Can ISY use Amazon Echo as an Alert Device?

[db2ace2]

Hello Team, 

 

I am admittedly the most uninformed as to all of the hype about what the new AMAZON ECHO can and cannot do. I have seen the videos where you basically talk to it to give it commands which then can be transmitted to the INSTEON Network, Unfortunately sitting around talking out loud to devices seems to me to be more of a vision of a Mental Institution, so that is not something I am going to jump out and buy at this time, I would much rather continue to depend on Motion Sensors to accomplish my automation tasks rather than spending my time dictating commands out load to devices..

 

That said, I am still looking for something (Anything) better that the recent INSTEON ALERT device. That device is also totally useless to me and only very slightly better than an X10 Chime. Because of its shortfalls that too (ALERT) is something I will not jump out and purchase in its current form either.

 

What I am looking for is a way to issue an ISY Program Command such as "SET" that could set a device such as the ECHO to a specific variable level that would then Speak or Play a MP3 or other sound type file so that the ECHO could then be used as an ALERT device, In other words when I detect Motion on my Driveway it could speak to me and say "Motion Detected on Driveway by sensor 2".

 

Right now that would be the most useful item I can think of to improve my home automation capabilities.

 

Does this type of functionality exist with any current devices or is it planned for the Echo, or have they totally missed my boat once again?

 

Comments are appreciated!

 

Thanks

Charles Seiler

 

 

 

[phlojo]

I hear you. (punt intended )...

 

Amazon echo now has a 'feature' where you can say to itself "Symon says 'whatever' " and then it repeats in its own voice 'whatever'.  This can be triggered from the wireless remote even.  It tells me that the Echo could be used to trigger its voice and other audio bits - - - however, I don't believe there is a way to tie into this.  Maybe if one develops apps for it, there could be a way, but even then, my basic understanding now is that those apps would have to be first initialized or interacted with via voice using the 'skill' approach.

 

I always assumed one could connect some kind of multi switch to ISY and that switch could then turn on/off sounds from some 'sound machine/board/player'... but I know I'm not helping you much with this assumption....

[Teken]

Hello Charles,

 

As far as I am aware the Echo in its current form can not be made to invoke phrases. This also interests me as I am looking for something similar like if weather conditions which I defined in the ISY have been met Alexa would speak and say.

 

*Freezing rain warning is forecast* *Tornado Warning* *Girl friend is approaching GEO fence* etc.

[Xathros]

 

 

Does this type of functionality exist with any current devices or is it planned for the Echo, or have they totally missed my boat once again?

 

 

I do this with my UBI.  I have a number of announcements triggered by ISY network resource rules that let me know when the washer or dryer have finished, an exterior door is left open too long, my pellet stove fails to ignite, my well pump runs too long, a leak is detected or the dog is out of water.  I am quite hopeful that this capability will come to the echo at some point and I will be able to retire the UBI.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Xathros

[Teken]

I do this with my UBI.  I have a number of announcements triggered by ISY network resource rules that let me know when the washer or dryer have finished, an exterior door is left open too long, my pellet stove fails to ignite, my well pump runs too long, a leak is detected or the dog is out of water.  I am quite hopeful that this capability will come to the echo at some point and I will be able to retire the UBI.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Xathros

 

Xathros,

 

My friend it would be most excellent if you could find the time at some point and offer a real world review of this UBI device. Interested in the details of how it excels and were it falls short.

[bernieb]

I second Teken's suggestion ... I have 2 UBIs sitting in their boxes just waiting for me to put them to good use

[Xathros]

Hi Guys,

 

The UBI is an interesting little voice activated android computer backed by what else? ...  A cloud service.  Initial setup involves using a smartphone App to connect to a WiFi signal broadcast from the UBI, then using the App you can program the UBI to connect to your regular WiFi.  Once that is done, you create an account in the UBI Portal and associate your UBI's ID with that account.  From there, you can crete "Lessons" that define what the UBI can do.  Some lessons listen for utterances then execute commands, trigger IFTTT, call URLs, play music, turn On/Off various supported IoT things etc.  Unlike the Echo, you can have UBI actions triggered by an API call to the UBI portal.  I use this feature to trigger a number of different announcements via ISY network resources.  I do also have UBI lessons that call ISY programs for things like: Good morning, Good night, secure perimeter, Game Over (Blocks the kids XBox from my network).  These are things I will transition to Echo as the Echo integration matures.

