Anyone that has ever set up a smart home device understands how tricky they can be. These futuristic smart lights, thermostats, doorbells, and security cameras add many conveniences to our lives, but the problem of compatibility between brand and varying protocols supported by these devices leads to disrupted experiences
Luckily, IFTTT is here to help. Here are some of the ways this technology can make home controller devices more responsive.
Using IFTTT with home controller devices
Many people install smart lighting in their homes to avoid having to get up to turn them on or off. After all, who doesn’t enjoy the convenience of being able to control your lighting from the comfort of your bed?
Unfortunately, smart home devices sometimes run into communication problems that prevent them from operating as intended. Tantiv4 Home Controller has integrated IFTTT helping users create personalized experiences with the varying smart devices in their home. For those that are unfamiliar with this technology, IFTTT is an online service that provides users with the ability to convey a single command or a series of commands smoothly. Now with Tantiv4 Controller and Shield Solution (incorporating ThingaOS) adding more WiFi smart home devices to your network could slow down your network, and affect your bandwidth usage.
How to use IFTTT with your smart home device
To get started with IFTTT, users should download the iOS or Android smartphone apps. You can also visit their website and create an account there.
Once you have an account on this site, you can look up different devices and the “recipes” for each one. These “recipes” are special commands that enhance your control over your smart devices.
For example, you can enable a function that turns on the lights as soon as you enter a room. There are many other functions, such as scheduling a device to turn On/Off at a specific time, or taking a snapshot from a D-Link connected camera when motion is detected in the room.
Creating an applet
If you want to create an applet for a custom scenario, such as a hue light activating when a motion is detected in a room, you should follow these steps.
- Log into IFTTT.
- Click on your profile account and select “Create” in the dropdown menu.
- Click the “+” icon in “If +This then That”.
- In the “Choose a service” search bar, look for “thingaOs”.
- Select the “thingaOS” icon.
- Choose the “When Motion Detected” option.
- In the “Select Device” dropdown menu, choose your motion detector.
- Click “Create trigger”.
- Now click the “+” icon in “If thingaOs Then +That”.
- In the “Choose action service” search bar, enter “Hue” and click the icon that appears.
- You will then be shown a series of possible actions for the Hue light to take.
- Select “Turn on lights”.
- In the “Which lights?” menu, select the light you wish to assign.
- Click “Create action”
- On the “Review and finish” page, look over the trigger and action you have coupled.
- If your applet looks correct, click “Finish”
You have now successfully created a connection between your motion detector and your hue lights. Test out this system by walking past the motion detector and checking to see if your light turns on.
You can create many different combinations of triggers and actions. IFTTT adds the ability to customize your smart home device functions and keep them working reliably. To learn more about Tantiv4 Home Controller and how it can be integrated with IFTTT, check out Tantiv4’s website.