In my DIY solutions to the challenges of my older relatives, I often use a “Button” to trigger an Alexa Routine. It keeps things simple, and avoids them needing to remember a specific “phrase” to speak.
However, it is not so easy to find the right button. This solution explains the options, and which buttons I prefer.
For several years the only physical button that could be used to trigger Alexa Routines was the Amazon Echo Button which has been discontinued and are only available on eBay.
These are great buttons for use by a loved one as they are very large and lit up when pressed. Their most important feature is an easy, direct Bluetooth connection to an Echo device with a trigger available for Alexa Routines.
New Button Options
In the last few months, three different button vendors have started to offer buttons that could trigger an Alexa Routines, but compared to the Echo Buttons, they are smaller and may require the use of a hub.
Here is a rundown of the current four candidates with the Echo Button as a reference:
Caption: Top left- BroadLink, Top middle- Flic, Top Right- YoLink, Bottom- Amazon Echo
Flic Buttons
The Flic buttons have been around for several years, but only recently have started supporting Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and SmartThings. They offer 3 “push” functions, Click, Double-click, and Hold that are all supported by Alexa Routines. These are individual buttons that are Bluetooth connected to the Flic hub or a smartphone.
BroadLink Smart Button
Although they make several Smart Home products, this is their first button product to interface with Alexa Routines. Their pad has 4 large buttons that appear as a “motion sensor” to Alexa Routines, but can only be used as a “click”
YoLink Flex Fob
The Flex Fob is a relatively small device containing 4 buttons that offers both Click and Hold functions.
As mentioned above, each of these devices requires a hub which adds to setup complexities. There are some 3rd party “button holders” available to make the buttons more manageable for those with dexterity issues.
The Shelly Button 1
It’s comparable in size to a SmartThings/Aeotec ZigBee button, but uses Wi-Fi and has a rechargeable battery. It lights up and shows up as a doorbell button in Alexa Routines
Caption: Shelly Button with AAA battery for size comparison
3D Printed Button Holder for Flic 2 Smart Button
Caption- Flic button holders
Caption- a small box to hold and label the buttons
On-Screen Buttons for Echo Show
These are all great, but is there a way to get on-screen buttons on my loved one’s Echo Show
Yes, there is.
If you feel that your loved one will be able to touch buttons on the Echo Show screen, there is an Accessibility feature called “Tap to Alexa”. It’s under Settings- Accessibility
Here is a video of “Tap to Alexa”
It puts a small button on the screen that she would tap to get a list of on-screen buttons that you can configure to make Alexa Calls.
The button can do almost anything that you can speak to Alexa as a command.
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Retired Intel Engineer wanting to share DIY technology tips for the children of parents wanting to remain living independently. I like posting ideas and answering technical questions. If a product or software has an issue making it hard for seniors to use, I try to offer workarounds and also try to contact the manufacturer for solutions. I write a column for this website in the Innovation- Homebrew Solutions & Ideas section
