Our previous blog, Everything You Need to Know About IFTTT, gave you a basic overview of If This Then That (IFTTT) is and how the powerful service can add automation to your life. But, in case you forgot or missed the blog, here’s a little refresher:

IFTTT is an automation platform that communicates between different apps, web services, and devices (including tecla-e and tecla app!) to trigger user-specific actions through Applets. Applets are a trigger-to-action relationship that performs a task or creates a personalized notification when certain conditions are met.

The benefits of IFTTT include:

• It adds independence through access to innovative technology
• It makes you less forgetful (set an Applet and forget about it)
• Automation saves time
• Certain Applets makes you more accountable for schedules and routines
• Some Applets makes you more knowledgeable (e.g. There is a Wikipedia Applet that sends you a weekly vocabulary digest)
• IFTTT allows you to get the most out of services you already use (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Nest Thermostat, etc.)
• It’s free

IFTTT By the Numbers:

• Over 600 partnered organizations use IFTTT’s software platform.
• IFTTT's community of 11 million users run over 1 billion applets each month.

You may be thinking that 600 organizations = 600 potential devices I can control with tecla-e. However, IFTTT is a versatile service that is partnered with companies like Facebook, Medium, and Google to offer Applets for social media, blogging, business tools, and more software related activities. For example, if your local weather forecast indicates that it will rain tomorrow, you can create an Applet that will send you a Facebook Messenger message to let you know. The best part about it is that you can create your own Applets, so the possibilities are endless when it comes to software automation.

 

Compatible Devices

Now that you have a grasp on the service and the potential it has to automate and control your favourite apps and devices, it’s time to learn exactly WHICH services you will have access to via your tecla-e. Here is an incomplete list of over 100 devices that you can access with tecla-e and IFTTT:

Appliances - Kitchen, Laundry, Cleaning

Blinds

Environmental Control & Monitoring

Gardening

Lighting

Mobile Devices

LG Smartphone

Printers

Security, Smart Locks, and Monitoring Systems

WeMo Motion

Smart Hubs and Systems

Smart Plugs

Speakers

Television and Cable

Voice Assistants

Jibo

Triggering Applets via tecla-e

Since ANY device, app, or software that is compatible with IFTTT can be triggered by tecla-e, there are two ways that you can do it: through the Tecla App and through the hardware with a switch. Any Applet that you have activated in the IFTTT app can be added to your remote control in the Tecla app. For hardware access, assign an “if this” to a switch connected to tecla-e, and a “then that” as any trigger from any service that you want to activate! We recommend only doing the latter function on devices that you’re going to be using the most often, like toggling your smart lights at home, so you’re not preoccupying a switch that could be used to control your smartphone or tablet.

The image above is an example of an Applet created with tecla-e. When this Applet is triggered by an adaptive switch or tecla-e’s built-in button, whatever device (e.g. a traditional desk lamp or fan) is plugged into your WeMo Smart Plug will be toggled on or off through your WiFi Network.

If you’re ever unsure about whether a device you want to purchase or an app you have installed is compatible with IFTTT, just do a quick search of the organization’s name on the IFTTT website.

Support Video:

 

Other articles you might like:

• The Best Cellphone for Quadriplegics 
• iPhone and iPad accessibility options for quadriplegics and other users with limited mobility
• Using iPad AAC apps with switch control for speech and motor impairments 
• Accessing Devices from Bed