Interface to Echo via Harmony

[oberkc]

I have been playing around with the echo a while.  I am not convinced that I value voice control much, but still find the whole thing interesting, so this has been an on-again, off-again activity for me.  I have several Harmony hubs around the house, and have a spare IRLinc receiver, so I was curious whether the harmony could be used as an intermediary between the echo and the ISY.  I have come to believe that a dedicated hub for lighting would be best, because the harmony is very much into "activities" and tends to turn off one activity when another is turned on.  (I really did not like it when my TV turned off when I turned on the lights.)  The other day, I noticed one of the original hubs (without the HA buttons) available for $50, so I thought I would try that, dedicating this hub exclusively to lighting control.

 

The harmony has, in its database, the IRLinc 2411R, which basically simulates the CC remote that comes with it.  The harmony can, therefore, be programmed to imitate the CC remote commands.  Unfortunately, when added to the ISY, the IRLinc shows up as only four scenes, A-D, even though the included remote has many more scene buttons beyond A-D.  This means, as best I can tell, that the IRLinc is limited to controlling four scenes, or triggering programs based upon the four buttons.  Thus, the harmony/echo will be equally limited to four scenes/programs.

 

With all the hardware in place, I found that my little echo can now control my insteon system.  Basically, adding the correct hub to the echo, and enabling the harmony skill, I now have scenes A-D that I can control via echo.  Adding those buttons as controllers for key scenes in my house, I can now control those scene with voice commands.  No monthly fees. 

 

Even better, it works with the blue harmony skill.  Alexa, turn on lights.  No need to say "alexa, tell harmony to turn on lights"

 

Let me know if you want any more details.  One has to pay attention to device power settings, and set up custom start and ending macros for the harmony, but it was not very complicated, and works very well.

 

[gilkman]

You can control  lights and home AV eqpt without needing an IRLinc.  Just need a Harmony, ISY, an isy.io account, and properly configured 'Groups" in the Smarthome section of the ALexa app.  Demo here showing activation of my home theater gear and lighting scenes with single commands without need to invoke 'tell Harmony' :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5BTrRUm_cA