featured floor plans
- February
- February Events
- Fedelpeye
- Festa Italiana
- Festivals
- Fire Fest
- Fireworks
- fireworks displays
- flex space
- Flood
- Flood Plain
- Flooding
- Floodplain
- floodplain mitigation
- Floor plan
- Floor Plan Sale
- Floor Plans
- Floor plans for city living
- floor plans for sale
- floor plans in Houston
- floor plans online
- floor plans to build
- floor plans with a man cave
- floor plans with arches
- floor plans with balconies
- floor plans with fire places
- floor plans with pools
- floor plans with verandas
- floorplans for sale
- Floors
- Foor Deck
- Forbes
- formal dining room
- Fort Worth
- Fort Worth Texas
- Fortune 500
- Foyer
- France
- french floor plans
- Fun Facts
- functional kitchen floor plans
- Furniture
- Galveston
- Galveston Texas
- game room
- Garage
- Garage (residential)
- garden home floor plan
- garden homes
- garden projects
- gated community floor plans
- General contractor
- General Electric
- George R. Brown Convention Center
- Georgian architecture
- GMB
- Golf of Mexico
- grand stair
- Grand Staircase
- grandiose floor plans
- grandiose homes
- Great room
- Greater Houston
- Green
- Green building
- green gardens
- Green home
- green home floor plans
- green homes
- green landscaping
- green lawn care
- green lawn designs
- green living
- green yard
- Grey
- guest suite
- gun show
- Halloween
- Happy Holidays
- Happy New Year
- Happy Thanksgiving
- Hard Costs
- Hardware store
- Harlem Globetrotters
- Harris County
- Health
- healthier landscaping
- Heisman Trophy
- HERS Index
- History
- Holiday
- Home
- Home & Garden
- Home and Garden
- home and garden projects
- Home and Garden Show
- Home and Garden Shows
- Home appliance
- Home Builder
- Home Builders
- home building
- home building process
- home buyer preferences
- home buyers
- Home care
- Home construction
- home decor
- home decor inspiration
- home decor websites
- home decorating ideas
- home design
- home design in Houston
- home designs
- Home energy rating
- home floor plans
- home floor plans for sale
- Home Health
- Home improvement
- Home Insurance
- home mainetence
- Home Maintenance
- Home Office
- home planning
- home plans
- home projects
- home remodeling
- home remodels
- Home repair
- Home show
- Home Staging
- home tech
- home to make memories in
- HomeAid Houston
- Homeowners
- homes for sale
- homes in Houston
- homes with a man cave
- homes with balconies
- house
- House plan
- house plans
- House plans over 7000 square feet
- House Sales
- Housing
- housing affordability
- Housing Data
- Housing Index
- Housing industry
- housing market
- housing rebound 2013
- Housing recovery
- Housing starts
- Housing Stats
- Housing Stats Economy
- Houston
- Houston architects
- Houston Demographics
- Houston Events Calander
- Houston Heights
- Houston Home and Garden Show
- Houston Home designers
- Houston in February
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
- Houston Rodeo
- how to built a home
- HP
- huge floor plans
- Hurricane Harvey
- hurricane season
- HVAC
- IBM
- IBS
- ICE
- increasing residential construction
- increasing the value of your home
- Independence Day
- Indoor Living
- Industrial Revolution
- Industry
- infographic
- Infographics
- information
- Information design
- Inheritance tax
- Insurance
- Interest Rates
- Interior design
- International Builder Show
- International Builders' Show
- International Code Council
- Interstate 45
- Is now a good time to build my home
- Italian home floor plans
- Italy
- Jack and Jill
- Janaury
- January
- Jeffrey Tucker
- July
- June
- keeping children safe
- kitchen
- Kitchen and Dining
- kitchen design trends of 2013
- kitchen floor plans
- kitchen modeling for my dream home
- Kitchen Products
- kitchen renovation
- Kitchens
- kitchens and baths
- Labor Day
- labor day timeline
- Lanai
- land planning
- land use
- Landmarks in Dallas
- landscaping
- large floor plans
- large home blueprints
- large home designs
- large home floor plan
- large home floor plans
- large homes
- large kitchen
- larger townhouse floor plans
- Las Vegas
- Laundry room
- Lift
- Living
- Living Room
- Local Events
- Location
- locations
- Lone Star State
- Los Angeles
- Lot Development
- Lot Purchasing
- Lot Size
- low cost custom homes
- Lumber
- Lumber Prices
- luxury
- Luxury Floor Plans
- Luxury Home Floor Plans
- luxury plans
- luxury townhome
- Luxury Townhouse
- mail order floor plans
- maintenance
- man cave events
- Mansion house plan
- March
- Mardi Gras
- Market
- Market news
- Martina McBride
- master bedroom suite
- master suite
- Master suite with sitting area
- May
- media room
- Mediterranean floor plans
- Mediterranean Home Floor Plans
- Mediterranean home plans
- Mediterranean Revival architecture
- Mediterranean Sea
- Mediterranean style homes
- Merry Christmas
- Mezzanine
- Michael Graves
- Microsoft Windows
- Midwestern United States
- Miller Outdoor Theatre
- Minimum energy performance standard
- modern
- Modern design
- modern floor plans
- modern floor plans for sale
- modern home floor plan
- Modern Home Floor Plans
- modern home floor plans for sale
- modify a plan
- moisture-resistant flooring
- multi family dwellings
- Multi Unit
