Suggestion

[MarioLanning]

Is there a way to add to when I can say "Alexa tell issy to turn off (insert name here) in XX minutes.

 

This way I can tell her to turn off the porch lights in 10 minutes and give me enough time to leave the area.

 

 

Thanks

[stusviews]

Sure. Write a program that turns off the lights 10 min. after it's executed. There is no need to provide conditions.

 

If (nothing)

 

Then

        Set (device) On

 

Else

       Wait 10 min

       Set (device) Off

 

If the name of the program is 'porch' then, "Alexa, turn porch on" will run Then and "Alexa, turn porch off" will run Else.

[Teken]

I can't speak to what Mario Lanning means with 100% confidence but as I understand it. In the big picture the whole automation system should be able to take commands and invoke those requests.

 

What all of us are doing is defining elements and different variables that suite those needs. One is predefined in the system and that's fine in the small picture.

 

In the big picture a person shouldn't have to do any of these things and it should just do as requested. This is along the same lines of the *system* being able to proactively tell you something with out being prompted to do so. Its safe to say these features we have all enjoyed in Iron Man (Jarvis) is a long way from becoming reality for the Average Joe.

 

I can only imagine IBM's Big Blue or any of the super computers out there (IF) the Average Joe could have such processing power where the Home Automation industry would be.

 

Considering how long HA has been going on from the X-10 days . . . It really doesn't seem that there are huge leaps and bounds in the industry besides higher reliability, access, and methods sense random things.

 

Personally, voice control is very much in the X-10 infancy stage . . .

 

Hope to see it become AMI, HAL, Jarvis, one day.

[jerlands]

Thing with Automation is it demands customization and that requires programmings.  As Alexa evolves I hope to see many more useful features come out of it... which could include a wait

 

 

Jon...

[stusviews]

... as I understand it. In the big picture the whole automation system should be able to take commands and invoke those requests.

 

What programming does best is a repetitive task without having to take all the steps. In this specific situation, it's turning of the light after a specified time. Because this is a voice controlled task, the less lengthy the phase, the easier it is to accomplish. With lots of processing power and AI, one could state, "turn off the light in ten minutes." Or, with a program, one need say only "turn off the light."

[larryllix]

Thing with Automation is it demands customization and that requires programmings.  As Alexa evolves I hope to see many more useful features come out of it... which could include a wait

 

 

Jon...

If you think of it this is actually asking ISY to accept a passed parameter. This may come in years but I doubt soon.

 

Even if Alexa could accept concurrent commands like

 

Alexa Wait  and then turn off bedroom light.

whereas the ISY Wait could be a 10 minute program delay to set a flag

Then the bedroom light off program could be activated when the timer was complete.

 

I am guessing this could be done now. This would take a bank of variable and routine triggered on those variables. I use that technique now.

 

When Alexa is asked to do each task it could set a "forthcoming" bank of variables based on the task.

After the installed wait the "forthcoming" bank of variable would be copied into the trigger bank of variable and the task would run after a delay.

 

"Alexa ask izzy to wait" sets a short timer program

"Alexa ask izzy to wait longer" sets a longer timer program

"Alexa ask izzy to turn bedroom lights off" set the "forthcoming" bank variable.

 

Of course this would take multiple repeated programs involved in time delays.

 

Commands may become possible like.

"Alexa, ask izzzy to delay unit 8 PM" etc.... using the same technique.

[jerlands]

The alarm clock that allows "Alexa, set the alarm for 7:30 a.m." so there's already some ability to set an event into the future.

 

 

 

Jon...

[stusviews]

Why not add devices directly to the Echo and have it write programs based on verbal commands. The only difficult I see is that the program will do what you said, not what you meant

[larryllix]

Overlapping timers could be a problem for simple schemes to implement this in ISY.

[Teken]

What programming does best is a repetitive task without having to take all the steps. In this specific situation, it's turning of the light after a specified time. Because this is a voice controlled task, the less lengthy the phase, the easier it is to accomplish. With lots of processing power and AI, one could state, "turn off the light in ten minutes." Or, with a program, one need say only "turn off the light."

 

True, but this assumes a simple and repetitive *defined* time interval is required. I know we are a long way off from complete voice control but that would be really nice to see one day.

 

Jon is also correct if Amazon some how allowed Alexa to use the timer function built in to interact with the 994 Series Controller this would be a huge step in accomplishing the OP's request in the (Big Picture).

 

I envision at least two variables where 0 represents off - 1 indicates on etc. So when a person tells Alexa to set a XX timer for what ever device Alexa herself would be the one doing the counting. Once that time had arrived she would then set the variable to what ever condition of either on / off.

 

This simple method would offer huge possibilities to HA . . .

 

But like I said (IF) and when she can actually be pro active and call out conditions with out being prompted to do so this would be very close to the holy grail.

 

Now, perhaps one day someone will be able to tie into the CPU power of the X Box / PS4 as many others have to complete extremely process intensive tasks. 

 

This in my mind would be another method to offset high CPU computational tasks from a low powered device like the 994 Series Controller. I am surprised this hasn't been considered before since many educational, military, and Enterprise industries have done the very same.