If you love technologies that make your life easier (who doesn’t?), you might have heard of the automation platform IFTTT. IFTTT is a popular tool for power users, bloggers,custom writing service data enthusiasts, and more, to streamline and automate tasks.
The sky is the limit for what you can accomplish using IFTTT; for example, you can automate calendar reminders,essay assist publish to social media channels, and record activity from your smart watch. But what’s perhaps most interesting to you, considering you’re reading our blog, is the slew of tasks you can automate using IFTTT and the smart devices that make up the Internet of Things.
In this article we will cover 24 ways to use IFTTT to automate your connected devices; but first, here’s an overview of IFTTT.
Using the conditional statement “if this, then that,” IFTTT enables you to automate tasks. With IFTTT, you no longer have to think about the tedious tasks you are normally charged with every day, as they will run effortlessly in the background.
Here’s how IFTTT works. “This” is a trigger you define, such as receiving a text message from a specified number. “That” is an action that will occur upon the trigger’s command, like turning off a light. Once completed, the entire “if this, then that” phrase is called a “recipe.” “Channels” are the services and devices that can connect to IFTTT, each with its own pre-defined triggers and/or actions.
It’s projected that the IoT will connect 50 billion objects by 2020, from water meters to glucose meters, price tags to refrigerators, and more. Using the intuitive logic of IFTTT, people are automating the performance of their connected devices to fit their lifestyle, like lightbulbs that function according to the weather and ovens that send a text once preheated.
Using IFTTT with the IoT means you no longer have to rely on sensors to make your devices work the way you want them to, and actions are more flexible.
Here are 24 ways to take advantage of IFTTT in your home and office.
- When the sun rises, open my Serena shade
- When it rises above 79 degrees, turn on my Sensibo-connected A/C
- If ESPN detects that my favorite team has started a game, blink my LIFX lights
- When it’s Christmas, turn my Philips hue lights red and green
- At sunset, turn on my Philips hue lights
- “Sleep fade” my WeMo lights at bedtime
- When the GE oven is on, signal Nest to initiate the HVAC fan
- When the oven in preheated, alert my Android Wear
- When the timer is reached, flash my Philips hue lights
- When the timer is reached, turn off the oven
- If Egg Minder has less than 4 eggs, add a to-do to my Evernote shopping list
- When you leave home, turn off the oven
- If Wally detects a water leak, give me a call
- If Nest Protect detects smoke, text a neighbor
- If my SmartThings cabinet opens, call me
- When a payment is accepted or refunded through Square, add a row to a Google Sheet
- If Square receives a payment over $500, notify my iPhone
- If a customer publishes to Instagram with your hashtag, print their picture through HP Print
- When Boxoh sees a status change on my shipment, email me
- When my driver returns to the store, text me
- Track time spent driving with Automatic and Google Sheets
- If the engine light turns on in the company car, remind me to visit the mechanic
- When the forecast says rain, remind me to close the windows
- If it’s the end of the workday on Friday, set my LIFX lights to my “party” scene