Amazon has been a major player in the smart home market for years, but fresh competition from Apple may have lit a fire under it. The company has just unveiled a new lineup of Alexa devices, including Echo speakers, a smart alarm clock, a photo frame, and the Echo Show 16. On the software side, Amazon also introduced Alexa Home Map, which puts your connected devices on an interactive 3D model of your house, letting you monitor and control them from one place.
Your entire smart home on a 3D map
Alexa Home Map shows your connected lights, locks, thermostats, Echo speakers, Fire TVs, and security cameras in their respective locations. You can navigate between floors, zoom into individual rooms, and control devices directly from the map. It even reflects the actual colors of your smart lights and the weather outside.
Setting it up requires entering your address, which generates a model of your home’s exterior. You’ll then need a compatible iPhone to scan individual rooms and manually place connected devices where they belong. Admittedly, the initial setup sounds tedious, but I can see the convenience once everything is in place.
The Echo Show 16 seems perfect for it
Amazon’s new Echo Show 16 seems like a natural companion for Home Map. Its large touchscreen could make managing an entire house much easier, especially if you have several connected devices. You can also access the map through supported smartphones, tablets, and other Echo Show displays.
Amazon has integrated Ring cameras into the outdoor view, allowing you to see animated representations of people and vehicles approaching your property. You can also access live camera feeds and review activity from the previous 24 hours. Alexa Home Map will begin rolling out in preview later this year. Certain features require Alexa+ or an eligible Ring subscription.
