No devices discovered using v3

[JBHorne]

I was running v2 just fine, but decided to try out v3. Removed the V2 skill, forgot devices, installed and linked v3 skill. Now it won't discover devices. ISY portal shows green connectivity. I also went to My Profile, removed the Amazon link, and re-enabled. I've removed the v3 skill and re-added to no avail.

 

Any ideas???

[bmercier]

I was running v2 just fine, but decided to try out v3. Removed the V2 skill, forgot devices, installed and linked v3 skill. Now it won't discover devices. ISY portal shows green connectivity. I also went to My Profile, removed the Amazon link, and re-enabled. I've removed the v3 skill and re-added to no avail.

 

Any ideas???

 

Make sure your preferred ISY is set on "My Profile".

 

When you enable the skill, you need to enter your ISY Portal user and password. Does that work fine?

 

FYI, with V3, you no longer need to set the Amazon account in My Profile.

 

Benoit

[stusviews]

FYI, with V3, you no longer need to set the Amazon account in My Profile.

 

Does that mean that I can simply create a new sub-account without a corresponding Amazon account? I currently have four accounts and would like to add a fifth. Also, can I delete the extra Amazon accounts w/o making any portal changes?

[bmercier]

You no longer need multiple accounts, unless you want your echo in different accounts.

 

With V3, when you link your echo ISY smart home skill, you link it to an ISY portal accounts.

 

With V2, you were linking the ISY Smart Home skill with an Amazon account, which had to be set on an ISY Portal user profile.

 

In other words, with V3, the account linking is direct.

 

Benoit

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stusviews]

Benoit,

 

I do want and need multiple accounts to allow the same spoken perform different tasks based on where the Echo device is located.

 

OK, I created and approved a new sub-account plus a new user. If I log in using the new user credentials, then the only tools are ISY Web Access and Information. When I log in to the Main Account, I can add to the new account, but I don't see a way the add the ISY skill to that account.

 

Too, how do I add an Echo device to the new sub-account without adding an Amazon account?

 

There's no urgency. An immediate response in not needed. Enjoy whatever you're doing

 

Thanks,

Stu

[bmercier]

Stu,

 

Make sure the user you created is an account admin. It will be an admin within the scope of the subaccount only, and therefore, will be able to add spokens.

 

Here's the data relationship:

Echo Smart Home Skill V3 -> Linked to ISY Portal user profile -> within an account -> ISY in that account -> Spokens belong to an account/ISY combination 

 

So:

- Echo has the V3 skill enabled, which is linked to a user profile.

- That user profile is within an account (or sub-account)

- That account must have at least one ISY with an approved status. If there is more that one ISY in that account, the user's preferred ISY is used to identify which ISY to use.

- Spokens belong to the ISY/Account combination

 

Tip: To manage the spokens for that sub-account, you don't have to login with the user profile in that sub-account. A user profile in the root account has the right to edit spokens in sub-account. Just make sure to select the sub-account before editing spokens.

 

Benoit

[JBHorne]

Make sure your preferred ISY is set on "My Profile".

 

When you enable the skill, you need to enter your ISY Portal user and password. Does that work fine?

 

FYI, with V3, you no longer need to set the Amazon account in My Profile.

 

Benoit

 

Yes, the ISY is set as my preferred unit.

 

When I enable the skill, it has be sign in to my Amazon account. After that it brings up the portal authorization and I login there. Then it says to continue, close the window and discover devices. I run discovery and only my other devices (philips, ecobee, etc) are discovered.

 

I attempted this three times.

[larryllix]

Yes, the ISY is set as my preferred unit.

 

When I enable the skill, it has be sign in to my Amazon account. After that it brings up the portal authorization and I login there. Then it says to continue, close the window and discover devices. I run discovery and only my other devices (philips, ecobee, etc) are discovered.

 

I attempted this three times.

In v3 the devices are divided up into groups of style of devices. Look in the other groups.

 

Sent from my SGH-I257M using Tapatalk

[JBHorne]

In v3 the devices are divided up into groups of style of devices. Look in the other groups.

 

Sent from my SGH-I257M using Tapatalk

 

Within the ISY portal? Or within Alexa? On ISY --> Connectivity --> Amazon Echo, I see all my devices there with spoken words.

 

On Alexa site, under Groups, I have none, and they are not under Devices.

[bmercier]

Please open a ticket with your UUID and a reference to this thread, or just PM me your UUID.

 

Thanks,

 

Benoit.

[stusviews]

Hi Benoit,

 

Thanks for the response. The account is created and approved. The ISY indicates that the account is registered. I can select the account after I log in to the Main account. I can add devices. scenes and programs to that new account. But I don't see a way to enable any skill unless I log in to an Amazon account. I understand that an Amazon account is no loner required with v.3. So, how do I enable the skill for the new account?

