insight : o’d mckewan
Motorization Playbook:
Voice-Activated Motorization BY O’D MCKEWAN
So, how does a voice assistant operate a motorized shade? Technically, it does not. It only converts your voice command to a digital signal. That digital signal must then be sent to some other device that can communicate with the motors. In our industry, that device is called a hub, bridge or gateway. Each motor manufacturer has their own hub that will take the digital signal and convert it to an
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RF signal that it sends to the motor, just like a remote control does. That signal will tell the motor what action to produce (e.g., move up, down or stop). The key to understanding this is that the hubs are really doing all the work. Each motor manufacturer designs their hub to be able to do all kinds of different commands for their motors. The hubs are programmed via an app that you download to your mobile device. Each manufacturer has their own app to download for their specific hub. Again, most people are familiar with using apps to operate things from their mobile devices. All of the commands run through the app to the hub and then the hub sends the signals to the motors. Voice assistants just add another layer of communication. Therefore, once you incorporate a voice assistant, you will give a voice command instead of opening an app and pressing a button on your mobile device. Now, you should be able to understand that there are five things required for voice activation to work. The first is a voice assistant either on your phone or in a device located in the home or building. The second is a manufacturer’s
| NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2021 | wf-vision.com
Photo: Alta
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ost people are now familiar with the concept of voice assistants like Google, Siri and Alexa even if they do not use them, but very few are knowledgeable about how they actually work. Broken down into the simplest terms, once you activate the voice assistant by calling its name, it uses a microphone to record your voice command. Then, it sends that recording to its server in the cloud, where that server uses voice-recognition software to determine what the command is and what to do with it. After this step, it sends the command to the proper device or app for further action. All this is done via an internet connection. Your voice assistant, either on your phone or in a device, must be connected to the internet to work.
Photo: Somfy
In our final series in the Motorization Playbook, we are going to delve deeper into voice-control options for motorized window coverings. In our last article, “The Language of Motorization,” we learned about the different types of communication forms we use to operate motorized window coverings. We also learned that radio frequency (RF) is the most popular form of communication for motors nowadays. In this article, we are going to learn the basics of how to use voice commands to operate motorized shades.
hub (bridge or gateway). The third is the manufacturer’s app to be downloaded to a mobile device for programming and controlling the hub. The fourth is a compatible motor that works with the hub. And, lastly, an internet connection allows all the devices to communicate with each other. Once you have all five items, you can complete the system by following the directions in the app to allow the hub access to the internet. Link the motors to the hub and then the voice assistant to the hub. Then, you should be able to operate the motors via the app or via voice control.
