Alexa groups

[Paulk8]

The latest update lets you assign a Alexa device to a group. The problem is each Alexa device can only be assigned to one group. Unless I’m missing something this is very disappointing.

[lilyoyo1]

The group allows you to simply say turn your lights on/off without having to say what room you are in. The old way you had to specify which room. How else would the system know what room you are specifically talking about?

 

Keep in mind this is still the early stages of automation. Things will take time before our systems know exactly what we are referring to.

 

Note, you can still use spoken commands if you want to turn off another set of light. For example. If you're in the livingroom and want to turn off those lights, simply say turn off the lights. If you want to turn off the kitchen. Lights while in your livingroom, then you would say, turn off the kitchen lights

[stusviews]

Groups have been around for quite a while. The same Insteon device can be assigned to any number of groups. I'm not sure what an Alexa device is.

[G W]

Groups have been around for quite a while. The same Insteon device can be assigned to any number of groups. I'm not sure what an Alexa device is.

Alexa device: Echo, Dot, Tap, Fire Tablet, etc, etc, etc.

 

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[Yoda_One]

The "Group" the Op is referring to is the Music Group. The answer is "Yes" at the present time but I feel they will modify the Group Function to allow multiple devices in multiple groups.

What I created is everything group to listen tol my Alexa devices that are available. I am little disappointed that the Tap is not included. I hope the Tap and TV/ Stick will be included in the future updates.

 

Laughing at Oneself and with Others is Good for the Soul

Edited October 29, 2017 by Yoda_One

[fryfrog]

While Music Groups have a similar limitation, this post surely is referring to the new system that lets you create a Group with devices and an Echo, then say "Alexa, turn on the lights" to *that* Echo and have it work. The limitation of an Echo being only in one group makes sense in this case, since that is how it knows what devices to turn on/off when you just tell it to "Turn on the lights"

For Music groups, the limitation is a little less understandable to me.

[Goose66]

Keep in mind this is still the early stages of automation. Things will take time before our systems know exactly what we are referring to.

 

I don't know how old you are, but I have been working on automating my home since 1995. At that time, I had a computer in a closet controlling lights via x10 switches and plug-in modules, a custom interface to my thermostat controlled by the Centronics parallel port on my computer, a genlock that allowed web pages, automation status, and messages to be displayed over my TV signal, and an IBM voice command card that allowed me to turn on and off devices by voice (granted I had to speak directly into the computer mic.) After 22 years, I am constantly shocked at how little progress we have made in home automation since that time.

 

Regardless, I certainly don't consider this the "early stages" of home automation. 

Edited November 2, 2017 by kingwr

[G W]

Don't confuse Home Control with Home Automation.

 

Home Control has been around since the 70's. Home Automation is very very young and still in its infancy.

 

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[Goose66]

My PC controlled the lights and thermostat based on my comings and goings. That's home automation.

[G W]

My PC controlled the lights and thermostat based on my comings and goings. That's home automation.

Yes, but barely. That's a very very very small part of automation.

 

That would be like saying, "My car automatically changes gears so it's self driving."

 

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[larryllix]

I consider my watering cycles based on light intensity, written in a PLC style language similar to ISY994, (HC2000), running on a 40MHz 80486 cpu back in the 1980s decade to be automation.

 

It was around but not for the faint of heart.

 

OTOH my in wall motion detectors are home automation also.

 

I guess this comes down to definitions. Does smart automation take two or more logic elements? The wall MSes have sensed motion as well as light levels! Most of my ISY programmes only use one element.

 

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Edited November 2, 2017 by larryllix

[G W]

I consider my watering cycles based on light intensity, written in a PLC style language similar to ISY994, (HC2000), running on a 40MHz 80486 cpu back in the 1980s decade to be automation.

 

It was around but not for the faint of heart.

 

OTOH my in wall motion detectors are home automation also.

 

I guess this comes down to definitions. Does smart automation take two or more logic elements? The wall MSes have sensed motion as well as light levels! Most of my ISY programmes only use one element.

 

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It is, but the original point is that we are in the "early" stages of Home Automation.

 

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[stusviews]

I don't know how old you are, but I have been working on automating my home since 1995.

