There is less than a week to go to Halloween, and many Aussie families are looking forward to the opportunity to come together as a community as restrictions ease across the country. Many are looking to go bigger and better as life slowly returns to “normal”.
PSA: Please follow health directions issued by your state’s Chief Health Officer and stay safe.
For this year’s celebrations, Amazon Alexa and Ring have compiled some smart-home hacks sure to turn your home into a seriously scary (or maybe just creepy-yet-cute) haunt, to help Aussie’s be the ghost with the most.
Create an immersive Halloween atmosphere
Whether you’re hosting a party this year, or celebrating with family at home, you can turn the spook-factor up a notch with an immersive smart-home experience sure to lift your spirits with Alexa routines.
With the help of Alexa, your imagination is the limit when it comes to spook-ifying your home. You could turn it into Shrek’s swamp, transport your guests into The Purge or settle in for an interactive Halloween-themed Escape Room.
To set up a personalised routine visit the Alexa app, simply input your voice command (e.g. “Alexa, let’s get spooky”) and select which actions you’d like it to trigger. You can get Alexa to dim or change the colour of your smart light bulbs, play your Halloween playlist via your compatible smart speaker, turn on your favourite scary movie on your Fire TV stick and even trigger Alexa’s Halloween skills. The possibilities are endless!
Give your guests a fright, with simply a whisper or touch of a button
Did you know that sounds are actually scarier than what you see? If you’re going low-key with your decorations this year, but still want to give your guests a fright, we’ve got the hack for you!
Just strategically hide a few Alexa-enabled smart speakers, like the Echo Dot and strategically hide them around your home to create your own haunted house with creepy music, unexpected shrieks and witches cackles using the Halloween Sounds Alexa skill. You can even trigger certain sounds to go off at specific times (sundown perhaps?) using Alexa routines, for an added fear-factor!
Give ’em pumpkin to talk about
If you aren’t able to host at home this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the fun! Ring doorbells have got some new themed “Quick Replies” to get any trick-or-treaters into the Halloween spirit. Choose from the likes of: “Boo! Leave us a message if you dare.” or “Just a minute! Feel free to park your broom.”
And to really up the scare factor, change the sound on a partnered Chime (which alerts you when your doorbell is pressed!) to play bats, ghosts or even spooky organs sounds when your doorbell rings.
Whether you’re going all out on your decorations, or are just looking to add a pinch of spine-chilling flair to your front door, Ring has also released a series of seasonal faceplates ($25) for it’s Doorbell 2, 3, 3 Plus, and 4, which allow you to dress up your doorbell for Halloween.
Ring devices are available online at amazon.com.au and Ring, and in store at Bunnings and JB-HI-FI.
