WAF Open/Close vs On/Off

[pjjameso]

Is there a way to have the commands open and close in addition to on off? Use portal to control Curtains and saying turn on Curtains vs close Curtains would help on the wife acceptance factor.

[larryllix]

Stusviews has had some luck with this. Look for another thread in the search engine.

[asbril]

About a 4 weeks ago I installed my Automatic Curtains that connect to Zwave with a Mimo-lite.  I resolved the ON/OFF by creating a shortcut in the Google Home App and now we manage the curtains with "OK Google Open the Curtains" and same with "Close". It works perfectly.

Edited January 19, 2018 by asbril

[pjjameso]

Ummm, does Alexa have the same capability?

[asbril]

Ummm, does Alexa have the same capability?

I don't know.

[stusviews]

Yes, Alexa does. You'll need to download the Alexa smartphone app and create a routine. Also. if you are using programs, then you'll need to expose the scene as a light in the portal first.

[pjjameso]

Still missing how to do this... I am able to open the curtains via alexa by saying turn off curtains.  Curtains are in a scene controlled by keypad D button.  When i go to create a routine in alexa app and try to select a device it says ' this device not currently supported'.  What step am i missing in the process?

[stusviews]

I don't know what you're missing because I don't know what you did. First, did you add the scene to the smartphone app?

 

Then, select Routines, add routine (+), skip to Add action, Smart Home, Select Scene. Does the scene appear?

[pjjameso]

Added scene from ISY to portal

ISY portal shows Alexa category as device\light

Alexa app shows device as curtain

Able to execute Alexa turn on or off curtain and ISY executes the scene

When trying to creat routine selection of device app says device not currently supported.

 

Thanks for the help in trying to figure this one out.....

[stusviews]

Repeat, add scene to smartphone app.

[pjjameso]

Ok, guess that is my issue. For the life of me cannot get Alexa to recognize as a scene, always a device. The portal shows isy and Alexa as scene type. Yet Alexa discovers as device each time.

 

Thoughts?

[stusviews]

That's not a problem for what you want to accomplish. Create a a smartphone Alexa app to turn the scene/device on and another routine to turn the scene/device off to open and close the window covering. Did you add the scene/device to the smartphone app?

[pjjameso]

Stu,

 

The issue is that alexa will NOT discover the ISY Portal Scene as a scene in the APP. It always discovers it as Only a device.  The ISY Portal shows the ISY Category as a Scene and the Alexa Category as a Scene.  But the Alexa app will only recognize as a device.

[pjjameso]

Okay, making progress... deleted skill v3, deleted all devices and scenes.  Now scene come across and is in scene tab.  Of course when I try to create a routine and and select the curtain scene, NONE of the ISY scenes are presented.  Although all show up in both the devices tab and scene tab in the Alexa App.

 

Ugh..

[pjjameso]

There has got to be something a miss in the coding between the ISY Portal and the Alexa App.  This is what I am experiencing, 

• In the ISY i have a Scene called Family room curtains which contains a keypad button D
• In the portal i can select the ISY scene (Family room curtains) and map to an Alexa 'scene' category with spoken name 'curtains'.
• Alexa app will discover spoken name 'curtain' and list in both the scenes and devices categories.
• In App 'scenes' settings type is correctly identified as Scene with the correct ISY scene address
• In App 'devices' settings type is set as 'other', and description is correct as Family Room South Curtain
• I can voice command to turn on the curtains (open) and turn off (close)
• When I create a routine and select to control scene, no ISY linked scenes are presented, only my harmony scenes.
• When I try to create a routine and select control device, the ISY curtain device is presented but an "Alert' message box comes up and says 'This device is not currently supported' and will not let me continue.

Should add that I have the family room curtain scene used in a program to open and close each day with sunset and sunrise which is working perfectly. Which rules out that part of the equation.

 

Any help most appreciated.

Edited January 21, 2018 by pjjameso

[Goose66]

Alexa does some wacky things with Open and Close, but I don't know if it is the ISY Skill or the Alexa logic. It also seems to do different things based on the name and/or Alexa category of the device/scene in the portal. Here are some examples (note that "Alexa, turn on ..." and "Alexa, turn off .." for these all work flawlessly):

 

Device Name                Alexa Category 

Backyard lights            Scene                 

 - "Alexa, open back yard lights" - "Sorry, cameras don't work on this device" (no cameras in my system)

 - "Alexa, close back yard lights" - "Ok" and lights turn off

 

Front Entry Lights         Device/Light

 - "Alexa, open entry lights" - "Ok" but lights do not turn on

 - "Alexa, close entry lights" - "Ok" and lights turn off

 

Pool Sheers                  Device/Switch

 - "Alexa, open pool sheers" - "Sorry, I don't know that"

 - "Alexa, close pool sheers" - Alexa goes bee-bum

 

Small Garage                Scene

- "Alexa, open small garage" - "Sorry, I don't know that"

- "Alexa, close small garage" - "Ok" and garage door closes

 

 

Doesn't appear to be a lot of consistency here.

