Frankly, you need to be pretty smart to set up a smart home by yourself. A connected home can be outright baffling if you own various smart devices that run on different platforms. For instance, a Philips Hue bulb plays well with Nest, but it doesn’t pair well with a Honeywell Thermostat. Unless some third-party workaround comes into the picture, that is.
Speaking of a third-party workaround, it may be high time you know about IFTTT (an acronym for “If This, Then That”). Nope, we’re not making that up. This platform makes putting up a smart home easy by seamlessly pairing smart devices that aren’t designed to work together. It uses a set of scripts, called an IFTTT recipe, where some type of event in one connected device automatically triggers an action in another.
Do you want to see how good they are? We highly recommend you try these clever IFTTT recipes in your smart home and get ready to be blown away:
1. Lock the doors behind you every time
Get a Schlage Connect smart lock, a Samsung SmartThings Hub, and an Android phone, and rest easy whenever you forget to lock the door as you leave for work. With this IFTTT recipe, the smart lock locks itself the moment your phone leaves the home network.
2. Have a light bulb moment in social media
Imagine your LIFX bulb blinking red when you’re mentioned on Instagram or blue when someone mentions you in a tweet. Wouldn’t that be neat? This IFTTT recipe isn’t limited to those two, though. In fact, you can do a similar action for any social media notification type!
3. Turn on the lights at sundown
This may seem like the simplest home automation trick in the book, but it’s the coolest to witness in real-time. With Weather Underground app and your Philips Hue, you may be doing this practical IFTTT recipe in no time! Turning on every light switch in the house will eventually seem like a distant memory.
4. Know when the turkey is done
Are you busy finishing up other chores while preparing a turkey dinner? Simply set a cooking timer with Amazon Echo and this IFTTT recipe will blink your Philips Hue light when the timer hits 0. Be sure to have the smart light right within your line of sight, though.
5. Light up the home on your arrival
You’ll always be walking into a bright home with this IFTTT recipe. What it does is use the iOS Location app to toggle every Hue lights on once you come near your house. You may never have to blindly find your way in the dark when you get home late in the evening. Too bad this only works with iOS devices so far.
6. Water the lawn on hot days
Connect your water tank pump to a WeMo Switch Smart Plug and use Weather Underground’s forecast to determine whether watering the lawn will be necessary. If the next day’s temperature reaches higher than 30°C, the IFTTT recipe switches the sprinklers on or off automatically. This one, no doubt, can save you money, effort, and water.
7. Keep an eye on your food & liquor supply
Has your food supply and favorite liquor been vanishing from the refrigerator or cupboard while you’re at the office? Your teenager could be drinking right under your nose! Catch him or her red-handed with Samsung SmartThings Motion Sensor, a Phone app, and this nifty IFTTT recipe. You’ll get a call every time somebody opens the fridge or the cupboard from here on out.
8. Adjust the thermostat depending on outside temperatures
Monitor the temperature outside and have your Honeywell Smart Thermostat adjust the heating up or down, depending on the circumstances. This is a practical IFTTT recipe to learn when living in a place where temperatures drop to sub-zero levels any given day.
9. Increase home security with motion detection
Imagine getting a push or SMS notification whenever your Nest Thermostat detects suspicious movements at home. With this applet, you can! Now, you can be the only eyes your home will ever need!
10. Get coffee brewing fresh every morning
For the coffeeholic, this IFTTT recipe may be an absolute lifesaver. Wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee with a Fitbit Alta Fitness Tracker, a WeMo Switch Smart Plug, and your coffee maker. We’re sure it’ll make your morning rituals far easier to bear.
In reality, getting IoT (Internet of Things) devices working together isn’t as easy as it should be. Thankfully, there are IFTTT recipes to help such innovations communicate better with one another. By acting as an effective mediator, an IFTTT recipe can make your smart home products come together to create a truly smart home.
Speaking of IoT devices, here are a few of the best smart home products you might want to set your sights on.
