Alexa no longer discovering Indigo installed/managed devices

Don’t know the generation - I think it’s 2. The firmware is 644580520

I'll try this workaround above...

[jay (support)]

Don’t know the generation - I think it’s 2. The firmware is 644580520

Gen1 has 2 buttons on the top and the top spins to adjust volume. Gen2 has 4 buttons on top, two being volume controls.

Have any of you developers posted about the problem to https://developer.amazon.com/support/contact-us or https://forums.developer.amazon.com/index.html ?

I haven't and won't be as the plugin is using unsupported code that emulates a Philips Hue Hub.

It was always likely that at some point the plugin would cease to work correctly as firmware updates came along.
We have already been operating with a limited set of Echo models that actually work.

The way forward on this is to develop an Alexa Smart Home Skill that uses the official API to talk to Indigo.

So should we consider this plugin DOA now? It’s really all we use our Echos for. Will have to focus on making the HomeKit plugin work.

Supposedly, Amazon was working on the problem five days ago; I.e., from a Home Assistant post:

Hello all, Amazon Support replied to my inquiry:

"…there’s nothing wrong with your device. This is something that we are currently having an issue with and you are not the only one experiencing the problem.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to resolve this technical issue as quickly as possible".

-- https://community.home-assistant.io/t/emulated-hue-suddenly-stopped-working-with-echo-dot-v2/133956/41

[jay (support)]

Have any of you developers posted about the problem to https://developer.amazon.com/support/contact-us or https://forums.developer.amazon.com/index.html ?

Agree with @autolog here - I don't know that complaining about this to Amazon will get us anywhere since the plugin is built on an unpublished capability of the original Echo firmware, not any official developer APIs that Amazon has published or otherwise committed to support.

The way forward on this is to develop an Alexa Smart Home Skill that uses the official API to talk to Indigo.

This is correct. We've been working on necessary backend and Indigo Server changes (a lot of non-trivial changes to multiple parts of our technology stack/solution) that will allow the necessary authentication for native smart home skills to work with Indigo while attempting to maintain your systems security (which is much better than any of our competitors). Once Indigo 7.4 ships with Catalina support (very soon), finishing that work will be a very high priority.

So should we consider this plugin DOA now?

Well, no, not for people who (apparently?) have gen1 Echos which still seem to work (mine included). And we're not sure if Amazon will fix the issue with the gen2 dot firmware or not, though I agree that it doesn't seem likely that they will.

Ok. But for those of us with gen 2 or higher we need to look for a new voice activated solution. HomeKit always seems to fail and historically has been very unreliable so that leaves me and I’m sure others in a lurch.

Ok. But for those of us with gen 2 or higher we need to look for a new voice activated solution. HomeKit always seems to fail and historically has been very unreliable so that leaves me and I’m sure others in a lurch.

Homekit is very reliable for me. Mostly using a HomePod in a central location.

Don’t have a HomePod. Just idevices. Very often names don’t work, shows as offline etc. I’ve poated about it in these forums. Don’t want to hijack the thread

[jay (support)]

Ok. But for those of us with gen 2 or higher we need to look for a new voice activated solution.

I was specifically answering your question:

So should we consider this plugin DOA now?

The answer is no since it is still currently useful for some, and you may be able to find a gen1 device on eBay or elsewhere (like this used one on Amazon) if the need is that dire for you. Not sure that we have enough information yet to know for sure, but it seems like you just need 1 gen1 device on your account for things to work.

I was specifically answering your

The answer is no since it is still currently useful for some, and you may be able to find a gen1 device on eBay or elsewhere (like this used one on Amazon) if the need is that dire for you. Not sure that we have enough information yet to know for sure, but it seems like you just need 1 gen1 device on your account for things to work.

Sorry how does this answer the question? It was indicated that maybe amazon will fix the gen2 issue maybe not. You said only people with gen1 who it works for can still use t. But for us gen2 it does t appear that either indigo nor the developer are going to work on a fix, which while fine, means for us with gen2 or higher we are relying on amazon.

Just in case it’s relevant, My self and my parents environment only have gen 2 dots (with the addition of a show for me). No gen 1 devices. Both environments have been hit with the issue and I’ve so far managed to recover both. Perhaps if/when more of the gen 2 dots receive the update they will break again...

My point is, it’s not yet definitive that you need a gen 1 device. I think we need to let the dust to settle a bit. Amazon may have pulled the evil update in response to the issues.

[jay (support)]

My point is, it’s not yet definitive that you need a gen 1 device. I think we need to let the dust to settle a bit. Amazon may have pulled the evil update in response to the issues.

Correct. Calling the plugin DOA now is premature, particularly while it's still working for some and while there is still research going on into the current failures.

I was specifically answering your

The answer is no since it is still currently useful for some, and you may be able to find a gen1 device on eBay or elsewhere (like this used one on Amazon) if the need is that dire for you. Not sure that we have enough information yet to know for sure, but it seems like you just need 1 gen1 device on your account for things to work.

Sorry how does this answer the question? It was indicated that maybe amazon will fix the gen2 issue maybe not. You said only people with gen1 who it works for can still use t. But for us gen2 it does t appear that either indigo nor the developer are going to work on a fix, which while fine, means for us with gen2 or higher we are relying on amazon.

Just to clarify, I am running Gen 2 Dots and Gen1 Echos. If I disconnect the Gen 1 Echos from their power supply, my setup still works. I now think the issue is being caused by the firmware update to version 644580520 - my Echo Dots aren't on that version.. As reported earlier, this is being discussed on lots of different Home Automation forums. It's not just a problem affecting Indigo, it is affecting other Home Automation platforms which have developed code similar to the Alexa-Hue Bridge Plugin.

The immediate fix is for Amazon to correct their firmware. There isn't much I can do about the issue as it stands.

The medium term fix is to do what I suggested earlier and that is to develop an Alexa skill that uses the official API. This can be progressed once Indigo 7.4 is released.