How to set up Google Home

[adamthp]

21 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Thanks, I'll have to check out Xplornet. HughesNet gen5 was supposed to be great, but it's far from it.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Hughes net.... I’m sorry man. That was my life a few years ago until some rinky dink local outfit started beaming internet from across the lake, it was a true life changer!

[andrew77]

Hi guys,

I have everything set up and I'm having marginal success.

I can say "Turn on Theatre room" and it asks if I meant "Theatre room"

then it turns it on or off.

If I ask it to turn it on at a certain percentage it always says "Sorry, I couldn't find a device called "T-eatr Room"

I also tried to tell it to trigger a scene but it didn't work.

If I tell it to shut off Andrew's Office it asks if I meant Theatre room.

(Theatre room was the first device I entered if that helps)

In the iPhone app all I see is theatre room.

Do I have to 'push' the portal input to the app somehow?

This is what I've typed in.

Am I doing something wrong?

[palayman]

Not sure about Alexa, but using google home I try not to give devices the same name as the room they are in.  It causes confusion.

Perhaps

Room-Theater, Spoken-Light

Room-Basement, Spoke-Dim

Room-Andrews Office, Spoken-Light

etc.

[asbril]

16 minutes ago, palayman said:

Not sure about Alexa, but using google home I try not to give devices the same name as the room they are in.  It causes confusion.

Perhaps

Room-Theater, Spoken-Light

Room-Basement, Spoke-Dim

Room-Andrews Office, Spoken-Light

etc.

I believe that you can include the room name in ISY (e.g. master ceiling, kitchen ceiling, etc) and same as spokens,  but when you are in the kitchen, and you have a GH in the kitchen, you only need to say OK Google turn on ceiling.

[larryllix]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

I believe that you can include the room name in ISY (e.g. master ceiling, kitchen ceiling, etc) and same as spokens,  but when you are in the kitchen, and you have a GH in the kitchen, you only need to say OK Google turn on ceiling.

That is my problem with GH mostly and a good lesson for newbies to this sport.
I like to use the type of device (no matter if it is a scene, program or device) so if I use 
bedroom Lights, bedroom red lights, bedroom blue lights, bedroom, bedroom green lights, etc.. etc..

Then I command GH
OK google! Turn on bedroom lights
Google will respond. Turning on 8 bedroom lights!

So if you use a device type with adjectives (hue in this case) , you cannot use just the device name (keep the format constant)  or GH will think you mean all of them.
Alexa allows this.

This is not a big problem as long as you understand that GH does this grouping assumption, when adjective styles are mixed/missing.
 

[andrew77]

I'm finding Alexa App on the iPhone doesnt seem to update with the input I'm putting in on the ISY Portal

Is there a way to refresh or speed that up?

I' also lost on how to get Alexa to trigger scenes. I keep getting her saying "I don't know..."

Drew

[larryllix]

13 minutes ago, andrew77 said:

I'm finding Alexa App on the iPhone doesnt seem to update with the input I'm putting in on the ISY Portal

Is there a way to refresh or speed that up?

I' also lost on how to get Alexa to trigger scenes. I keep getting her saying "I don't know..."

Drew

Are you telling Alexa to "Discover"? I am not sure where that stands anymore but it still  seems to fix missed items sometimes. The app may need to be rebooted to get a new "grab" of data.

[palayman]

4 hours ago, asbril said:

I believe that you can include the room name in ISY (e.g. master ceiling, kitchen ceiling, etc) and same as spokens,  but when you are in the kitchen, and you have a GH in the kitchen, you only need to say OK Google turn on ceiling.

I find it better to leave rooms out of the names and make use of the room assignment.  You can still turn on the Kitchen(room) Pots(device) from any room by saying turn on "Turn on Kitchen Pots" but when you're in the Kitchen you can just say "Turn on the Pots".  I find this works best in bedrooms so you can just ask for the ceiling light to be turned on and only the one in the room you're in turn on without needing to know it's name.

[Jimbo.Automates]

I actually do the opposite, I add the default name as "family room ceiling fan" with second name as "ceiling fan" that way when I'm in the family room and say "turn on ceiling fan low" the GH replies "turning on family room ceiling fan low" which I prefer to just it just saying "turning on ceiling fan".

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL with Tapatalk

[larryllix]

With some of the skills you can install in Alexa (not via ISY) "set" is more sucessful..

