Athlon

Hmmm - I wonder why I don't see it...

How did you do that? I don't see it listed in the Polyglot Store...

I've been using TP-Link plugs for years (since right after they came out) for mostly Christmas lights and candles in the windows (about 20 of them). None have failed yet, nor have any failed to receive and execute a signal. They've been rock solid even though I box then up at the end of every January and bring them back out in late November. I don't even have to re-program them. I have a strip of masking tape labeled with a Sharpie on the back of each one telling me which window or spot in the house (like the Christmas tree, village under tree etc.) they go to. Because of their reliability and low cost, I have about 6 of them in year round use as well - all of which are in spots that are hidden from view.

I have a TP-Link plug connected to a lamp in my 94 year old mother-in-law's house 125 miles away. I can program it from here very easily with their free Kasa app. That would easily solve their problem

Love our Ooma. We have the original one and it's still going strong.

[[Is anyone here afraid of Insteon disapearing?]] Nope - All of mine are screwed in tight. ?

Been whispering to mine for a while - love the voice. ?

Woot! Congrats guys!! ?

Perhaps when we can change to Sam's voice she won't be so sensitive... ? https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/25/20883751/amazon-alexa-voice-languages-natural-bi-lingual-frustration-support-new-features

Here's a thread I started a few months ago where I show how I get Alexa to make announcements: I've since made a change because IFTTT changed their texting policies. I now have my ISY text me directly. (This part of my program has nothing to do with the Alexa part of the program.)

Thumbs up for Agave here as well. Although my phone is an iPhone, I use Agave on my Amazon HD Fire when outside by the pool.

I use TP-Link devices. They work great. Read through this thread for how to use them with your ISY:

What brand of WiFi plug are you considering?

Great!

You're welcome. I did the following three times in the Portal, one for each of the three Routines in my Alexa app. Each of the three uses one of the three State Variables I refer to in my post above. Here is how I set up the one for 'JoAnn_Garage_Door_Is_Open_1st_Announcement' Go to your portal, then go to Select tool/Connectivity/Amazon Echo Click 'Variable' My state variable: Use the drop down box to choose your 'State Variable' ('JoAnn_Garage_Door_Is_Open_1st_Announcement' in my case) Room is optional Alexa Category: choose 'Contact Sensor' Contact closed value: for me, 0 works Spoken: I used 'J Gar Dr One' Click 'Save' +++ I created four Routines in my Alexa app, one for each of the State Variables, and one for when her door closes. Here's how I did the Routine for the first announcement. In your Alexa app choose 'Routines' Click the + button to create a new Routine Click the + button to choose a 'When This Happens' Click 'Device' In my case, I chose 'J Gar Dr One' (created above) Finishing the 'When This Happens' section is self explanatory In the 'Add Action' section, choose 'Messaging', then 'Send Announcement' Finishing the 'Add Action' section is self explanatory I did one of these for each of the three announcements triggered by the 'JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open program' detailed in my previous post. I also did one for when the door closes. A State Variable is not needed for that one because Alexa 'sees' the sensor directly, in my case 'Joann Door Sensor' (see images in my previous post). One last thing, when testing the program 'JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open', rather than use 20 minutes between actions, I used 45 seconds so I didn't have to wait 40 minutes to see if it all worked together like I hoped, especially the text sent after the second announcement. The reason for 45 seconds is that you have to let Alexa rest at least 30 seconds between announcements or they risk being delayed.