 

I played with HA as a youngster in the early 50s, all home-brewed based on conventions/shows about the future and, mostly, Popular Mechanics magazine. I got a bit more serious about HA in the late 70's and early 80's, mostly X10 and and, a few home-brewed devices.

 

Half a century later is not the early stages. However, we are in the somewhat early stages (less than a couple of decades) of using sophisticated micro processors for HA and, even more recently, AI.

[Goose66]

It is, but the original point is that we are in the "early" stages of Home Automation.

 

Precisely the point of my reply. We are only in the "early stages" of Home Automation if you think the timescale for Home Automation is like 100 years. Based on where we were in the early 90's, and compared to how the Internet and mobile phones have progressed, we should have us a J.A.R.V.I.S. by now - not something like Alexa that I can play parlor tricks with my telling her to turn on my fireplace, but a real AI that can see the big picture in the house and control things in a way that makes life safer, more secure, and less expensive.

[G W]

Precisely the point of my reply. We are only in the "early stages" of Home Automation if you think the timescale for Home Automation is like 100 years. Based on where we were in the early 90's, and compared to how the Internet and mobile phones have progressed, we should have us a J.A.R.V.I.S. by now - not something like Alexa that I can play parlor tricks with my telling her to turn on my fireplace, but a real AI that can see the big picture in the house and control things in a way that makes life safer, more secure, and less expensive.

You can have a lot more now but not on your budget.

 

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[Goose66]

You can have a lot more now but not on your budget.

 

And you presume to know my budget how?

[G W]

If you had a $250,000 budget you wouldn't be using ISY.

 

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[drprm1]

And you presume to know my budget how?

Just let it go

[stusviews]

If you had a $250,000 budget you wouldn't be using ISY.

 

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Although not nearly a quarter of a million, I have a relatively large budget and the ISY is still my choice.

[G W]

Yes, Stu, of course you do.

 

It's also my choice as I'm not in the 1%.

 

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[lilyoyo1]

I don't know how old you are, but I have been working on automating my home since 1995. At that time, I had a computer in a closet controlling lights via x10 switches and plug-in modules, a custom interface to my thermostat controlled by the Centronics parallel port on my computer, a genlock that allowed web pages, automation status, and messages to be displayed over my TV signal, and an IBM voice command card that allowed me to turn on and off devices by voice (granted I had to speak directly into the computer mic.) After 22 years, I am constantly shocked at how little progress we have made in home automation since that time.

 

Regardless, I certainly don't consider this the "early stages" of home automation.

In answer to your question im 41. I grew up with computers and X10 as my dad was a programmer from the main frame days. As far back as I can remember, all I have known are computers. Yes the technology has been around for decades. However it was not useable for the majority of people.

 

If you want to be technical about things yes it's been around for decades but the reality of what what systems are capable of doing today is in it's early stages. Back in the early days, what we are doing now was not available to the masses. We are now at a point where consumers can adopt automation technology with ease and yes that part is in it's early stages.

 

We're all intelligent people here. We don't have to try to make ourselves feel more intelligent by correcting a point that the avg person can comprehend.

Edited November 7, 2017 by lilyoyo1

[asbril]

In answer to your question im 41. I grew up with computers and X10 as my dad was a programmer from the main frame days. As far back as I can remember, all I have known are computers. Yes the technology has been around for decades. However it was not useable for the majority of people.

 

If you want to be technical about things yes it's been around for decades but the reality of what what systems are capable of doing today is in it's early stages. Back in the early days, what we are doing now was not available to the masses. We are now at a point where consumers can adopt automation technology with ease and yes that part is in it's early stages.

 

We're all intelligent people here. We don't have to try to make ourselves feel more intelligent by correcting a point that the avg person can comprehend.

I think that "early stages"  is a relative concept.  I'd love to see what home automation will be in 25 years and by then I would think that 2017 will be considered early stages.

[G W]

When we have an available device that will know when "I" am home that's when Home "Automation" will be out of the early stages.

 

Until then, I consider this a stage of Home "Control."

 

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Edited November 8, 2017 by Gary Funk

[stusviews]

AI has already moved HA out of the early stages.

[G W]

AI has already moved HA out of the early stages.

And where do we aquire this so called "AI" for our ISY?

 

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