What is the current method for using Amazon Echo through the UDI Portal?

[ScottAvery]

I followed what instructions I could piece together with no success.

 

I installed the portal module successfully, registered, confirmed the account, and then tested connecting to the web admin console from my.isy.io, and was able to access devices.

 

I enabled the skill in the echo and put in my portal credentials.

 

I tried updating devices through Izzy but she told me that method is out of date and to add spoken names within the portal.  I added 4 or 5 of them there on the portal, and had 4 or 5 in the notes field of my ISY.

 

Results always the same, I ask Alexa to tell Izzy to turn on [device spoken name form portal] and she doesn't know that device, and asks again what device?  The Alexa app shows that she did hear me correctly.

 

I tried changing names in the spoken field on the portal to be one two or three word names.  none worked.

 

I tried ask Izzy to lock all locks and she said zero devices successful, so that seemed like progress but didn't satisfy me as there were two unlocked Zwave locks that should have responded.

 

 

Any advice?

[Peabods]

This won't be a helpful reply, but i am in the exact same scenario. I did everything you outlined above. I see all of my devices under the Amazon Echo section on the portal and have filled in the spoken name for a few for testing, although i am still not successful in getting it to work. From the various posts i found on the subject there are two different ways of going about the ISY/Echo integration, the skill based UDI route and the method requiring the RPi or similar. I thought the skill based portion of Alexa didn't require anything but the proper configuration on the portal, Echo, Isy. There also doesn't seem to be a tutorial walking anyone thru what to do for it. There really can't be that many steps to it, just the matter of getting them all right.  

[stusviews]

Each time you add or change a "Spoken" name, you need to tell Alexa to ask Izzy (or ask Alexa to tell Izzy) to refresh devices.

 

BTW, I've never gotten any device to respond to a name that includes "computer," for example, computer, computer light, computer room, computer room light, etc. Others have reported success with that word.

[jerlands]

"Refresh Devices" doesn't work any longer...  you need to log into Portal and select Amazon Echo from Tools.

 

 

Jon...

[dbuss]

If you use one word names for your devices, you will have much better results.

 

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[ScottAvery]

I tried hall and kitchen. Alexa is hearing the words but not sending them successfully to izzy.

[Peabods]

I'm obviously doing something wrong. I know the skill is loaded because i can get the Echo to respond to the "Alexa, Tell Izzy to", she just always responds with "there is no device in your library..." Under the Amazon Echo Tool on the UDI Portal, when i go to "add" i see all of my devices on my Isy, I've added four devices from my list and provided the Spoken names for them. I assume these once saved are available on the Echo for the UDI Izzy skill, or no? Using all the proper syntax, i believe, i can't get anything to register on the Echo, or any indication that the spoken words i entered on the portal are available on the Echo. What's me missing step/s?

[dbuss]

I tried hall and kitchen. Alexa is hearing the words but not sending them successfully to izzy.

Are you saying, "Alexa, tell Izzy to turn on kitchen?

 

 

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[Peabods]

After adding in my main Kitchen light under the Echo section on the portal and assigning the spoken name to "Kitchen". Every time i address Izzy with "Alexa, tell Izzy to turn on kitchen." I get the following response from Alexa. "Sorry, i couldn't find the device or group name Kitchen in Justin's Profile." I get the same response for all Izzy requests. Any ideas? 

[stusviews]

Michel suggested instead of saying, "turn on device", say, "turn device on." But I believe that increases reliability. It may not correct not finding the device.

[Peabods]

Michel suggested instead of saying, "turn on device", say, "turn device on." But I believe that increases reliability. It may not correct not finding the device.

Is there any way to verify that my Isy/Portal & Echo are communicating properly? I know the Isy and Portal are good. I know the Echo has the skill enabled. But is there a way to verify on the Echo that everything is set up properly, like the device list, how do i know the Echo has access to my devices i've setup on the Portal?

[dbuss]

You could also try changing the one word description. "Kitchen" does work on my Echo.

 

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[ScottAvery]

So I have had some progress in that I discovered Alexa (or portal, rather) appears to be case sensitive.

 

I of course unscientifically changed a dozen things at once, to include disabling the skill and reconnecting Alexa to the ISY, then I created a new Spoken entry on the portal for a scene for all office lights in lower case "office", whereas all my other entries had been Title Case.  The office command was recognized.  I created some scene entries, to include "kitchen" and "dining room" and those worked.  "main hall" still doesn't work.  Going to continue to tinker.