[JBHorne]

Please open a ticket with your UUID and a reference to this thread, or just PM me your UUID.

 

Thanks,

 

Benoit.

 

PM sent. Thanks!

[JBHorne]

PM sent. Thanks!

 

You know what, I found them! They were all "scenes" and now show up under "Scenes" under "Smart Home" instead of "Devices" where they were with v2! All "fixed"! Thanks!!!

[stusviews]

You no longer need multiple accounts, unless you want your echo in different accounts.

 

So, if I want to use the same expression, for example, "Alexa, turn on the light," in each of different rooms with the result that only the light in that particular room turns on, then I still need multiple Amazon accounts. In any case, an Amazon account it required.

[bmercier]

So, if I want to use the same expression, for example, "Alexa, turn on the light," in each of different rooms with the result that only the light in that particular room turns on, then I still need multiple Amazon accounts. In any case, an Amazon account it required.

 

No, you don't.

 

Your 2 echo can use the same Amazon account.

 

When you enable the ISY skill in each, just link them to a different ISY Portal user profile.

 

Benoit

[TheFallenAngel]

No, you don't.

 

Your 2 echo can use the same Amazon account.

 

When you enable the ISY skill in each, just link them to a different ISY Portal user profile.

 

Benoit

You are very confusing again, what do you mean "use 1 Amazon account" but then "enabling the skill in each"? Skills are enabled by Amazon account, not by device...

 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

[stusviews]

You are very confusing again, what do you mean "use 1 Amazon account" but then "enabling the skill in each"? Skills are enabled by Amazon account, not by device...

 

That's exactly the problem I'm experiencing. I see no way to activate the skill for a particular Echo device, let alone the sub-account I created for that purpose.

[bipto]

Yeah, I'm pretty much lost too.  It may take screenshots and a couple of drinks for me to figure this out...  

[Goose66]

So, if I want to use the same expression, for example, "Alexa, turn on the light," in each of different rooms with the result that only the light in that particular room turns on, then I still need multiple Amazon accounts. In any case, an Amazon account it required.

Only if you are naming your devices "Light." If you name your devices something else and put them in a Smart Home Group with the Alexa device, when you say "Alexa, turn on the lights" it will turn on every device in the group that is identified as a lighting device by the portal to the ISY Smart Home Skill.

[larryllix]

You are very confusing again, what do you mean "use 1 Amazon account" but then "enabling the skill in each"? Skills are enabled by Amazon account, not by device...

 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

I have shopped through this skill, for hours now, and I see no way to connect to any other account than Amazon. Every account setting is the account name and password for Amazon, not what webpage.

 

I have disabled the account completely and re-enabled it, as well as poked every instance I can find of account names in each device and the master skill setup. The URL or location is never an option.

 

I'm lost.

[Goose66]

Only if you are naming your devices "Light." If you name your devices something else and put them in a Smart Home Group with the Alexa device, when you say "Alexa, turn on the lights" it will turn on every device in the group that is identified as a lighting device by the portal to the ISY Smart Home Skill.

 

Ok, having only enabled the v3 skill last night, I quickly added a couple of devices to my bedroom and tested it to make sure it worked before posting. However, now I am looking at how I would actually use this feature, and since scenes don't work with it, it's utterly useless. The Alexa Smart Home documentation describes a "scene" as a collection of devices to turn on or off together in no specific order. And I have SOME scenes that may fall into that category. But being and Insteon user, 80+% of my scenes are to support multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons that control a single light (or set of lights). I have dozens of multi-switch circuits in the house and at least 5 KPLs. If I add devices to a Smart Home Group so that I can use the "Alexa, lights off" commands, that throws synchronization amongst my multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons (realized by Insteon Scenes) out the window.

 

The way to fix this is to have the portal report Insteon Scenes as displayCategory of "LIGHTS" instead of "SCENES." Or better yet, add a dropdown in the portal so that I can select the displayCategory for my devices I add to the Alexa Skill.

 

Benoit, cela peut-il être fait?

[stusviews]

Ok, having only enabled the v3 skill last night, I quickly added a couple of devices to my bedroom and tested it to make sure it worked before posting. However, now I am looking at how I would actually use this feature, and since scenes don't work with it, it's utterly useless. The Alexa Smart Home documentation describes a "scene" as a collection of devices to turn on or off together in no specific order. And I have SOME scenes that may fall into that category. But being and Insteon user, 80+% of my scenes are to support multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons that control a single light (or set of lights). I have dozens of multi-switch circuits in the house and at least 5 KPLs. If I add devices to a Smart Home Group so that I can use the "Alexa, lights off" commands, that throws synchronization amongst my multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons (realized by Insteon Scenes) out the window.