 

UBI is capable of making local calls to the ISY's /REST interface.  It does still require cloud access as that is where the voice processing takes place and the lessons are stored but the end call to the ISY happens locally from the UBI->ISY on your lan.  This was a feature the I and several others lobbied for early in the UBI beta and, to my surprise,  they were actually pretty quick in implementing that for us.

 

The voice recognition in the UBI is OK.  Not as good as Echo but functional.  It does not work well if there is background noise from a TV or music playing.  UBI false triggers quite often during normal conversation or when the TV is playing near by.  That said, I've yet to see any commands executed from a false activation.

 

UBI development is slow but seems to be steady and there is a small but fairly dedicated bunch manning the UBI forums.  I haven't spent much time there recently.  Last time I was there, a number of folks had bailed out to the Echo camp.

 

There very well may be a future for UBI if development continues and it's capabilities keep growing.  At the moment, compared to Echo, it feels more like an Alpha stage product.  If Amazon decides not to bring announcement capabilities to the Echo, UBI could find a niche filling that void.

 

@bernieb-

 

If you have the UBIs already, it would be worth putting them to use.

 

Hope that helps.

 

-Xathros

[Teken]

Hi Guys,

 

The UBI is an interesting little voice activated android computer backed by what else? ...  A cloud service.  Initial setup involves using a smartphone App to connect to a WiFi signal broadcast from the UBI, then using the App you can program the UBI to connect to your regular WiFi.  Once that is done, you create an account in the UBI Portal and associate your UBI's ID with that account.  From there, you can crete "Lessons" that define what the UBI can do.  Some lessons listen for utterances then execute commands, trigger IFTTT, call URLs, play music, turn On/Off various supported IoT things etc.  Unlike the Echo, you can have UBI actions triggered by an API call to the UBI portal.  I use this feature to trigger a number of different announcements via ISY network resources.  I do also have UBI lessons that call ISY programs for things like: Good morning, Good night, secure perimeter, Game Over (Blocks the kids XBox from my network).  These are things I will transition to Echo as the Echo integration matures.

 

UBI is capable of making local calls to the ISY's /REST interface.  It does still require cloud access as that is where the voice processing takes place and the lessons are stored but the end call to the ISY happens locally from the UBI->ISY on your lan.  This was a feature the I and several others lobbied for early in the UBI beta and, to my surprise,  they were actually pretty quick in implementing that for us.

 

The voice recognition in the UBI is OK.  Not as good as Echo but functional.  It does not work well if there is background noise from a TV or music playing.  UBI false triggers quite often during normal conversation or when the TV is playing near by.  That said, I've yet to see any commands executed from a false activation.

 

UBI development is slow but seems to be steady and there is a small but fairly dedicated bunch manning the UBI forums.  I haven't spent much time there recently.  Last time I was there, a number of folks had bailed out to the Echo camp.

 

There very well may be a future for UBI if development continues and it's capabilities keep growing.  At the moment, compared to Echo, it feels more like an Alpha stage product.  If Amazon decides not to bring announcement capabilities to the Echo, UBI could find a niche filling that void.

 

@bernieb-

 

If you have the UBIs already, it would be worth putting them to use.

 

Hope that helps.

 

-Xathros

 

I had chocolate milk pouring out of my nose when I read that!

 

LMAO, well played my friend . . .

[db2ace2]

Thanks for all of the great input on this UBI. I had definitely never heard of it. I will also definitely want to do more research on it but it at least seems like a possibility to make Alerts Happen from INSTEON. I knew I came to the right Forum to get my ALERT Alternative questions answered!

 

Thanks Again.

