The world of the Internet has evolved so much that, often, we need to activate multiple services and send messages all together, possibly using as few hands as possible (i.e. automating most of the most tedious and repetitive procedures). Among these operations we also find sharing messages on multiple social networks, but we may need to obtain weather information via email or notification, turn on the radiators as soon as we leave work or start the intelligent robot for cleaning as soon as we leave the house ( in a nutshell, integrate home automation with our needs).
This guide is dedicated to advanced Internet users, which will deal with a simple and ingenious way how to connect all the most used services and accounts with IFTTT, let's see how IFTTT works, the service able to create personalized automatisms integrating all the accounts with each other to which you have registered.
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1) How IFTTT works
IFTTT is not a grimace with the mouth but an acronym in English that stands for If This, Then That that is " if this happens, then do that ".
In a nutshell with this service we create a " IF This " starting scenario, which can be a service, a message, with voice command or our GPS position, to obtain a specific " Then That " function that the app or site IFTTT must perform, interfacing if necessary with online services or with our smartphone.
Before continuing with the guide, we register on the IFTTT website and then download the apps for smartphones and tablets, where it is certainly more convenient to create the activities (we can still create them from the Web without problems, unless we need localization, which can be used only with the smartphone).
The apps can be downloaded from here -> IFTTT (Android) and IFTTT (iOS).
Once downloaded to the app, we log in by opening it and using the account created in the Sign in menu, then we navigate among the three menus of the app to become familiar with the screens that we will use later.
The first menu at the bottom left, Discover, allows you to immediately discover the new published applets, so that you can immediately try and test them (we can also use the search button at the top to make the request more specific).
The central menu at the bottom, Activity, will show you all the activity carried out by the applets that we are going to activate, so you can check if there are any problems in the operation.
In the last menu at the bottom right, My Applets, you can find all the applets created up to that moment, with the related services to be exploited.
To understand how IFFTT works, there are some terms to know the meaning of:
- Services : IFTTT allows you to connect cloud accounts such as Gmail, Facebook, Alexa or Google Assistant and to connect home automation devices connected to the Internet such as smart plugs, cameras, thermostats, mobile phones and more.
- Applet : the single automation created to connect two cloud services or devices.
Applets typically include some form of logic that defines when a specific action will cause a specific trigger.
- Trigger : the event that triggers the activation of the applet.
It could be an e-mail received with a specific subject or the fact that the mobile phone accessing the home Wi-Fi network.
- Action : the event you want to take place when the defined trigger occurs.
It could be sending an SMS message to the phone, turning on a light, or adding a new row to a Google Sheets spreadsheet.
- Activity : the log in IFTTT that shows all the triggers and actions that have occurred recently.
- Ingredients : the information transmitted by the "Trigger" event that can be used when customizing an "Action".
2) How to create an applet
To create a new applet from scratch, crossing the services offered by IFTTT, all we have to do is go to the My Applets -> All menu within the app, then click on the + symbol at the top.
A screen similar to the one shown below will open.
We click on the entry This to create the necessary condition for the next command to be executed.
As a condition we can choose both a particular state of a service (for example the external temperature of the house) and take advantage of more common conditions such as a time, a precise geographical area or location, the press of a button (which we can create as a widget to be placed on the phone) or a new voice command.
Once the condition has been chosen, it is time to decide the action: the previous window will change and it will be possible to choose This item this time, in which it will be possible to choose what to run the applet, choosing from the many compatible services.
These are the bases with which all the applets that we find in the app (shared by other users) have been created: obviously the ready-made ones must be associated with our services in order to function properly (we will not use other people's services!).
The associated services can be controlled from the My Applets menu, in the Services tab.
By creating new applets from time to time we will be asked for the access credentials for the services, which can be managed from this screen (we can remove those that we do not use or modify the access data).
3) Use scenarios of IFTTT
To fully understand the potential of IFTTT, in this part of the guide we will show you how to use it for three very common scenarios: automatically share a message or a photo published on Instagram and Twitter, control some home automation devices and finally receive information via notification or e-mail.
Automatically share a message or photo on multiple social networks
If we want to publish a message on Instagram and Twitter completely automatically, we can rely on IFTTT to automate the publication on all our social networks.
We open the IFTTT website or app and press the Search button, in order to find the ready-made activities (also called applets).
Inside the search bar we type Instagram and Twitter or the name of the social network where we want the messages to be replicated: we will see the various activities appear immediately, we will only have to choose the one that is most suitable for us.
We can also "join" social networks in the search bar, so as to search in a much more precise way.
Once we have chosen the right applet, we click on it to access its preview, in which we will be shown the conditions for the operation to take place.
What we chose for the test allows you to automatically share all the photos we upload on Instagram also on Twitter.
We click Turn On to turn it on; now we will be asked for the access data for the social networks used, so that we can make the best use of the integration between the services.
If the browser that we already use has access to social media, we will only see the confirmation window for integration with IFTTT, which must be able to access the profiles (with read and write permissions) in order to write for us.
At the end of the association we try the chosen applet by sharing something on the "starting" social, so as to see if it works as it should (the same post should automatically appear on the social we have set in the applet).
