# Alexa enabled lights



## fearsome (Feb 16, 2013)

I have started to integrate Alexa into my vivariums. The good news is with smart outlet plugs you can control just about everything its great. The only problem is that LEDs that have multiple modes or their own built in timers will not allow you access to all of that. They will also lose time if the power is cut off to them. 

So my first question is are there any of these lights like the Finnex 24/7, Current USA satellite plus pro etc that have advanced features like day night cycles, thunder storms and so on that can be controlled by alexa through a skill? 

And if not my next statement is I really think that LED makers should get in on this. Throw out the IR remotes that require us to find the remote etc... 

Alexa ironically is becoming the center of home automation. No one wants to open up a separate app on their phone to control each different item in their house. They just want one app like Amazon alexa that allows them to control all their different devices.


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## Aquarium_Noob (Dec 9, 2017)

Interesting points. 
Soon the tanks will grow themselves. Automated PWCs, lights, CO2, fert dosing, and feeding. lol

It may be possible to use an arduino kit or raspberry pi for those who are software inclined. Amazon could create smart extension cords/6-outlet adapters with numbered outlets. Allowing you to determine the time periods each one is on, but not the intensity for independent products. 5-10 years time this could be a reality, if not sooner with enough traction.


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## Mike A. (Jan 6, 2018)

Aquarium_Noob said:


> Interesting points.
> Soon the tanks will grow themselves. Automated PWCs, lights, CO2, fert dosing, and feeding. lol
> 
> It may be possible to use an arduino kit or raspberry pi for those who are software inclined. Amazon could create smart extension cords/6-outlet adapters with numbered outlets. Allowing you to determine the time periods each one is on, but not the intensity for independent products. 5-10 years time this could be a reality, if not sooner with enough traction.


You can do most of that now with various Z-wave based products and home automation hubs like SmartThings, Wink, various systems running on Raspberry Pi, etc. The individually controllable power strips already are out there. I run my Beamswork light off of a Z-wave based switch which lets me easily schedule whatever on/off times and photo periods I want. But that won't let you control options/functions within the light itself. In my case I mounted Hue light strips in aluminum channel along both sides of the Beamswork which lets me control those independently so I can run lower levels of light with the main light off, do ramping, change colors/color temps, etc. Kind of on the expensive side just to do an aquarium but if you have other home automation stuff it's easy to add that in. Both support Alexa.


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## napaeozapus (Feb 22, 2014)

Show of hands of those who remember the old X10 systems?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Show of hands who actually believe Alexa will even be sold ten years from now? 
I've seen too many things that we "had to have" come and go for me to get too excited about just another product wave. It looks a lot like an 8-track or cb radio from where I am now!


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## Dr.Q (Jan 11, 2018)

We use google assistant with philips hue. Use a luxometer (there's free apps for them) to measure the light output of your 24/7 and then measure the actual output of the hue bulbs. Once you figure out how many bulbs you need, go get a couple light sockets with a plugin attached and rig them over your tank. You can go use the Hue Labs feature in their app and create your own light cycle that matches (or enhances upon your creation) the output of the 24/7. The hue transitions smoothly, though, so you won't get the lightning effect. 

Personally, I have too many issues with the zigbee channel interfering with my wifi, that the hue bulbs don't always function in accordance with the phone control and they don't seem to like keeping a schedule set in the app. I like my 24/7 because I just hit the 24/7 button and let it do its thing,occasionally changing the light for a social function, but I like the cycle and know that it's independent of the other lighting control. I do have to give you props for your idea, though. I never though to integrate my tank. If I get these kinks worked out, I'd like to start on this endeavor, too.

Bump: Bump:


PlantedRich said:


> Show of hands who actually believe Alexa will even be sold ten years from now?
> I've seen too many things that we "had to have" come and go for me to get too excited about just another product wave. It looks a lot like an 8-track or cb radio from where I am now!