Sure - I have two doors, one for my wife (JoAnn) and one for me (Dave). I'll show you what I did for her door. Let me say at the outset that I have no idea if I could have done it with fewer steps, more elegant programming or anything else that would be better, however I will say it works. First, here's a screenshot of my main page - JoAnn's IO Link and sensors are circled: Here is a screenshot of the three programs I use to make this happen: Here is a screenshot of the three State Variables used to cause Alexa to make her three different announcements: Announcement 1 - "hello, joanns garage door just opened" (some characters not allowed, btw) Announcement 2 - "hello, joanns garage door is still open" Announcement 3 - "hello, final warning, joanns garage door is still open, you should consider closing it" Screenshots of my Network Resources page and Resource Editor: JoAnn's Garage Door Opens program: JoAnn's Garage Door Opens - [ID 002C][Parent 0001] If 'IO Link-Sensor - JoAnn' is switched Off Then Run Program 'JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open' (If) Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open program (disabled): (The Resource 'JoannsDoorLeftOpen' causes a text to be sent to my cell phone.) JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open - [ID 002E][Parent 0001][Not Enabled] If - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition') Then $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_1st_Announcement = 1 Wait 20 minutes $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_2nd_Announcement = 1 Resource 'JoannsDoorLeftOpen' Wait 20 minutes $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_3rd_Announcement = 1 Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') JoAnn's Garage Door Closes program: JoAnn's Garage Door Closes - [ID 002D][Parent 0001] If 'IO Link-Sensor - JoAnn' is switched On Then Stop program 'JoAnn's Garage Door Is Open' $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_1st_Announcement = 0 $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_2nd_Announcement = 0 $JoAnn_Garage_Door_Open_3rd_Announcement = 0 Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') Alexa makes the following announcement when the door closes - "hello, joanns garage door just closed, all is well" Let me know if you have any questions. Adding spokens for Alexa in the ISY Portal is easy once you have the State Variables set up. I can expand on that if you would like. The integration with IFTTT is covered in the Wiki. I can expand on that if you would like.

Never mind - got it done. Learned some new ISY commands along the way, as well as integrating my ISY with IFTTT to send me a text if one of our doors is left open for 20 minutes or more.

You guys helped me choose the Insteon Garage Door Control & Status Kit ( here in this thread ). Thank you! It's easy to do simple programming with it, like most other Insteon devices. I have our Alexa devices 'Announcing' a door opens or closes using 'Routines' in the Alexa app. I have the Alexa app checking for when a sensor opens or closes. That's working just fine for me. What I would like to do, however, is have Alexa 'Announce' a door is open every 20 minutes until it closes, as well as send me a text message after the second 'Announcement'. After reading through the forums, it looks like IFTTT is the best way for the text piece? I've been playing with different programs to get Alexa to continue to make the announcements until the door closes, but just can't figure it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Yeah - the button to control the doors is large, lit and has 3 buttons in it - 2 control the lights. My 3 gang outlets are in the ceiling near the motor (picture I posted). I'll wire the IOLink in parallel to the 2 wires coming from the large button (the one that controls the door), and put the sensors where suggested near the top center of the doors. I can plug the IOLink into the ceiling where the motors are plugged in now. Thank you for your help - I just ordered them.

Here's the manual - they talk about wiring on page 16. https://www.chamberlain.com/catalogresourcesv3/en-us/shared/files/tucmanuals/114a4256.pdf

It's a Chamberlain - looking for the manual right now... I suppose I could figure out which two wires go to the large button (open/close door) and connect the IOLink to those, rather than the smaller buttons that control the lights.

Thanks Paul. This is a picture of what I have: (I can take a better photo if needed.)

Looks like Smarthome is having another sale today - 50% off Insteon stuff. I have two garage doors, so I need two 74551s. Question - will installing these allow me to still use our existing remotes? I would think so, but want to be sure. My guess is when I use an existing remote, the IOLink will know whether a door is opened or closed and report that activity to my ISY.

Gentlemen, interesting debate. I'll likely go with the IO Link as I'm familiar with the Insteon line and have had very good luck with it over the years. The Z-wave alternative would be a close second for me (at a similar price point). The good news is I have an ISY which supports both, as well as a bunch of TP-Link stuff I have. If either should fail, or go the way of the dodo bird, I'll still be covered.

Why? Do you have a specific product recommendation?