So I got an echo dot for Christmas, and I must say I'm liking it. It looks like home automation is finally getting to the point where it may be worth it. I'm liking the concepts of the Z-Wave and IFTTT, but products that support those protocols are still a good bit pricier than the straight wifi ones. I got a "smart" plug to go with the dot, and it's definitely useful. I'm going to get a couple more and a wall switch and wire up the office and see how that goes, then consider doing more with it.
--- Update ---
Ok, I'm revising my opinion of the "smart" plug. My internet connection is not always connected, and this particular plug (Amazon branded, not sure who actually makes it) turns itself off after a period of being disconnected from the internet. This causes issues when your monitors are plugged into it (for ease of turning off at night). I'm hoping they don't all suffer from this kind of issue. I've stalled on the automation at the moment, I've got 3 echo dots (which are obscenely cheap), but only my office, front porch lights and one lamp hooked up with philips bulbs (they came with the dots). The bulbs would be useful for things like lamps I think (better than smart plugs), but I'd rather go with smart wall switches, and I'm waiting for the Wink hub 2 to come back in stock. Alexa is still great (I love whisper mode!), and works well with the limited items I currently have, so I'm looking forward to hooking up more lights, I just wish roku worked with it.
