Amazon Alexa is now available on MicroBot Cloud!
We’ve been talking about the new, direct, integration with Amazon Alexa for some time and you were waiting for it eagerly. Now, we’re delighted to announce it is officially released on MicroBot Cloud! With this new integration you can make your dumb devices smart AND controllable by voice. All without a hub. Ask Alexa to make your coffee, turn on your dumb TV, start the washing machine, check the air quality… hands-free.
A little throwback to the previous Alexa integration…
Why a new integration? So far, users who wished to control their MicroBots with Amazon Alexa needed a Prota hub as well as an account on IFTTT. The integration was built using IFTTT and Prota’s Stories app which may have seemed complicated for some users to set up. Owners of MicroBot Push only could not use theirs with Amazon Echo or other Alexa-enabled devices. We’ve listened to the feedback we received from all of our users, and we’ve decided to work on improvements to ease the configuration of the integration and to give all our users the possibility to use their MicroBot with Alexa.
What’s in this new Alexa integration?
A direct integration set up in seconds
We’ve developed the MicroBot skills which are available on the Amazon Alexa app. To give you a greater freedom in choosing how you use your MicroBots with Alexa, we’ve developed both the Custom skill and the Smart Home skill. You simply need to enable both skills and discover your MicroBots. No need for a Prota hub, Stories app or an IFTTT account anymore. Have a look at our guide here and our video tutorial below for more details.
Available on MicroBot Cloud
The compatibility with Alexa is available for all cloud-paired MicroBots, MicroBot Push*, MicroBot Sense as well as the next MicroBots to come: Bridge, Twist, Do… The Alexa’s MicroBot Skills are common to all the MicroBots so that you only have to enable the skills once.
No Hub required
No need for a MicroBot Hub (aka Prota hub) imperatively anymore. All users of MicroBot Push 2nd Generation and/or the soon-to-come MicroBot Sense can use their MicroBots with Amazon Alexa. However, having a MicroBot Hub or Soft Hub still present the advantage to have your MicroBots ready to command with Alexa anytime, whether you are at home or away.
Use MicroBot Push with Alexa
Thanks to MicroBot Push’s integration with Alexa, you, your family or your guest, can control any button or appliance hands-free. Turn on the music while cooking, open the door to guests, make your coffee, turn on the light, all hands-free and remotely… No matter how busy you are, you can get things done simultaneously!
You can command actions such as press, push, pull, toggle and turn on or off any button by using either the Custom or the Smart Home skill or both. Learn more in our Push-Alexa Integration Guide.
Use MicroBot Sense with Alexa
Thanks to Sense’s integration with Alexa, you or your family, can ask Alexa to read the atmospheric data and conditions recorded by a Sense device. Check whether your baby is sleeping in a room at the right temperature while you are in the living room, check the attic’s or green house’s conditions without going (up) there… Possibilities are endless.
What else?
After Alexa, the new integration with IFTTT is coming next! Using IFTTT, create applets to control your MicroBots with other voice assistants (Google assistant, Cortana) and build automation rules with the other 500+ services and smart devices available on the platform, to make your home or office even more smart. And, just like Alexa, the MicroBots’ direct integration with Google Home is next in line. Stay tuned!
