Wink Now Works With the Google Assistant on Google Home

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In December, Google announced it was updating its Weave platform to make it easier for connected devices and platforms – Wink included – to work with services like the Google Assistant. 

Starting today, we’re excited to announce Wink-compatible lighting products (light bulbs, switches, dimmers, and outlets) and thermostats can now be controlled with the Google Assistant on Google Home!

If you’re not familiar, Google Home is a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant. A quick voice command triggers the Google Assistant on Google Home to help you get answers, enjoy music, manage your everyday tasks and now, control your Wink-compatible lighting products and thermostats, just start by saying, “Ok Google."

Connecting Wink with Google Home is easy: 

  1. Add your Google Home device to your Google Home app (available for free download from Google Play and the iTunes Store).
  2. Tap the menu button on the upper left corner of the main page of your Google Home app.
  3. Tap “Home Control.”
  4. Tap the “+” button in the lower right corner.
  5. Select “Wink.”
  6. Enter the email and password associated with your Wink account.

That’s it! From there, you can turn both individual and groups of lights on / off or dim them to your desired brightness. For example, just say Ok Google, turn Downstairs on or Ok Google, set Hallway Light to 50 percent and you’re in business. It’s as simple as that.

Changing the temperature is just as easy. Say Ok Google, set Bedroom thermostat to 70 degrees or Ok Google, turn up the temperature by 5 degrees and your wish becomes Google Home’s command.

We’re big fans of voice control. Wink was the first smart home platform to work with voice assistants because we recognized how perfectly voice complements other interfaces like wearables and mobile phones when it comes to controlling your connected devices. 

The Google Assistant on Google Home’s powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities extend the possibilities for voice control into new arenas. We’re thrilled to bring that to Wink.

Wink-Enabled Nest Thermostats Now Work with Amazon Alexa

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Wink + Amazon Echo users rejoice! Today we’re very excited to announce that you can now use Alexa to control your Nest Thermostat (or Thermostats) through Wink.

Last summer we unveiled our initial integration with Amazon that enables Alexa to control Wink-compatible lighting products, and were blown away by the response. We’ve been hard at work ever since adding additional functionalities (dimming) and now, a brand new product category in thermostats.

Connecting your Nest Thermostat with Echo is easy:

  1. If you haven’t already, first set up your Nest account and name each thermostat you have (living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc.).
  2. Next, connect your Nest account with your Wink app. Your Nest Thermostat will appear in the Wink app as “[location] + [name] + [the word ‘thermostat’]. "Home Living Room Thermostat,” for example.
  3. Then, link your Wink account to Echo within the Alexa mobile app (Settings > Connected Home > Device Links > Wink). 
  4. Finally, say “Alexa, discover devices.” This can take up to 20 seconds. Your Nest Thermostat will then appear in the Alexa app as [name] i.e. “Living Room” or “Bedroom.”  

From there, you can adjust the temperature day in and day out with an easy voice command.

If you know the specific temperature you’d like your home to be, simply say: “Alexa, set [name] to [XYZ] degrees.” An example would be: “Alexa, set upstairs to 70 degrees.”

You can also adjust the temperature incrementally by saying: “Alexa, [increase or decrease] [name] by [XYZ] degrees.” An example here would be: “Alexa, increase bedroom by 3 degrees.”

In order to conserve battery life on your Nest Thermostat, Nest limits the number of interactions per hour. After the limit is reached, Alexa will respond with "Sorry, the device [your thermostat name] is not responding."

We’ll soon be connecting Alexa with other Wink-compatible thermostats so stay tuned for more!

Wink+Amazon Echo: Just ask to control smart products around your home

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UPDATE 10/26/15: Amazon Echo + Wink now supports dimming! Just ask Alexa to dim your lights by saying “Alexa, set living room light to 50%.”  Choose from over 40 lighting products from the most trusted lighting brands including Cree, EcoSmart, GE, Leviton, Lutron, OSRAM, Philips, and TCP

UPDATE 8/14/15: We've added more Wink-compatible lighting products to the Amazon Echo certified product list so you can chose the light that's right for you.  You can now control Cree, OSRAM LIGHTIFY, and TCP LEDs with Echo+Wink.  More products and features coming soon!

Amazon lovers, you’re really going to like this one... Wink is now compatible with Amazon Echo!  If you’re not familiar, Echo is a product completely designed around your voice. It’s always ready; as you say the wake word—“Alexa” or “Amazon” (most people select “Alexa”)—it springs to life. Alexa is the cloud-based voice service that powers Echo--you can ask for information, play music, get the weather, and much more.

Starting today, Echo can also control a number of Wink-compatible lighting products from GE, Leviton, and Lutron. Here’s how to get started:

  1. Connect compatible products in your Wink app and set individual names for each lighting product (bedroom lamp, kitchen light, etc.). 
  2. Then, link your Wink account to Echo within the Echo mobile app (Settings > Connected Home > Device Links > Wink).
  3. From there, say “Alexa, discover new devices.” This can take up to 20 seconds.

After that, you’re all set up. You can then turn your smart products on or off in the blink of an eye with a simple voice command to Alexa. For example, you could say “Alexa, turn on the living room lamp ” or “Alexa, turn off the kitchen light.” 

This integration gives Wink users like you yet another touchpoint through which you can easily control your smart home. And we’re just getting started! We’re excited to work with Amazon to add additional functionalities and many more Wink-compatible products down the road.

Want to learn more about Amazon Echo? Click here for more info and to purchase one today!

 

Wink now compatible with IFTTT, Google Now and the Google app

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We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for people to interact with their smart home and control their favorite devices. Here are three of our most recent partnerships that will help you do just that: IFTTT, Google Now, and the Google app. Here’s how they work:

IFTTT

IFTTT or “If This Then That” is a web service that aggregates lots of web apps—from Instagram to Dropbox to Gmail—into one place and then performs actions given a certain set of criteria. How? Once you’re signed up, you can create “Recipes” that automatically prompt something to happen as soon as something else does.

The Wink Shortcuts channel on IFTTT enables you to activate Wink Shortcuts through IFTTT triggers.
Use a Jawbone UP to monitor your sleep activity? Set up a recipe in IFTTT that tells the lights to turn off and the thermostat to adjust automatically when your UP goes into Sleep mode.

Google Now

Google Now is an intelligent personal assistant available for Android users that serves information at the right time. If Google and Wink detect you aren't home and your door is unlocked, an alert will now automatically prompt you to take action through the Wink app. Google enables Wink Android users to know what's going on in their home, no matter where they are.

 

 

 

Google App

Lastly, the Google app integration allows Wink users on Android phones to trigger eight different Wink Shortcuts by saying "Ok Google, activate [shortcut] on Wink."

Users can customize each Shortcut within the Wink app so that multiple smart products can be controlled simultaneously with a simple voice prompt.

For example, saying "Ok Google, activate Away Mode on Wink" can now lock the doors, lower the thermostat, and turn off the lights.