Most homes, mine included, are still a combination of old devices which lack any decent connectivity options like WiFi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, etc. and an assortment of smart devices. My home still has TVs, a Soundbar, Audio Amplifier, and DVD Player that can only be operated using an IR remote control. Most of the time the remote is lost when I need it and in the way when I don’t. These devices don’t have any tie-in with Google Assistant or Alexa, but they can be controlled using an IR blaster. Logitech makes a smart IR blaster, the Harmony Hub and smart remote, but these are a bit expensive. Broadlink has a line of low cost IR blaster devices, but these don’t integrate with Google Assistant. I found the $17 Broadlink Mini 3 IR blaster, which is also known as the Black Bean beacuse it is a small, black cylindar. It is low cost, and includes a bare-bones app, but it does not feature smart integrations. This article will describe a way to integrate the BlackBean with your Google Home and enable voice control for your legacy IR devices.
[Read More]Hack to Send/Receive Text Message with the Google Home
Ever since I picked up a Google Home, I have been waiting for Google to enable messaging. Google is taking way too long to update the Home so I created this hack to add the capability. My goal was to be able to send a quick message to my Google Home via SMS and have Google Home read it out load to whomever is listening (presumably my wife and/or children), and likewise, to allow my wife and/or children to tell Google Home to send me a text message.
[Read More]