Check home automation devices
One of the most futuristic scenarios that we can achieve with IFTTT is to switch on appliances remotely when we leave home or as soon as we leave the workplace.
In order to control appliances we can use smart sockets, WiFi thermostats, wireless lights or configure Google Home or Alexa to be able to respond to precise commands set on IFTTT.
First of all, we open the IFTTT app and look for the GPS-related applet (ie Location ) for the "IF" scenario, while configuring the online service associated with our smart device in "Then"; if we can't find it, we can always configure it in Google Home or Amazon Alexa and then call the commands from the voice assistants.
For example we can set the automatic cleaning of the Roomba robot every time we leave the house with the smartphone: just search for the "Leave home roomba" applet.
By activating this applet and providing access data to the Roomba remote control service, every time we leave the house to go to work (the area located as "home" indicated in the applet will be authentic), the intelligent robot will start to turn and clean house.
Another practical example: we want the lights or some appliances to turn on when we go home "> or " arrive home Hue " to find the right applet for two of the most famous home automation manufacturers (TP-Link and Philips lights), so to automatically turn on the electrical devices when we return home (just enter the location of the house as seen previously, so that the applet can turn on the devices).
In addition to these two services, we can configure any other related to home automation (Nest thermostats, Bticino etc.), so as to automate our technological life.
Obviously there are numerous applets to add voice commands to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, as we will see in the next chapter.
Receive information by notification or email
Finally, we will show you how to get automatic information via email or phone or IFTTT app notifications on websites, online newspapers or weather information.
We open the IFTTT app and look for the right applet for the site or web service we intend to monitor (all sites that release an RSS feed may be fine, since one of the services allows you to monitor all types of feeds).
For this article we will show you how to receive a notification when the weather puts rain in our city.
To do this we look for "weather rain notification", so as to find the right applet immediately.
Using the Weather Underground service, we can receive a notification on the phone or an email with tomorrow's weather forecast or, alternatively, a notification to know in advance if there is rain during the day, so as to be ready for any eventuality.
Notifications can also be configured on wearables (Android Wear and Apple Watch), so as to obtain valuable information on the wrist before embarking on a trip or going to work.
4) How to integrate IFTTT into Amazon Alexa and Google Home
One of the most engaging integrations for IFTTT concerns Google Home (and its voice assistant) and Amazon Alexa (with its Echoes or with the other devices compatible with it).
As a basis for integration, we can search for the two voice assistants within the app or on the IFTTT website; you will be amazed by the large number of scenarios and applets ready to use.
Obviously to be able to use them we will have to associate IFTTT to the Google account or to the Amazon account, only in this way we will be able to add custom commands, also creating new ones.
For this guide we will see how to add new voice commands to the Google Assistant, but the steps to follow are also very similar for Alexa.
We open the app on our smartphone or tablet, go to the My Applets menu then click on the + symbol at the top.
In the new window we click on This, then we search for the Google Assistant service (or alternatively Amazon Alexa ).
In the new window we will see various commands that we can customize for voice commands: we can choose to pronounce a simple sentence, or a sentence with a number, a compound sentence or a sentence composed with numbers.
We choose the best scenario and we customize the strings offered, typing what we want to say when activating the assistant (who will recognize this command we pronounce).
We can use a single sentence or several different sentences (up to 3), so we can activate this applet with different commands.
Once the sentence or phrases to be pronounced later are written, we scroll down and make sure to set Italian as the assistant's reading language and to have set an assistant's answer phrase, so as to correctly recognize the pronunciation, then we click Save .
Now it's time to choose what IFTTT will have to do when it receives the voice command from the assistant: click on That and choose among the many services offered by the platform (also to control home automation devices).
At the end we click on Save and insert, when requested, the login credentials for the Google account, so as to correctly integrate the voice commands on the assistant present on our smartphone; to enable the applet, scroll the button until it turns ON.
Below we have collected some of the most comfortable voice commands that we can integrate in Google Assistant (and consequently in Amazon Alexa).
- "Ok Google, I'm cold" -> "Ok I turn on the heating" (using an intelligent Wi-Fi thermostat we can add the service dedicated to IFTT and customize the voice commands to turn it on, turn it off or change heating mode).
- "Ok Google, it's very hot today" -> "Don't worry, now I turn on the air conditioning" (using a Wi-Fi air conditioner or an advanced thermostat we can add the corresponding IFTTT services and control the air conditioner with your voice) .
These are just some of the examples with which you can customize the voice commands of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so as to obtain a really high level of integration.
5) Conclusions
IFTTT is definitely a site to keep in your favorites and an app to have absolutely on your smartphone!
With it we can create all the necessary and personal links of your online business and put blogs, feeds, favorite sites, social networks, online archives of files and photos in communication with each other.
If you love home automation, IFTTT is an important starting point, given that it supports both voice assistants (expanding their functionality) and the major online remote control services, so that you can simplify your life by clicking on the right applet.
The possibilities are practically infinite and even those who chew little English (since IFTTT is currently available only in English) will be able to find the right applet for anything.
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