Hombli

October 29, 2020

What Is Voice Control and How Do You Use It With Hombli?

Using hands or even a fingertip for turning on your smart lights or TV is in the past. Thanks to smart assistants from Google, Alexa and Siri you need nothing but your voice. Your Hombli devices literally do what you tell them to do. Wonder how it works and how to use it? Hang on, we’re about to tell you.

What is voice control?

Voice control is a useful tool that allows you to command your Hombli devices solely with your voice. It’s part of a software program, built-in a smart speaker. Well-known examples of such speakers are Amazon Echo Dot, Echo Show and Google Home Mini. All these speakers work perfectly well with your Hombli smart devices. Echo Dot might be the best Echo speaker if you’re on a budget, while the Echo Plus has the best sound quality. Amazon Echo Show comes with a screen, a helpful extra when you want to keep an eye on your baby in the nursery with the Hombli Smart Indoor Camera.

Virtual assistants: Alexa, Google and Siri

With voice commands (“Hey Alexa…”) you tell your Hombli devices through a smart speaker what to do. Yes, only with your voice. Your speaker does the rest. So you can imagine it’s no wonder we call them ‘virtual assistants’. For example, thanks to these loyal assistants you don’t have to get up from the couch if you want to turn on your Hombli Smart Bulb. This is just one example of how virtual assistants make your life a little bit easier.

The three most popular voice assistants at the moment are Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Amazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa, is by far the most famous assistant in the UK, US and Germany. It can control several smart devices from different brands using itself as a home automation system. You can activate the voice assistant from a smart speaker, or directly from your phone, by using a wake-word (“Hey Alexa”or “Hey Amazon”). In terms of operation, Google Assistant is similar to Amazon Alexa.

Do you have an iPhone running on iOS 12 or higher? In that case, controlling your Hombli products with Siri on your smartphone is an option as well. As long as your sentence starts with “Hey Siri …”, followed by the assignment, you’re good to go. This is actually the same for all voice assistants.

How to connect Hombli to your voice assistant

Now the next question is: how to connect Hombli to your voice assistant? On our manual page we added several videos and step-by-step guides to get you started. With care and ease, we take you through the process of connecting your Hombli products to Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. We also provide you with a video on how to connect your Amazon Echo speaker.

To connect Siri to Hombli, you need to add a so-called ‘shortcut’ in the free Hombli app under ‘Siri Shortcuts’. This helpful feature allows you to use voice control directly with your smartphone, without using neither Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Read our FAQ to learn more about Siri Shortcuts.

If you prefer to use Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa instead, the set-up instructions of both assistants is almost the same:

  1. Open the app of your smart assistant
  2. Search for Hombli Skill (Alexa) or Hombli Action (Google)
  3. Log in with your Hombli account
  4. Choose the device you want to connect
  5. Try a new voice command… and see what happens.

Also watch our how to set up Amazon Echo Dot and how to set up Google Nest Hub videos.

Did you connect your device successfully? Nice work. Now it’s up to your virtual assistant to take over.

How to use voice control?

In case you need some inspiration, here are a few examples for you.

  • Use your voice to turn on your Hombli Smart Bulb. “Hey Siri, turn on the lights”, for example.
  • Use the Amazon Alexa app to create different groups of devices. For example a separate group of Hombli Smart Bulbs that you call ‘bedroom’. Say the magic words “Hey Alexa, turn on the lights in the bedroom” and your voice assistant will do the job.
  • It’s also possible to connect the Hombli IR Remote Control – a smart remote control – to your voice assistant. By saying the words “Hey Google, turn on my television” your TV does exactly what you tell it to do. Even if you actually don’t have a Smart TV!
  • When you own a Hombli Smart Outdoor Camera and Amazon Echo Show, you simply ask the screen to show your garden (or wherever your camera is aimed at). A great way to keep an eye on your property, if we may say so.

A feature with many advantages

Voice control is a lifesaver when you don’t feel like getting of the couch or grabbing your phone. It’s a great tool that makes your life just a little more comfortable. No more words needed. Curious about our smart devices with voice control? Feel free to take a look at our products or ask us a question via the contact form. Enjoy!