Do you have an intercom system in your home that was installed when the house was built? You know, the ones with a Master station, which has the AM/FM radio and a room station in most rooms of the house? If you have one and it doesn’t work anymore, you have options. We carry replacement systems that can retrofit into the same openings in the walls that your current stations are in, with little-to-no drywall work. Just give us a call and we can get you started.
If your intercom is working or you’ve already replaced it with an IST RETRO Music and Intercom System Package, you may not know that you can integrate Alexa into that system as well! This is a 2-phase operation, starting with Bluetooth.
IST RETRO and IST I2000 systems come with easily accessible 3.5 mm headphone jacks and USB ports. They also make a Bluetooth receiver. You’ll need one of those along with an Amazon Alexa device. In our example we are using an Echo Dot. Once your Bluetooth receiver is plugged in and powered up with the USB port, then you go into your Alexa app and find “IST” and pair to it. Once you’re paired, you can now stream through your IST RETRO or I2000 system just like you would through any Bluetooth-enable speaker. Very cool!
The other aspect of this setup is the extended voice control. Amazon says that most homes that use their Echo devices have more than one of them so that they can be accessed from different rooms in the home. Especially for those that have have lighting and heating control, it’s vital to be able to speak to the Echo device. If you have just one, that becomes impractical as you can only speak to it from the same room, or if you yell a little, from a different room around the corner.
Now you can have voice access to your Echo device from ANY room in the house! All you have to do is place your Echo device near the Master station of your intercom system. So when you go down the hall to the master bedroom, and you’re not sure what to wear, you can ask Alexa what the weather will be today. Since your Echo device is near the Master station, you can go to the room station that is near you, ask Alexa what the weather will be today, and Alexa will hear your voice through the Master station. Next, when she answers your question, the Master station will pick up her voice and you’ll hear it through the room station you are standing at. While most people need multiple Echo devices to cover their entire home, you can use your IST RETRO or I2000 Intercom system to enable whole-home voice contact with Alexa and use just one Echo device.
To see how it works, check out the video below:
If you would like to use Alexa with your IST RETRO or IST I2000 system, we can help. Just call us toll-free at 800-266-8765 (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific, Monday – Friday) for free tech support and product advice. You can also email us at [email protected] or visit www.homecontrols.com.
