Controlling home automation devices with your voice has now become commonplace, thanks to the voice assistants offered by Google and Amazon (with Alexa). When adding a new home automation device, however, we may find it difficult to pronounce the precise name of the device, especially if it is very long or there are several similar devices in the house (for example two Chromecast or two Amazon Echo, placed in different rooms). To avoid misunderstandings with voice assistants, in this guide we will show you how to rename the home automation devices added to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, using the respective apps for mobile devices. By entering a clear and unique name we can launch precise commands towards the device without fear of starting one thing for another or messing with the assistant (who tends to make mistakes very often when there are devices with similar names).
READ ALSO: Amazon Alexa: How to create routines and new voice commands
Rename home automation devices on Google Assistant
If the home automation devices in our possession are compatible with the Google Assistant, they will appear within the Google Home app ; to start then download the Google Home app for Android and iOS, open the app, log in with the Google account associated with the devices and finally go to the Home section, from which we will immediately see all the devices added to the remote control .We tap on the name of one of the devices, select the gear icon present at the top right and, in the new screen, we tap on Name to be able to change the name with which the device is recognized within the Google service ( and reflexively by the voice assistant, who will recognize the name entered).
To make voice control even more effective (especially if we have multiple identical devices in various parts of the house), we can set up a room by tapping on the item Room and choosing one of the rooms available within the app. In this way, when we have to launch a voice command addressed to a device, just add the room name to correctly address the command, for example "Ok Google, turn on the socket in the bathroom" .
To post the devices from one room to another, we can do this by going to the main section of the Google Home app and pressing the Settings button, present immediately under the house name.
Currently it is possible to add up to 4 rooms for each house: to manage them, simply click on the name of a room, so as to choose the name, view the connected devices, add others and delete the room if not necessary.
To add new devices to the home, simply press the Add button in the main section of the app, then tap Configure device -> Configure new devices at home (for devices produced by Google) or You have already configured something ">
From here we can immediately choose the name and room in which to place the home automation device, without having to subsequently make this type of modification.
If we want to deepen the discussion on Google Home, Google Assistant and on home automation devices compatible with Google, we refer you to reading our guides Google Assistant Settings (OK Google) on Android, iPhone and Home and Wireless lights and bulbs (home automation): which to buy .
Rename home automation devices on Amazon Echo (Alexa)
If, on the other hand, we have configured our Amazon Echo and therefore intend to use Amazon Alexa to control home automation devices, we can change the names associated with the devices from the Amazon Alexa app, available for Android and iOS.After installing the app, open it, log in with the Amazon account in our possession (already possibly configured on Echo and other devices) and tap on the bottom right of the Devices section. From this screen we can manage the home automation devices added to the system by pressing the All devices icon at the top, tapping on the device to which we want to change the name and selecting the Change name item that will appear on the summary screen.
All we have to do is type in the name we want to use and confirm it on the on-screen keyboard, so as to make it effective. From now on we can use that name to launch a voice command or take advantage of one of the many skills offered by the Amazon Alexa service, such as "Hey Alexa, put some music on the speaker" (in case we had changed the name of the our speaker compatible with a simpler "speaker").
The name can also be decided when adding a new device compatible with Alexa: first let's go back to the Devices screen, tap on the top right of the + and then on Add device ; in the new screen we choose the service or the skill to configure (if we have never added any device related to the service before, we will be asked for the access credentials for it), we tap on Discover devices and, after a few seconds of waiting, select Configure device to choose the group to assign it to and the name. If by chance the system does not allow to change the name (perhaps because the service to be configured has decided in this way) we can always change the name of the device as seen previously or, by tapping on the device icon (present in one of the categories viewed in the Devices screen), by selecting the gear icon at the top right and finally tapping on the Edit name item.
We have created many guides on the subject, the ones we recommend reading are Amazon Echo Functions, what it is used for and what it does, Use the Alexa App on Android and iPhone as a virtual assistant and, if we wanted alternatives to Echo, we can read the Best Speakers alternative to Echo with Alexa and voice commands .
If, on the other hand, we wanted to find out more about the home automation devices that we can use in a modern home, we invite you to read our guide to easy to assemble and use home automation products (Smart Home) .