- Multi Use Space
- Multi-Discipline
- multifamily construction
- Museum of Fine Arts
- NAHB
- Napa California
- Narrow lot
- Nashville
- National Association of Home Builder
- National Association of Home Builders
- National Night Out
- natural disasters
- Neighborhood
- new construction
- New Home Sales
- New Home Sales Stats
- New Homes Month
- New Year
- New Year's Eve
- News
- NNO
- Non-Medical
- November
- NRG Center
- Nuclear
- October
- Office Opening
- Oil
- Oklahoma
- Old Spanish Trail
- one story home floor plans
- Online Events
- online floor plans
- online floorplans for sale
- Open
- open floor plan
- Open Houses
- outdoor living
- owners suite
- Panic attack
- panic room
- Pantone
- Pantry
- Patio
- Patio Home
- Patio Home Floor Plans
- patios and spas
- Pecan Row
- perfect floor plan for family
- perfect sized home designs
- perfect sized home for my family
- Permit Process
- permiting
- Permitting
- Permitting process
- physics of Santa
- Picture This
- Plan C5030
- Planned community
- Planning
- Plans
- pocket study
- pools and spas
- popular floor plans
- popular home features
- Popular home floor plans
- porches
- Porte Cochere
- Preston Wood
- Preston Wood & Associates
- preston wood and associates
- Preston Wood floor plans
- preventing flooding in building
- Prohibition Restaurant and Speakeasy
- projects
- pros
- Pros and cons
- Queen Anne
- Queen Anne style architecture
- Real estate
- Real estate broker
- Real estate pricing
- Recycling
- reducing the carbon footprint of your home
- reducing your homes carbon foot print
- Refrigerator
- Relief
- remodel tips
- remodeling
- Renovation
- Rent or Buy
- Residential Homes
- Residential Housing
- RESNET
- Retirement
- Rice University
- Rick Judson
- River Oaks Garden Club
- Rodeo
- Rodney Dangerfield
- roof deck
- Roof Decks
- rowhouse
- Safety
- Sale
- Samsung Electronics
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Santa
- Santa Claus
- Saturday
- saving money building a home
- Seasonally adjusted annual rate
- Seasons Greetings
- Selling
- Selling your home
- senior housing market
- September
- Service Providers
- Shopping
- Show Boat
- Single Family Construction
- single family homes
- single level home
- single level home floor plan
- Single story home plans
- Single-family detached home
- skylight
- small home blueprints
- small home designs
- small home floor plan
- small home floor plans
- small home plans for sale
- small homes
- Small Townhouse floor plan
- small townhouse floor plans
- smart homes
- Solar panel
- Space
- Spain
- spain floor plans
- Spring
- Spring cleaning
- Square foot
- Stafford Texas
- Staging your home
- Stainless Steel
- Stair Tower
- stock floor plans
- stock home floor plans
- Stock Home Plans
- stock home plans for sale
- stock house floor plans
- Stock house plans
- Stock plan library
- Stock plans
- stone homes
- Storage
- Storey
- Storm
- storm preparedness
- Stude Park
- Student Housing
- Study
- styling your new home
- Suburbs
- Summer
- summer statistics
- sunken living room
- Super Bowl
- Sustainability
- Sustainable architecture
- Sustainable living
- Taxes
- Technology
- Tennessee
- terrace
- Terraced house
- Texas
- texas floor plans
- Texas home and garden show
- Texas Medical Center
- Thanksgiving
- The Enclave at Stafford Oaks
- Things do in Houston
- Things do to
- Things to do
- Things to do in Dallas
- things to do in Houston
- Things to do in Houston this Spring
- three story
- three story homes
- Three Story Townhouse
- three story townhouse floor plans
- Thurgood Marshall High School
- Ticketmaster
- Tips
- Tips and Tricks
- tips for a green home
- tips for designing your home
- tips for remodeling your home
- top floor plans
- top home floor plans
- top Mediterranean homes
- top reasons to build your own home
- Town Home
- town home floor plan
- Town Homes
- Town House Plans
- Town houses
- townhome
- townhome floor plan
- Townhomes
- Townhouse
- townhouse designs
- Townhouse floor plan
- Townhouse floor plan sale
- townhouse floor plans
- townhouse floor plans for sale
- Townhouse Plan E1024 A
- Townhouse Plans
- Townhouses
- Travel
- Travel and Tourism
- Tree house
- Treehouses
- Trends
- Trends in Home Building
- trick or treat
- Two Story
- two story floor plans
- two story home floor plan
- two story home floor plans
- two story homes
- Two story house plan
- Two Story House Plans
- two story townhouse
- two story townhouse floor plan
- Uncategorized
- unique floor plans
- United States
- United States Census Bureau
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Update on Town House on Wrightwood
- upscale homes
- Urban
- Urban Core
- Urban Floor Pland
- Urban floor plans
- Urban Home
- Urban home floor plan
- urban home floor plans
- urban homes
- Urban house plans
- Vacation property
- Variety
- versatile flooring
- Victorian architecture
- Virtual Events
- Volunteer
- VOTE
- walk in closet
- Warfare and Conflict
- weather preparedness
- what homebuyers want
- where to build a home
- where to vote
- why the size of a home matters
- Wine Festival
- Wings over Houston
- winter
- wood floor alternative
- Work from Home
- World's largest cities
- Wrightwood California
- Wrightwood Street
- Zombie Walk
- Zoning