Voice command is a way of the future, once you start to integrate it into your ways, it becomes surprisingly useful when it functions. It's undoubtedly clunky at this point in development, but I've seen significant advancement in the 4 months we've had it. I love my multicolored lighting. Voice command of the lighting is really epic. lol

Bump: This forum programming is clunky... It makes me smile when HTML coding pops up. Some day I'll figure out how to use it properly.


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## gentoo9ball (Aug 19, 2010)

Got some EcoTech LEDs?

https://www.amazon.com/EcoTech-Marine-LLC-EcoSmart-Live/dp/B06W2M1SVN


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## fearsome (Feb 16, 2013)

PlantedRich said:


> Show of hands who actually believe Alexa will even be sold ten years from now?
> I've seen too many things that we "had to have" come and go for me to get too excited about just another product wave. It looks a lot like an 8-track or cb radio from where I am now!


Lets play devils advocate and say that Amazon will just throw in the towel in 10 years or lets even say 5 on home automation. This Christmas it was $30 for an amazon echo, $30 for a 4 outlet smart plug, so that is $60. Now you can turn on and off any part of your aquarium and have schedules control everything. No monthly fee, no on going cost. $12 per year seems really good for all that functionality. And it doesn't take long to setup. While 8 track may be a bad scenario CB radios were very useful for a very long time. Just because something doesn't last your whole life doesn't mean its not worth using or having for the time it does last vs completely going without. And thanks to the internet integration it resumes and keeps time even after power failure, no more running around resetting clocks!

Basically I don't care if amazon goes belly up in 5 years the gain of function for the incredibly low price would still make it worth it even if it was a time bomb I knew would stop working in 5 years. The time I save not managing things is worth it I can use that to make extra money or simply enjoy the finer things in vivarium and aquarium work like keeping on my my scaping and cleaning or just sitting back and enjoying the tanks. 

Now lets move to risk. Personally Amazon is now one of the worlds largest corporations with a vested interest in making sure you can buy stuff with your voice off their store. They have a lot of motivation to keep trying to be in this market. Second they seem to have carved out a really strong lead in the market with a very open nature to integrating any products. This is sort of very similar to how google with android took over the phone market and once they took off it became impossible for other competitors to break into that market. I think that there is a very low risk that Amazon will exit this market. All the other home automation players had 1 of 2 flaws, either they operated more like Linux (X10) and they were just too clunky and non consumer friendly with no one company driving it, it was still somewhat expensive but mostly just harder to setup and control. Or they operated more like Apple where they tried to over charge and control the hardware by removing interoperability these guys were expensive and had very limited choices for what you could do. Alexa is more like Windows or Android, the product where you can integrate any piece of hardware and do almost anything with it while still being easy enough for someone with no tech savvy to work with it and creating a ton of options at all different price points to handle almost any consumer niche. Alexa is the safest bet right now and a very low risk given the cheap cost. If you are building LEDs its the way to go.


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## fearsome (Feb 16, 2013)

gentoo9ball said:


> Got some EcoTech LEDs?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/EcoTech-Marine-LLC-EcoSmart-Live/dp/B06W2M1SVN


Interesting to see that what I am asking for probably works with Ecotech, however Ecotech has a couple draw backs, the $350 price per light is of course one of them. But the other is that for unknown reason they also want to you buy a reeflink another $99. Which was my main complaint with half the others out there, hue, wink etc... Drives up the price, congests wireless space, adds unneeded layers of complexity and strong arms you into purchasing all your other equipment from the same company. This is exactly why automation has been very slow to adopt and what Alexa combined with really cheap direct wireless access is solving. Every little bit you can bring the price down rapidly increases options. You need around $500 to start with ecotech. 

Something like a finnex 24/7 should be able to add control by alexa for less than $30 and be built right into the light. Afterall you can buy tons of RGB LEDs controlled by alexa for less than $30 right now on amazon.


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