Using Amazon Echo as a remote home monitoring device

[Steve Q]

I am an avid Echo user. It occurred to me that Echo might be very useful for monitoring my 93 year old mother in law who is living alone. My thought is to install one in her house and try to get her to use it. I think she will try it and like it. And hopefully she will ask Alexa things like "What is the weather forecast", "play the news", "play music", etc. I think that she would view Alexa as an "electronic companion". My idea would be to have Alexa send an email to my HS3 computer via IFTT or some other app whenever my mother in law made a request to the Echo. HS3 would simply count the emails. If no emails are received an event would trigger and send an alert to my cellphone.

Has anyone tried this? Do you think it would work? Please, don't bring up privacy issues, I am aware of these issues. I would like to discuss the technology issues.

Steve Q


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[Thrag]

There is unfortunately no way to do exactly what you'd like. You can create your own skill and send emails or keep stats on that, or use IFTTT to have a particular phrase trigger an action there, but there are no generic hooks to do things like trigger IFTTT when one asks about the weather.

However there is a way you can monitor things. Most things you say to Alexa result in a "card" in the echo app, or the echo.amazon.com website. So if you have access to the amazon account the Echo is associated with you can load up the page/app and view the recent activity.

[tenholde]

Might work up a screen scrape to extract info from the Amazon web page that details latest Echo activity?

tenholde

[Steve Q]

Using Amazon Echo as a remote home monitoring device

Might work up a screen scrape to extract info from the Amazon web page that details latest Echo activity?



tenholde

Great idea! I have done a web scraper for weather. It shouldn't be too hard to get something working for the Alexa web page. HS3 could run the scraper every few hours.

Is there some way to make echo run a recurring event?

Steve


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[Steve Q]

The scraper idea is quite interesting! After checking the Echo log, I realize that it captures anything said after "Alexa". So if you say "Alexa help", the scraper could trigger an event based on the word help.


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[outbackrob]

I think that she would view Alexa as an "electronic companion".

I am trying to do the same thing with my 90yo mother. She will use it OCCASSIONALLY. USUALLY after she calls me to ask about the weather or something. "Why not ask Alexa?" "Oh yeah!"

I set up a gmail account so we could add events. All she has to do is ask what is on the calendar for the day. THAT has been GREAT! Playing music is another great thing. Ask My Buddy is also a neat and if I can get her to remember to say "Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert everybody" it will send voice and texts to everyone in the family to check in on our Yaya.

She's had it since Christmas and used it on her own maybe 20 times. Once or twice a day. Not what we were expecting/hoping for....

Rob

[Steve Q]

What is "My Buddy"?


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[outbackrob]

What is "My Buddy"?

Ask My Buddy is a skill currently on page 2 of the Skills found on the IOS Alexa app.

"Ask My Buddy provides an easy and immediate way to send a text message, Voice Call, and an email alert message to any or all of your contacts."

It is not a replacement for a Life Alert system, but it does work. I wish it was more customizable. "Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert Rob" is a lot to say if you are hurt.

[TomTom]

Rob, this is great. I'm gonna have start using mybuddy and yaya? I there a reason you're using yaya, instead of the built in iphone/android text messenger? Here adding another app to communicate will most likely lead to non-use. Great setup. Thanks for posting!

Ask My Buddy is a skill currently on page 2 of the Skills found on the IOS Alexa app.

"Ask My Buddy provides an easy and immediate way to send a text message, Voice Call, and an email alert message to any or all of your contacts."

It is not a replacement for a Life Alert system, but it does work. I wish it was more customizable. "Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert Rob" is a lot to say if you are hurt.

[Steve Q]

Rob, thanks for posting your approach. I also think you have come up with a great approach. And thanks for the tip about "my buddy". I was also thinking about the "life alert" concept.

Will you continue using the Echo with your mother? My mother in law uses a computer to check email and Facebook. If I could somehow get Alexa to read her email, she would definitely use the echo regularly.

Steve Q


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[outbackrob]

I there a reason you're using yaya, instead of the built in iphone/android text messenger?

Well, it was a struggle to make the best choice, but Yaya makes better brownies and gives great hugs so we decided to stick with her.

Sorry. My mom is Yaya. She has been for 30+ years. My nephew couldn't say grandma...

[outbackrob]

Will you continue using the Echo with your mother? My mother in law uses a computer to check email and Facebook. If I could somehow get Alexa to read her email, she would definitely use the echo regularly.

Steve Q

In a word, yes. It is not going to be the be-all-end-all device, but is proving to be more of a helpful novelty. It turns on and off rarely used lights so she can find her way in the middle of the night. ...if she remembers to use it instead of her trusty flashlight. It is VERY EFFECTIVE at impressing the neighbors!!

I think it probably came out 5 years too late. She's been living alone for 22 years and has her routine down pat. Using Alexa is new and I am just not sure it is going to catch on. ...but it's only been just over two weeks. We shall see...

[TomTom]

I was in middle of a kids birthday party when I got your reply yesterday and I was dying laughing!!! Everyone was asking my wife why I was laughing like crazy person. :-)

I read your post and then googled yaya - a non cloud based messenger service came up. I was like " I've never heard of this, how did I miss this, what new features does yaya have, this Rob is on the cutting edge of everything my buddy, yaya..., etc..."

I've found the same with my elderly parents, they tend to stick to their old ways, because it's tried and true( even if there is a faster or better way). Thanks for the great laugh!!

Well, it was a struggle to make the best choice, but Yaya makes better brownies and gives great hugs so we decided to stick with her.

Sorry. My mom is Yaya. She has been for 30+ years. My nephew couldn't say grandma...

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[lindawcca]

If she has echo than she has internet access. If she has internet access you can connect Insteon motion sensor(s) directly to Echo without the need the a hub. You could set up the devise to email you with "motion status". This would be more affective than instances of asking Echo for something if you are trying to verify her welfare. If she moves - she is ok. If she doesn't ask Alexa to do something for her - you have no idea if she is ok.