Charles Seiler

[Scottmichaelj]

I brought the UBI KS project to Michels attention when it first was released to hope he would see the potential in it and get in and help from the ground up, but he disregarded me because it was cloud based. I backed the UBI way back when when it was first introduced on KS and I ended up returning it to them. I had a lengthy discussion with the creators with how it worked and what was promised vs what what actually happened. The UBI case is cheap garbage, voice recognition was IMHO horrific, the fact the power light glowed bright blue like a lighthouse beacon just all turned me off. I feel with some polish and more people behind it the UBI it could be a good product.

 

I then had a discussion about IFTTT with Michel when it first came out to help to ISY become integrated in the channels they provide, again because it was cloud based he shot me down. It hasnt been until the Amazon Echo did he actually saw value in moving forward but now IMHO the ISY is behind the curve playing catch-up to the SH HUB rather than paving the way to new areas. Or some could say SH Hub forced his hand and if he didnt provide it he would lose sales.

 

I like the UDI team and Michel and have nothing but the up most respect for them, however I think there is room for improvement on how the UDI as a company could grow, which I been vocal about and so has others including Teken. I feel like the UDI team is becoming like Microsoft and keep get beat to the punch and now playing catchup to be able to compete. Sad.

 

Another good example is the whole node, RasPI, Polygot, etc. Sure Vera sucks with plugins but its there. This could be a prime opportunity to add a feature to sell more units. Will it take another two years for them to decide to do it?

[Teken]

I brought the UBI KS project to Michels attention when it first was released to hope he would see the potential in it and get in and help from the ground up, but he disregarded me because it was cloud based. I backed the UBI way back when when it was first introduced on KS and I ended up returning it to them. I had a lengthy discussion with the creators with how it worked and what was promised vs what what actually happened. The UBI case is cheap garbage, voice recognition was IMHO horrific, the fact the power light glowed bright blue like a lighthouse beacon just all turned me off. I feel with some polish and more people behind it the UBI it could be a good product.

 

I then had a discussion about IFTTT with Michel when it first came out to help to ISY become integrated in the channels they provide, again because it was cloud based he shot me down. It hasnt been until the Amazon Echo did he actually saw value in moving forward but now IMHO the ISY is behind the curve playing catch-up to the SH HUB rather than paving the way to new areas. Or some could say SH Hub forced his hand and if he didnt provide it he would lose sales.

 

I like the UDI team and Michel and have nothing but the up most respect for them, however I think there is room for improvement on how the UDI as a company could grow, which I been vocal about and so has others including Teken. I feel like the UDI team is becoming like Microsoft and keep get beat to the punch and now playing catchup to be able to compete. Sad.

 

Another good example is the whole node, RasPI, Polygot, etc. Sure Vera sucks with plugins but its there. This could be a prime opportunity to add a feature to sell more units. Will it take another two years for them to decide to do it?

 

You and I share very similar thoughts about HA and other topics that is for sure. I can't speak for Michel but feel he is trying to balance the whole cloud vs local control.

 

Everyone knows I personally hate the whole cloud idea when it comes to automation, services, etc. Its not that its a bad thing its the people who are behind it have such a poor grasp of how its supposed to be used.

 

In Enterprise way back in the day it was well understood why remote access and having off site resources were important. With the current industry trend almost all of these companies have simply abused the whole concept of the cloud.

 

They do it for for selfish reasons besides just being cheap . . .

 

As I indicated in another thread (feels like ground hog day) I have no problem with UDI supporting cloud hosted services like IFTT at all. Because its the premise and idea behind it that makes it powerful for all of us.

 

Meaning in no way does it dumb down the the 994 Series Controller but extends its ability and capability to link to 3rd party devices / services which normally would be near impossible to do. Doing it the *local command & control* first is already present in the 994 and by allowing it to use the power of the IFTT service to me offers lots of value.

 

With respect to UDI following Smartlabs that's hard to say but if it forced his hand in moving toward with things like Echo, IFTT, etc.

 

Better to have and not need . . . Then, to need and not have . . .

 

I can tell by your written text and tone this is something that bothers you. As it has for me and many others in the past but I look at it this way. Regardless of why these services / hardware devices are being supported its better than:

 

Q: Will you consider integrating with other cloud hosted services?

