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With the Securifi Almond 3, its associated Alexa skills, even your router can be smart

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Back in May, Securifi, the company known for creating the world’s first touchscreen router, announced the release of its Almond 3 Smart Home Wi-Fi system. Integrated with Amazon Echo’s Alexa, the Almond 3 allows multiple units to come together to create a broad Wi-Fi network that can cover an entire home or office. With its dual‐band AC1200 Wi-Fi, a ZigBee radio, and a programmable siren for security, the product is intended to provide wireless internet for the true 21st-century household. And now, there’s a new Almond Smart Home Skill for Alexa that allows users to control their lights, switches, dimmers, and thermostats using nothing but their voice.

The latest skill lets Alexa easily discover compatible smart devices that are connected to Almond. From there, users can control much of their smart home simply by speaking to Amazon’s virtual assistant. Whether you want Alexa to turn on your patio lights or dim your bedroom lights by 60 percent, Almond’s new integration has you covered. Moreover, this update means that you can now tell Alexa that your Almond needs to block your kids’ access to Wi-Fi, or enable your guest network.

“The bar for what defines a ‘home Wi‐Fi system’ continues to rise, and the Almond 3 Smart Home Wi‐Fi System is one of the most comprehensive products on the market today,” said Rammohan Malasani, CEO of Securifi. “We are bringing a complete Wi‐Fi solution to the home with a robust feature set that is, most importantly, easy to setup and manage.”

Related Offer: See more from Securifi here

The real draw of the smart router itself is its ability to provide a single Wi-Fi network to every nook and cranny of your home. Promising faster streaming, gaming, Web surfing, video chatting, and more, each Almond 3 is capable of covering 1,300 square feet. And if you connect a number of these devices together, you’ll create an even stronger mesh network that Securifi claims will do away with dead zones in your home.

The Almond 3 also features a built-in smart home automation hub. This takes advantage of the router’s ZigBee technology, allowing the router to communicate with your light bulbs, door and window sensors, thermostats, locks, and other smart devices, simply by pairing these devices to your Almond via its free companion app. The app also gives users a control center from which they can view and control all Wi-Fi-supported and smart home products. And of course, with its Alexa integration, users can control hundreds of Almond-compatible devices using nothing more than their voice and their Amazon Echo (or any other Alexa-enabled device).

“We’re thrilled that Securifi has expanded its integration with Alexa,” said Amazon Alexa Director Rob Pulciani. “Now our connected home customers can control multiple devices, sound systems, and thermostats with Almond products using just their voice. Having a connected home with Alexa has never been easier.”

Currently available for pre-order at the introductory price of $120 per unit, you can buy a three-pack bundle for $300 (significantly less than its retail price of $400). Securifi expects these devices to ship in June.

Pre-order on Amazon

Article originally published in May. Updated on 09-22-2016 to reflect news of new Amazon Alexa skills. 

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
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