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Their Wi-Fi-connected surge-protected smart power strip, for example, allows you to name and control outlets individually or as a single combined outlet. Once you've connected your Nest account with Cortana on your PC or smartphone, you can use voice control to interact with your thermostat. Cortana helps make your life easier by making it easy to control your smart home devices from afar. No problem, just pull out your phone, open the Cortana app and say, “Hey Cortana, turn off the lights,” and she’ll take care of it for you. According to Windows Central, the Connected Home feature is also available on Windows 10 Mobile, so you may be able to try it if you're one of the few people using a Windows phone.
In March 2020, Microsoft pulled the plug on Cortana's smart home integration and shifted its distribution to devices like PCs and phones. When that’s done, you’ll be shown a list of compatible smarthome ecosystems. At the time of launch, Cortana supports Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, Insteon, and Wink. Click on one to set it up—we’ll use Hue as an example for this post.
Samsung SmartThings
For around $200 you can get a home security starter kit, or at $115 get started with lighting instead. You can also use Applets on IFTTT with Cortana to trigger multiple actions with one phrase. So if you are watching a movie at home, you can say “Hey Cortana, movie time” and she’ll turn down your Hue lights, Harmony TV turned on, and your Nest Thermostat set to the right temperature. Unfortunately Cortana does not work with smart devices anymore. But now, probably some avid Microsoft fans that could have integrated those devices are certainly not happy with the end of this integration.
Once all of that is done, Cortana can use what it knows about your preferences and schedule to tweak recommendations and experiences. This space is already pretty crowded with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri jostling for our attention, and playing nice with pretty much every gadget and appliance we might allow into our apartments or houses. So Microsoft has plenty of catching up to do and it's not level yet.
Cortana old skills
Unless they turn off the Windows automatic update to keep using the old Windows version. Now, Cortana's mission is to help people with their daily needs. These five services aren’t a bad start, but hopefully we’ll see even more be added to Cortana in the near future.
For instance, “Hey Cortana, let there be light” can be the trigger command for turning all lights off in the house. Insteon isn't saying exactly when the Cortana rollout will occur, except to promise it sometime within the next few months. This could set up for a bit of a showdown with Siri, as Apple is promising voice-control support for smart-home devices through HomeKit, set to be released this fall as part of iOS 8. A promised update to Insteon's Windows Phone app will introduce voice controls for smart-home devices. The Kasa ecosystem includes light switches, bulbs, smart plugs and cameras. Besides being able to activate all of the with Cortana and your voice, the companion app can be used to set smart programs for things to turn on and off without you needing to talk or lift a finger.
What devices [used to] work with Cortana?
LIFX has a variety of different bulbs starting with the $25 dimmable white bulb, but also has color changing options as well as LED strips to get the lighting setup of your dreams just right. Insteon has been Windows-friendly for a few years now so it's great to see the company's products supporting Cortana integration. There's a hub at the center of everything to which you can pair bulbs, sensors, alarms and more.
TP-Link has a range of smart home accessories under its Kasa brand that while requiring an iOS or Android device to set up, has full Cortana integration from there on out. You're not getting bulbs or anything with Insteon, rather it's a system designed to help you automate your home. From there you've got a wide ecosystem of sensors and add-ons you can connect to the hub to automate your entire home. The Glas looks downright futuristic with its translucent display, and it'll be packed with features for not only warming and cooling your home, but monitoring your energy use. It's not yet on sale, but pre-orders are slated to begin sometime in Spring 2018. The Johnson Controls Glas is a smart thermostat that not only harnesses the power of Cortana — and is pretty much the best-looking thermostat you'll find.
Cortana no longer work with smart home devices
The Invoke has full access to the Cortana smart home skills which means any device you can hook Cortana up to you can control in your home with your voice. Ask Cortana to turn on the lights or turn the thermostat up and it will oblige. Just tap Cortana on your PC and say “Hey Cortana, set the living room thermostat to 72 degrees” to control your ecobee, Honeywell Lyric, or Honeywell Total Connect Comfort thermostat. With vivid colors from your LIFX Wi-Fi connected light bulbs, you can set the mood just right for movie night.
Microsoft primarily pulled the plug on Cortana's smart home ambitions this week, by shifting the assistant's focus on personal support, and away from connected products. The update will come with the latest version of Windows 10, which will effectively terminate Cortana as a competitor to Alexa and Google assistant. One trend that has been observed is the connection of these assistants with intelligent home devices so that users can control them through the assistant itself. The tech giant Microsoft has taken a step in this direction and brought device support for Cortana to this category. Cortana is the tech giant Microsoft’s personal assistant, being available on devices with Windows 10 and in geographic regions defined by Microsoft. In India, it is already possible to activate and configure Cortana but it is not yet possible to take full advantage of the virtual assistant since it is not yet designed for our country.
I made my connecting flight to Helsinki with 5 minutes to spare. Or for example, since both Geeni’s smart bulbs and power products work with Cortana, users are able to name and control each power outlet separately or in groups. When they say “Hey Cortana, turn off the living room lamps,” then all outlets that’s grouped into the “living room lamps” will be turned off. LIFX is another smart lighting system that doesn't require a hub and has some quite affordable bulbs. The official app for Windows 10 may no longer be supported, but with Cortana you can still interact with your lights with ease. Ecobee hasn't ever officially supported Windows, but thanks to excellent third-party support its a smart thermostat we recommend highly.
Microsoft is also going to make it harder to access Cortana going forward, telling users that they will have to be logged into their work, school or Microsoft account before using Cortana. Wink is another smart home system that incorporates lighting, but also goes beyond that into home security, too. To get started you need the $100 hub, but there are various other bundles you can acquire which include things like smart plugs and motion sensors.
Some new manufacturers have joined the Cortana-compatible list, including Ecobee, Honeywell, TP-Link, Geeni and LIFX. Users who own thermostat of Ecobee or Honeywell’s Lyric and Total Connect Comfort models can start to ask the voice assistant to set the room temperature to 72 degrees. Find the best phones, apps and accessories with our CNET Mobile newsletter.
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