 

A: No, we won't be  . . . 

 

 

As Michel indicated over the years his company is small and to try to support all things in the market place is simply not possible from a business / resource perspective. This is why I am so happy they decided to move forward with Z-Wave as this has allowed them to capture another revenue stream and also hedge their bets should Insteon every falter. 

 

UDI may not be super speedy in the IoT area but at least you know someone is thinking about the long term and not a flash in the pan fad.

 

My view is (IF) UDI makes a concerted effort to focus development and resources to make lots of the most common asked device support native in the controller. This will drive sales, adoption, and long term growth for the company and in my eyes the main drivers should be: Amazon Echo, Sonos, IFTT, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Plugin Support.

[Scottmichaelj]

You and I share very similar thoughts about HA and other topics that is for sure. I can't speak for Michel but feel he is trying to balance the whole cloud vs local control.

 

Everyone knows I personally hate the whole cloud idea when it comes to automation, services, etc. Its not that its a bad thing its the people who are behind it have such a poor grasp of how its supposed to be used.

 

In Enterprise way back in the day it was well understood why remote access and having off site resources were important. With the current industry trend almost all of these companies have simply abused the whole concept of the cloud.

 

They do it for for selfish reasons besides just being cheap . . .

 

As I indicated in another thread (feels like ground hog day) I have no problem with UDI supporting cloud hosted services like IFTT at all. Because its the premise and idea behind it that makes it powerful for all of us.

 

Meaning in no way does it dumb down the the 994 Series Controller but extends its ability and capability to link to 3rd party devices / services which normally would be near impossible to do. Doing it the *local command & control* first is already present in the 994 and by allowing it to use the power of the IFTT service to me offers lots of value.

 

With respect to UDI following Smartlabs that's hard to say but if it forced his hand in moving toward with things like Echo, IFTT, etc.

 

Better to have and not need . . . Then, to need and not have . . .

 

I can tell by your written text and tone this is something that bothers you. As it has for me and many others in the past but I look at it this way. Regardless of why these services / hardware devices are being supported its better than:

 

 

As Michel indicated over the years his company is small and to try to support all things in the market place is simply not possible from a business / resource perspective. This is why I am so happy they decided to move forward with Z-Wave as this has allowed them to capture another revenue stream and also hedge their bets should Insteon every falter.

 

UDI may not be super speedy in the IoT area but at least you know someone is thinking about the long term and not a flash in the pan fad.

 

My view is (IF) UDI makes a concerted effort to focus development and resources to make lots of the most common asked device support native in the controller. This will drive sales, adoption, and long term growth for the company and in my eyes the main drivers should be: Amazon Echo, Sonos, IFTT, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Plugin Support.

Teken Im gonna keep this short since Im at the movie theater getting ready to watch the new Star Wars as I haven't seen it yet and there is a cool new theater called the ipic with reclining seats, food etc (ipictheaters.com). But your right it bothers me and as a business owner and angel investor I offered my resources/$$ to help Michel back in 2012 for these two specific things. I put my money where my mouth is!

[KeviNH]

I'm not sure Amazon Echo is the best tool for this job.   If you want a ready-made text to speech solution, maybe look at Sonos?

 

That said, if you have a Unix-like computer up and running (MacOS, rPi, Ubuntu, etc), I wrote a Unix listener script which can be triggered by a network resource to say anything or play an MP3.   It does not use a cloud service, instead locally generates speech with the free open source "espeak" text-to-speech package.   On rPi you would run sudo apt-get install espeak

[ISYhbsh01]

Using Tasker & AutoRemote my android phone is making various voice announcements upon receiving network resource calls from the ISY.

[Teken]

I'm not sure Amazon Echo is the best tool for this job.   If you want a ready-made text to speech solution, maybe look at Sonos?

 

That said, if you have a Unix-like computer up and running (MacOS, rPi, Ubuntu, etc), I wrote a Unix listener script which can be triggered by a network resource to say anything or play an MP3.   It does not use a cloud service, instead locally generates speech with the free open source "espeak" text-to-speech package.   On rPi you would run sudo apt-get install espeak

 

Oh this might be something I have to look into much thanks for sharing this information.

