Outdoor Television

Outdoor Television

I have recently bought a hot tub to enjoy the starry nights and to watch the sun go down. Whilst we wait for delivery (6 months!), I’ve been contemplating exactly where to put it in the garden.

My wife suggested we could put the hot tub in front of the french doors at the rear of our home, which when opened we could watch a TV attached to the back wall of our dining room.

Then I discovered you can buy an outdoor television, I did not know that was even a thing! And they’re not small too and unlike a living room where you can’t go too big, you are outdoors so bigger is most definitely better!

On further investigation, I’ve found that Amazon actually supply these products!

These are going on my wish list!

KUVASONG 55 Inches Sun Readable Smart Outdoor TV for Outdoor Covered Area, High Brightness True 1500 Nits Outdoor Television, 4K UHD, DVB-T2S2, CI+Slot, Built-in 10Wx2 speakers, plus External Soundbar

KUVASION 43 Inches Ultra Slim All Weather Sun Readable Smart Outdoor TV, High Brightness 2000 Nits, 43 Inches Weatherproof Outdoor TV, Garden TV, Swimming Pool TV, Patio TV, WIFI Wireless Televisions

Automate your curtains / drapes

Automate your curtains / drapes

Just before Christmas, I installed two of these robotic curtain opener/closer devices (drapes to our American friends) in less than 30 minutes. I chose the rod version (track is also available) as our curtains have eyelets and because the curtains open from the middle, I needed two. Ours are configured to work as a pair, so one command and they open/close.

I also ordered the hub to enable control via Cloud services like IFTTT.com and the Amazon Alexa. Using IJPUK.com Alexa Doorbell skill I can now control the automatic opening and closing of the curtains from my home automation system via their simple API.

That’s one more thing I don’t have to think about! Thank you Switchbot!

You've got mail

You've got mail

Remember the film with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks “You’ve got mail”, well today with the help of IJPUK.COM and their Alexa doorbell skill service whenever the postman delivers the mail, Alexa announces “You’ve got mail”.

How?

Door / Window sensor

With the help of a battery-operated door / window sensor stuck to the letterbox and coupled with a home automation controller, which sends a notification to IJPUK.COM, which runs an Alexa routine to make an announcement all around the house which says “You’ve got mail!”

Easy!