[Peabods]

So I have had some progress in that I discovered Alexa (or portal, rather) appears to be case sensitive.

 

I of course unscientifically changed a dozen things at once, to include disabling the skill and reconnecting Alexa to the ISY, then I created a new Spoken entry on the portal for a scene for all office lights in lower case "office", whereas all my other entries had been Title Case.  The office command was recognized.  I created some scene entries, to include "kitchen" and "dining room" and those worked.  "main hall" still doesn't work.  Going to continue to tinker.

There's a winner! I used capitalization on all of them. After changing them few i had setup I was able to get "kitchen" to work, syntax needed to be very specific. I too will play around a bit and see if i can't dial in anything else. Please let me know if you stumble across any other good tips. Thanks

[ScottAvery]

Yes, other than some words it doesn't seem to like, putting all spoken entries on the portal in lowercase has worked for devices and scenes.  This should be trivial for Benoit to fix in the code.

 

edit:  now that the Connected Home is active I am updating this to remind readers this thread referred to the beta version of the SKILL only.

 

Current UD supported method:  http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/17861-amazon-echo-connected-home-feature-beta/?p=162199

[ScottAvery]

OH, and adding locks to the spoken list did allow them to work.  Not sure I want someone to be able to yell in the window to unlock the door though.  I suggest some tunable options for locks be a future feature.

 

Also, would love it if I could Alexa could tell Izzy to "shut the front door" to have it lock, not because it makes sense, but because I am a fan of the word play as replacement for STFU.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello everyone,

 

Just a quick comment:

If Alexa says that it didn't find x in your library, it means that it's reverted to Connected Home: that prompt is not coming from ISY Portal. So, please make sure you verbalize the TO strongly. i.e. Alexa tell izzy TO ...

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Peabods]

Thanks Michel, I'm slowing figuring out Alexa's trigger words that she wants to hear. Keep up the great work!

[50-50]

Hi guys!  Been working (slowly due to my job) to get Echo integrated. Getting some pressure from the inhabitants to get this done now... I have two suggestions, FWIW:

 

1.  Change the instructions on echo.amazon.com ISY skill to reflect all the changes (like lack of "refresh devices") since it was written.  Or point to the forum.

2.  Make a "Definitive Echo Integration" sticky post here with the real instructions, working/non-working words, best practices, etc.  Don't allow random debug posts in the sticky - only update with what works with the current code set.

 

A little bit of a rant, knowing full well this is all new and changing fast and everyone is working their *sses off (thank you!).  I've spent a lot of time reading threads with 20/50/+ pages to piece together what should be simple.  I finally got two rooms working - need to come up with "obvious" 1-2 word names that don't include the word "light" or "lights" for ~40 switches.  Hard to do, since my kitchen/dining (open concept) has 6 separate lighting groups/switches alone.

 

I'd also love to be able to skip the "tell izzy to" part... I only have one home automation controller (was a design requirement when I built this thing).  Perhaps there is a way to tell Alexa where to default to....?  

-- If I pause for just a second after "tell izzy to" then I have to listen to her greeting.... sigh. Yes, I sigh every time I have to hear it.

-- The voice integration ROCKS, it just needs to be faster than walking to a switch!  "Alexa, tell Izzy to turn on kitchen to 80%" is 15 syllables!  

-- In the above line, "turn on" is redundant to "to 80%".  Is there a faster way?

-- Now to train the household... :c)

 

For those that have more than one Echo integration point, they could select their default device and name the others for what makes most sense to their setup. 

 

Thanks for all the hard work on this!

50/50

[mwester]

 

 

I'd also love to be able to skip the "tell izzy to" part... I

 

There's a thread for the beta connected home integration - it works very very well, and doesn't require the skill.

[50-50]

There's a thread for the beta connected home integration - it works very very well, and doesn't require the skill.

 

Phenomenal! Added 4 lights w/ connected home method, 100% accuracy!  Took 2 minutes total (inc. reading ref post).  Using the "tell izzy"  method was hitting maybe 60% success rate.  Will do the rest soon and report back to that thread.  Awesome, guys!

 

Just need to know which forum group to read, I guess!