[ISYhbsh01]

At home I have an Asus Vivo mini PC running Jriver connected to my -work in progress- whole house audio system. Jriver is a very powerful media player software which accepts REST commands for almost any function you can think of. I am still in the very early stages of making all this work the way I want. But I currently already use the ISY network resource to send REST commands to Jriver to play pre-recorded mp3 files to specific zones in the house.

 

EDIT: Another option, instead of a PC running Windows & Jriver, one can use a cheap android phone with tasker & autoremote and plug it in to an existing whole house audio system.

Edited January 27, 2016 by hbsh01

[Teken]

At home I have an Asus Vivo mini PC running Jriver connected to my -work in progress- whole house audio system. Jriver is a very powerful media player software which accepts REST commands for almost any function you can think of. I am still in the very early stages of making all this work the way I want. But I currently already use the ISY network resource to send REST commands to Jriver to play pre-recorded mp3 files to specific zones in the house.

 

If and when you get it hammered out it would be great if you could track your efforts in a step by step guide in the forums. Can this application run on a RPi?

[ISYhbsh01]

If and when you get it hammered out it would be great if you could track your efforts in a step by step guide in the forums. Can this application run on a RPi?

This project has unofficialy been on hold for a while due to lack of time... But it is high on my todo list.

 

I know they recently made a linux version of Jriver, but I am not sure if it can run on a pi. Also since it is a stripped down version I am not sure if it accepts REST commands like the Windows version does.

 

Also see my edited post above about using Tasker & AutoRemote on an Android.

[Teken]

This project has unofficialy been on hold for a while due to lack of time... But it is high on my todo list.

 

I know they recently made a linux version of Jriver, but I am not sure if it can run on a pi. Also since it is a stripped down version I am not sure if it accepts REST commands like the Windows version does.

 

Also see my edited post above about using Tasker & AutoRemote on an Android.

 

I did but unfortunately I'm using a iOS device and won't be due for a new phone until next year.

 

Boooooooooo . .  . 

[Scottmichaelj]

EDIT: Another option, instead of a PC running Windows & Jriver, one can use a cheap android phone with tasker & autoremote and plug it in to an existing whole house audio system.

Think one of those cheap boards with android os installed work well for this? Maybe a cheap option?

[ISYhbsh01]

If you keep an eye on the slickdeals website you can get every now & then good android prepaid phones for real cheap. I got a couple of Moto G's and Moto E's, which are rock solid Android phones, for $10 a piece at various times. I don't activate them with the carrier I just use wifi.

[KMan]

At home I have an Asus Vivo mini PC running Jriver connected to my -work in progress- whole house audio system. Jriver is a very powerful media player software which accepts REST commands for almost any function you can think of. I am still in the very early stages of making all this work the way I want. But I currently already use the ISY network resource to send REST commands to Jriver to play pre-recorded mp3 files to specific zones in the house.

 

EDIT: Another option, instead of a PC running Windows & Jriver, one can use a cheap android phone with tasker & autoremote and plug it in to an existing whole house audio system.

 

Thanks for this post.  I've been doing something similar with Subsonic (another media player), but the REST API is pretty limited.  They expect the client to do most of the heavy lifting, so I've written some python scripts to translate simple network resource requests into complex Subsonic REST calls.

 

I will have to check out Jriver.

[ISYhbsh01]

Thanks for this post. I've been doing something similar with Subsonic (another media player), but the REST API is pretty limited. They expect the client to do most of the heavy lifting, so I've written some python scripts to translate simple network resource requests into complex Subsonic REST calls.

 

I will have to check out Jriver.

In Jriver you can do almost anything with simple REST commands, no scripts needed. They call it MCWS commands.

[Michel Kohanim]

Yet another outrageous post from huddadudda who is only "testing" the portal and thus I shall not diginify all the factually incorrect assertions with a response.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[larryllix]

Looks like your Light Saber just cut off my......

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