Edited January 22, 2018 by kingwr

[pjjameso]

Wow that’s exactly what’s happening with me. Set up Alexa as switch in portal. Can get it to close most of the time but open does nothing. Giving up at this point and reverting to turn on (open) and turn off (close) and not telling the wife about it.

 

Unless the wizards at UDI come up with a solution.

 

Thanks for the sanity check.

[stusviews]

What are you actually using to control the window covering, a scene or a program? Are you using an iOS or Android app?

[Goose66]

I think the Open thing may be a security feature. I know that your Smarthome Skill can't allow garage or other doors to be opened on an "Open" command in order to pass certification. But the weirdness and inconsistency in the responses is what's interesting Would be interested in knowing if it’s coming from a return code from the Skill or from the Alexa side. Perhaps Brian Mercier can shed some light on that question.

Edited January 22, 2018 by kingwr

[pjjameso]

What are you actually using to control the window covering, a scene or a program? Are you using an iOS or Android app?

Using iOS, to control opening and closing of the curtains.  Definitely a bug in the ISY Portal/Alexa interface. Have managed a workaround by using two new programs to trigger the scene. One program then statement to open (turn on the scene) one program to close (turn off the scene).

 

In ISY Portal each program is mapped to a Alexa Device\light category with the spoken word of open curtains and close curtains. These show up in the alexa app as 4 yes four devices/icons. A light, and a house with wifi inside.  The house icon's description is the program name eg Family Room Curtains Close (program) with a type of Other.  The Light icon description is ISY Program address 0040, type light.

 

From all this I am able to create two routines, Alexa, close curtains; Alexa, open curtains as the spoken phrase. The Alexa will action operates on the Light devices.

 

This works each and everytime to open and close the curtains.  Have noticed the light indicator on the keypad does not always follow correctly.  Will always turn off correctly but not always turn on.

 

Long and short of the above.... Controlling a scene directly using the ISY Portal combined with Routines does not work, period. 

[asbril]

Using iOS, to control opening and closing of the curtains.  Definitely a bug in the ISY Portal/Alexa interface. Have managed a workaround by using two new programs to trigger the scene. One program then statement to open (turn on the scene) one program to close (turn off the scene).

 

In ISY Portal each program is mapped to a Alexa Device\light category with the spoken word of open curtains and close curtains. These show up in the alexa app as 4 yes four devices/icons. A light, and a house with wifi inside.  The house icon's description is the program name eg Family Room Curtains Close (program) with a type of Other.  The Light icon description is ISY Program address 0040, type light.

 

From all this I am able to create two routines, Alexa, close curtains; Alexa, open curtains as the spoken phrase. The Alexa will action operates on the Light devices.

 

This works each and everytime to open and close the curtains.  Have noticed the light indicator on the keypad does not always follow correctly.  Will always turn off correctly but not always turn on.

 

Long and short of the above.... Controlling a scene directly using the ISY Portal combined with Routines does not work, period. 

If you can afford it ($ 49) I definitely recommend to get a Google Mini. It definitely works for me with  "OK Google Open Curtains" or "OK Google Close Curtains" . I actually have a double tracks system and have named these separately  (light curtains and dark curtains). Of course Google Home confirms action with "Turning Curtains ON"  (or "OFF"), because that is the underlying instruction of the shortcut. 

My wife, who has no taste for my home automation, uses the Google Home curtain action all the time.

Edited January 22, 2018 by asbril

[stusviews]

If you're using a program, then Off is not available to a routine. In the portal, expose the program as a light, rediscover in the smartphone app and add a new routine for Off.

[pjjameso]

Using iOS, to control opening and closing of the curtains.  Definitely a bug in the ISY Portal/Alexa interface. Have managed a workaround by using two new programs to trigger the scene. One program then statement to open (turn on the scene) one program to close (turn off the scene).

 

In ISY Portal each program is mapped to a Alexa Device\light category with the spoken word of open curtains and close curtains. These show up in the alexa app as 4 yes four devices/icons. A light, and a house with wifi inside.  The house icon's description is the program name eg Family Room Curtains Close (program) with a type of Other.  The Light icon description is ISY Program address 0040, type light.

 

From all this I am able to create two routines, Alexa, close curtains; Alexa, open curtains as the spoken phrase. The Alexa will action operates on the Light devices.

 

This works each and everytime to open and close the curtains.  Have noticed the light indicator on the keypad does not always follow correctly.  Will always turn off correctly but not always turn on.

 

Long and short of the above.... Controlling a scene directly using the ISY Portal combined with Routines does not work, period. 

 

Thanks Stu, have it working using two programs as mentioned above.  The real issue is that ISY Portal and Alexa Scenes do NOT talk to one another for use in Alexa routines.  Hoping the crew at UDI can address the issue.

[stusviews]

Glad you finally got it working, but if you expose the program as a light, then you can use one program for both open and close as a "light' can be turned on (runs then) or off (runs else).

 

I agree about the confusion. Alexa smartphone groups are somewhat different than Alexa computer groups both of which are very different from Insteon groups which are actually scenes. But Alexa is meant to be generic, not tied to Insteon (nor the ISY portal)