 

The way to fix this is to have the portal report Insteon Scenes as displayCategory of "LIGHTS" instead of "SCENES." Or better yet, add a dropdown in the portal so that I can select the displayCategory for my devices I add to the Alexa Skill.

 

Benoit, cela peut-il être fait?

 

You should be able to add devices, scenes and programs to the Alexa app via the portal. I have bunches of scenes that are controlled by the Alexa app. Not all of these scenes control lights.

 

Or are you using the smartphone app. If so, then there are separate panels for devices, groups and scenes. Both devices and scenes include more than Insteon devices if you have devices installed that can also be controlled by the app, such as Harmony devices and thermostats. Groups have to be created and are for devices that you want to control as one that are not normally "grouped," for example a thermostat and a light.

 

You do not need to create a group for devices that are members of an Insteon scene.

[bmercier]

In order to support multiple Echos with different spokens in each, you do need to use different Amazon accounts, one per Echo.

 

Here's an example:

1. Amazon Echo A, using Amazon Account A, linked to ISY User Profile A, which is in a sub account with contains your first set of spokens A.

2. Amazon Echo B, using Amazon Account B, linked to ISY User Profile B, which is in a different sub account with contains your second set of spokens B.

3. Amazon Echo C, using Amazon Account C, linked to ISY User Profile C, which is in another different sub account with contains your third set of spokens C.

 

On ISY Portal:

You need a sub-account per Echo, with one ISY User Profile in each. Note that you can use your root account for one of your echo.

You can edit your spokens by first selecting the sub-account, then use Select Tools/Connectivity/Amazon Echo.

 

In the Alexa app:

When you are logged in to the alexa app using Amazon Account A, you should only see your Amazon Echo A.

You then enable the ISY Optimized for Smart Home V3 skill. When you do that, you may be prompted for your Amazon Account A first if you have been inactive for a while. If you do see the ISY Portal login, use your ISY Portal User Profile A.

 

You need to do the same for Amazon Account B/ISY Portal User Profile B, and then Amazon Account C/ISY Portal User Profile C.

 

My apologies everyone for the confusion I caused.

 

Benoit

[bmercier]

Ok, having only enabled the v3 skill last night, I quickly added a couple of devices to my bedroom and tested it to make sure it worked before posting. However, now I am looking at how I would actually use this feature, and since scenes don't work with it, it's utterly useless. The Alexa Smart Home documentation describes a "scene" as a collection of devices to turn on or off together in no specific order. And I have SOME scenes that may fall into that category. But being and Insteon user, 80+% of my scenes are to support multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons that control a single light (or set of lights). I have dozens of multi-switch circuits in the house and at least 5 KPLs. If I add devices to a Smart Home Group so that I can use the "Alexa, lights off" commands, that throws synchronization amongst my multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons (realized by Insteon Scenes) out the window.

 

The way to fix this is to have the portal report Insteon Scenes as displayCategory of "LIGHTS" instead of "SCENES." Or better yet, add a dropdown in the portal so that I can select the displayCategory for my devices I add to the Alexa Skill.

 

Benoit, cela peut-il être fait?

 

I'm aware of 2 limitations currently with Scenes;

- When you say "Alexa, all lights off" (or on), it will only turn off regular devices, not scenes.

- You can't turn off scenes in Routines.

 

A work-around for the first one is to use an Alexa group, which does support scenes (On and Off).

 

The second one is more annoying, I'm still waiting for Amazon. I'm not sure if a fix for the app is coming or not. If it does not, your suggestion is a good one.

 

Benoit

[Goose66]

I'm aware of 2 limitations currently with Scenes;

- When you say "Alexa, all lights off" (or on), it will only turn off regular devices, not scenes.

- You can't turn off scenes in Routines.

 

A work-around for the first one is to use an Alexa group, which does support scenes (On and Off).

 

The second one is more annoying, I'm still waiting for Amazon. I'm not sure if a fix for the app is coming or not. If it does not, your suggestion is a good one.

 

Benoit

Benoit,

 

I don’t think you are understanding the problem. I know how to add scenes to the portal and how to control those scenes using Alexa spoken commands.

 

The problem is the fact that the “implict targeting,” i.e., “Alexa, lights off” only works with those end points categorized as “Lights,” but most of my end points that I have (and I believe most Insteon users) are scenes. The reason for using scenes is to keep multiple switches and KPL buttons in sync. If we control devices directly all those multi-switch circuits and KPL buttons get out of sync.

 

In order to use the implicit targeting feature, we need the Portal to show the scenes as Lights in the discovery payload to the Alexa Smart Home API instead of Scenes.