IFTTT (If This, Then That) is an online service that allows users to chain a series of commands to perform actions throughout the home. These related commands are called “recipes†or “applets,†and when used correctly, they can give you more control over your smart home than ever before.
While many smart home devices have built-in apps that let you customize and control floor levels, IFTTT allows different devices to trigger each other. For example, if your motion sensor triggers something, you might have an IFTTT recipe that in turn will make your smart lights flash.
Despite “then thisâ€, you can link more than one answer together. IFTTT recipes can be used to achieve true home “automation†that nearly eliminates the little things of daily life. However, with so many options and potential skills, it can be difficult to find the best ones for your home. So, we explored IFTTT and found the best recipes and applets for your smart home
The recipes are divided into different sections depending on their main function. Since there are so many different applets and recipes out there, it is impossible to recommend one best recipe for each section, so instead, you will find links to those recipes that we think best reflect what IFTTT is capable of.
IFTTT Best Recipe Ideas for Home Security
Whether you are at home or not, IFTTT can give you the peace of mind that your home is safe and secure. At night, you can ask Alexa to arm your security system without ever getting out of bed. You can also configure the applet to automatically close the privacy shade on certain security cameras when you get home.
If you’re worried about whether you locked the door when you left, IFTTT can handle that too. A SmartThings compatible smart lock can sync with an Android phone to lock the door the moment the phone goes out of range Are you using iPhone instead of Android? There is also a version of this applet that works with any type of phone.
IFTTT’s Best Recipes for Smart Lighting
Scenes in old movies, where the house lights turn on when the owner walks through the door, inspired many people to create a similar setting in their own home. IFTTT makes this more than possible with an applet to launch a specific Smart Life scene when you get home. If you haven’t installed smart lighting in your home, you can still take advantage of it if you have a WeMo smart switch. This IFTTT recipe will automatically turn on any light connected to the smart switch.
If you use Uber a lot, you know the painful expense of having a driver on hold. So why not light up the Philips Hue lights when your Uber arrives? Or automatically turn on the lights at sunset?
On the other hand, you can also use IFTTT to create a solid nighttime routine that turns your lights into a soft color before turning them off.
IFTTT Best Recipe Ideas for Smart Thermostats
With colder temperatures on the way, it’s time to turn up the heat soon. But like many people, you are probably interested in keeping your energy costs low. Use this IFTTT applet to switch your Ecobee to your desired temperature when you get home.
On the other hand, you don’t want your home to be too cold during the day, so an applet that sends an alert when the Nest thermostat drops too low might come in handy.
Of course, the last thing you want is to lose control of the temperature in your home due to the battery running out in the thermostat. Use this IFTTT recipe to find out when your Netatmo thermostat needs more juice.
Best IFTTT Recipes for Smart TV
When you get home after a long day of work, the last thing you need to do is run around the room, turning off the lights to create the perfect atmosphere for the latest episode of your favorite show. This applet will allow you to change the lighting to the perfect atmosphere with a simple phrase and a little Google Home help.
Of course, if you, like many people, struggle to keep track of your TV remote, you might like this recipe for turning the TV off with one word.
Both of the recipes above were meant for Google Home, but what about Alexa users? You still need the Harmony Hub, but you can still turn off your TV with a phrase. And depending on what you want to do with your TV, Alexa can do a lot more.
Create your own ideas for IFTTT recipes
You don’t need to be a computer genius to create your own applets. While there are hundreds of potential recipes for you to use on the IFTTT site, they are all user generated. If you don’t find a suitable option, you can do it yourself.
All you need to get started is an IFTTT account.
- Once you’ve done that, go to ifttt.com/create
- Click the + sign next to This and select the service you want to use. This is the first step.
- Next, select a trigger; For example, if you choose Google Assistant, you can choose to say a simple phrase, say a simple phrase with a number, say a phrase with a text ingredient, or a combination of both. You will be given the option to enter a phrase with multiple choices, and you can even choose a different input language.
- After you have done this, click the “+” next to “This. â€You will repeat the above process, but choose the action performed by the above trigger. It may sound a little daunting, but if you try it, everything becomes intuitive.
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