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The Connected Home by Lennar not only connects you to the most desirable technology brand devices but can add more convenience to your daily life. Hands-free and voice-active, Amazon’s Alexa lets you play music and send messages, plus can help you achieve a more productive morning. Learn more in this NBC News article by Nicole Spector.

It’s been four years since Amazon launched Alexa, and in that time the cloud-based voice service integrated into the Amazon Echo, among other devices, has become a staple in many homes, with more than 100 million devices sold as of January, according to The Verge.

Most of us who use Alexa know our way around the basics — like for requesting a song to be played or searching the Internet, but there’s a lot more that Alexa can do — or so I hear. I’m new to Alexa and honestly, I don’t really know how to make the most of this so-called virtual personal assistant, and the amount of information online is seemingly endless — and just a bit overwhelming.

What are some simple, practical ways that Alexa can be put to work to make life at home easier for the whole family? We consulted an Amazon spokesperson as well as a number of Alexa users to compile tips to get the most out of this techy sidekick.

Wake up with Alexa (and no smartphone by your bed)

“One of the reasons I love waking up with an Alexa alarm is that I no longer have to rely on my phone as my alarm, so I can leave it to charge in the kitchen and get some much-needed no-phone time late at night and first thing when I wake up,” says Katherine Prescott, founder and editor of VoiceBrew, a digital media company focused on the voice space — specifically tips on optimal Alexa usage. “You can set as many alarms as you want (I set one at 6:15 a.m. and another for 15 minutes later so I know it’s actually time to get up), set a music alarm to wake up to your favorite tunes and even snooze by saying ‘Alexa, snooze.’”

Learn about how to use Alarms with Alexa here.

Continue reading at NBCNews.com