How to Use Your Smart Speakers as Intercoms

Smart speakers are incredibly versatile devices, and one of their lesser-known features is their ability to be used as intercoms. This can be a great way to communicate with other people in your home, without having to shout or walk from room to room.

There are two main ways to use your smart speakers as intercoms:

·         Broadcast messages: This is a one-way communication method, where you send a message to all of your smart speakers at once. This is useful for announcements, such as letting everyone know that dinner is ready or that it's time for bed.

·         Drop in: This is a two-way communication method, where you can have a conversation with someone in another room using your smart speakers. This is useful for things like checking on a sleeping baby or asking your spouse a question.

How to broadcast messages on your smart speakers

To broadcast a message on your smart speakers, simply say the wake word followed by "broadcast" or "announce" followed by your message. For example:

·         "Hey Google, broadcast dinner is ready!"

·         "Alexa, announce it's time for bed!"

You can also broadcast messages to specific rooms or groups of smart speakers. To do this, simply say the wake word followed by "broadcast to" followed by the name of the room or group. For example:

·         "Hey Google, broadcast to the kitchen dinner is ready!"

·         "Alexa, announce to the upstairs bedrooms it's time for bed!"

If you have a lot of smart speakers in your home, you can also create a broadcast group to make it easier to send messages to all of them at once. To do this, open the app for your smart speaker platform and go to the settings for your smart speakers. From there, you should be able to create a broadcast group.

How to drop in on other smart speakers

To drop in on another smart speaker, simply say the wake word followed by "drop in on" followed by the name of the room or group where the smart speaker is located. For example:

·         "Hey Google, drop in on the kitchen."

·         "Alexa, drop in on the upstairs bedrooms."

Once you've dropped in, you can have a two-way conversation with the person in the other room. To end the drop-in, simply say the wake word followed by "end drop-in."

Here are some tips for using your smart speakers as intercoms:

·         Make sure that all of your smart speakers are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

·         If you're using a Google Nest or Home speaker, you can also create a broadcast group to make it easier to send messages to all of your smart speakers at once.

·         If you have a lot of smart speakers in your home, you may want to consider using a smart speaker platform that supports multiple users. This will allow you to assign different accounts to different smart speakers, so that you can control who can drop in on whom.

·         If you have children, you may want to disable the drop-in feature for their bedrooms. This will help to protect their privacy.

Here are some creative ways to use your smart speakers as intercoms:

·         Use your smart speakers to wake up your family in the morning. You can set up a routine that plays your favorite music or announces the weather forecast.

·         Use your smart speakers to remind your family about important events, such as appointments or chores.

·         Use your smart speakers to check on your family members when you're not home. For example, you can drop in on your child's bedroom to make sure they're asleep.

·         Use your smart speakers to play games with your family members. There are a number of games available that can be played using smart speakers, such as trivia games and charades.

·         Use your smart speakers to control your smart home devices. For example, you can use your smart speakers to turn on the lights, adjust the thermostat, or lock the doors.

Overall, using your smart speakers as intercoms is a great way to stay connected with your family and make your life easier. It's a simple and convenient way to communicate with people in other rooms, without having to shout or walk from room to room.