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Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:06 am
by siclark
I've been through lots of the documentation but not sure what setting my echo dots up as devices gives me? They only time they should as active is when doing a discovery. I was hoping I would know if a device was active when an action happened, or better even capture what the command given was.
Or is this a network upnp issue preventing me setting this?
Thanks


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Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:30 am
by autolog
Just a bit more information. :)

When you ask Alexa to do something by speaking to a specific Alexa device (Rcho dot), when "she" does what you ask her (i.e. instruct Indigo to do something), that request can come from any of your Echo dots not necessarily the one you spoke to. The Indigo UI should briefly show the device that was active that sent the command to Indigo.

This is probably best viewed on the Indigo Touch devices tab as you are likely to be around the house when you speak to "her" :)

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:48 am
by siclark
Ah ok. That's where I was going wrong. I expected a different device to respond if there were several that could hear me, but not if one was on another floor and couldn't.
So, to know that an Indigo action was started from Alexa I need to look for recent activity on any device?



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Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 8:59 am
by siclark
And more precisely, how does the timing work?
If I ask Alexa to turn off lights, can I capture in trigger when lights are turned off that Alexa devices are active, or can there be a timing issue?
Ie lights go off then the Alexa device becomes active, in which case I need some timers running?
Lights being turned off start a 5 second timer. If in that any Alexa device goes active I know it was likely due to voice command.


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Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:12 am
by autolog
Just tested it - it is instantaneous :)

Setup a trigger > Device State Changed > Echo Dot > Activity Detected > True :)

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:43 am
by siclark
Thanks... so I have a trigger now that says
If
living lights become off
when any of
living room echo is active
kitchen echo is active
bedroom echo is active
then
start manual override timer

and on my motion detect lights trigger, I wont turn on lights if the manual override timer is running.

Hope this works.

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:48 am
by autolog
Just done a simple test of the above scenario and it seems to :)

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 6:32 pm
by mundmc
autolog wrote:
Just tested it - it is instantaneous :)

Setup a trigger > Device State Changed > Echo Dot > Activity Detected > True :)


Wait wait whoah whoah hold up- so we can code Indigo to fire off actions based on which Echo likely heard a command!?


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Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:38 pm
by siclark
In a word, no. Based on which echo responded, yes. But that's not the echo that heard. It's unlikely this does what you think this might.

Echo devices

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:58 am
by mundmc
siclark wrote:
In a word, no. Based on which echo responded, yes. But that's not the echo that heard. It's unlikely this does what you think this might.


Gotcha- I was playing with this last night, and noted no change in the Indigo Device for the Echo dot to which I was issuing commands, BUT, they weren’t Indigo commands. Hmmmm.

I suppose if I tell my Alexa to “<<Do Action as published on Alexa Hue Hub>>”, THEN it might be active?

PS- congrats on twins!

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:43 am
by siclark
Cheers.
I get varied success with this. Sometimes shows a random echo as active, sometimes not.
My command are to the dummy hue bulbs running on indigo so assumed this should work

Re: Echo devices

PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:13 pm
by michaelu
Has anybody come up with a way to funnel the commands from the Alexa you are speaking to? This seems like the last pin in the room awareness component. (always comes out of one device)

I know you can do some fancy footwork with with Groups +Echos for room awareness, and it works great for general 'lights on/on' to control [action] for whatever room you are in, however if you could definitely know what Alexa heard the command that would open up full room awareness. Combined with occupancy/human awareness and Alexa text-to-speech command line tools, you could really have some wonderful customized Alexa replies based on what room/device the command came from, but now it seems to still funnel it out of one (newest) device.

I've seen some of this may be model dependent I only have tested with a Gen 1 Echo and a 2nd Gen Echo Dot. The 2nd Gen dot sends 100% of the commands. Since tricking them to 'wake up' isn't reliable, any other work arounds to make the report the right device from the right command?

Between Routines (Custom phrases) + Room Awareness + Actions + custom reply texttospeech = full single command multi-room (Person aware) home assistant - all I need to know is what device heard the command.

*Awaiting the holy grail to fall on my lap*