Alexa. Set XXX lamp red

Alexa. Set XXX lamp to 50%

I found this works well with GH also. Rather than
Hey Google! Turn on XXX Lamp to 50%
Many times this will be asked for clarification of what device with Alexa or  GH gets confused with some other query.

[palayman]

33 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I actually do the opposite, I add the default name as "family room ceiling fan" with second name as "ceiling fan" that way when I'm in the family room and say "turn on ceiling fan low" the GH replies "turning on family room ceiling fan low" which I prefer to just it just saying "turning on ceiling fan".

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL with Tapatalk
 

I'd prefer that Google said a lot less.  The light coming on is confirmation enough for me or at most "OK".  My biggest peeve is that I have to say many words "Help Me Google" or "Hey Google" .  I wish google would let me choose a single word like "Computer".

[larryllix]

1 minute ago, palayman said:

I'd prefer that Google said a lot less.  The light coming on is confirmation enough for me or at most "OK".  My biggest peeve is that I have to say many words "Help Me Google" or "Hey Google" .  I wish google would let me choose a single work like "Computer".

I agree but I find there are times when Hey Google sounds best when you are using a louder voice from a distance but OK Google sounds more natural when you are talking closer and quieter. This seems to be the way you might address another human also.

[sanders2222]

1 hour ago, palayman said:

I find it better to leave rooms out of the names and make use of the room assignment. 

Agreed. And like larryllix I'll name the device type as follows:.

• A scene is a "Scene"  (and in the Spokens I include the word light or lighting)
• A 3-way switch is a "Switch" (Spokens is load or slave, the scene would have the word light)
• An outlet an "Outlet" (Spokens is outlet*).
• Any other switch that controls a light a "Light"  (Spokens do not repeat the word Light)

* Additional spokens like "tree lights" are added if outlet is not controlled by a scene.

This seems to work pretty good. I have under counter cabinet lights that are controlled by a switch on one side, and an outlet on the other.  But spokens "cabinet lights"  or "counter lighting" are only found in my scene that controls both.

[asbril]

6 hours ago, sanders2222 said:

Agreed. And like larryllix I'll name the device type as follows:.

• A scene is a "Scene"  (and in the Spokens I include the word light or lighting)
• A 3-way switch is a "Switch" (Spokens is load or slave, the scene would have the word light)
• An outlet an "Outlet" (Spokens is outlet*).
• Any other switch that controls a light a "Light"  (Spokens do not repeat the word Light)

* Additional spokens like "tree lights" are added if outlet is not controlled by a scene.

This seems to work pretty good. I have under counter cabinet lights that are controlled by a switch on one side, and an outlet on the other.  But spokens "cabinet lights"  or "counter lighting" are only found in my scene that controls both.

These are all good solutions. My personal experience has been that using the word "light" in different spokens in same room can confuse GH and turn on the wrong light.

[palayman]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

These are all good solutions. My personal experience has been that using the word "light" in different spokens in same room can confuse GH and turn on the wrong light.

Well this is one place where using the ISY portal has the Mobilinc implementation beat. In the portal you can choose the Category and make sure lights are all in the right one.  Using Mobilinc you can't and any light connected to a non-dimming switch (2477s) is assigned to a switch.  Any lights I have connected to them I make a point of having the word "Light" in the spoken. I have mentioned this to Wes and maybe one day we'll see an update.

[Bumbershoot]

8 hours ago, palayman said:

I wish google would let me choose a single word like "Computer".

Alexa allows "Computer" as a wake word, but It's astonishing how often "computer" is used in conversation these days.  "Alexa" quickly became less annoying.

[asbril]

12 minutes ago, Bumbershoot said:

"Alexa" quickly became less annoying.

Unless your name IS Alexa

[palayman]

11 minutes ago, Bumbershoot said:

Alexa allows "Computer" as a wake word, but It's astonishing how often "computer" is used in conversation these days.  "Alexa" quickly became less annoying.

There is a "The Source" commercial that plays at my Cottage in Northern, Southern Ontario, that constantly triggers my Google Home to play some Party Music. I actually reported it to "The Source" and they sent me a 50% off any web purchase coupon.

[andrew77]

Hi guys,

 

13 hours ago, larryllix said:

That is my problem with GH mostly and a good lesson for newbies to this sport.
I like to use the type of device (no matter if it is a scene, program or device) so if I use 
bedroom Lights, bedroom red lights, bedroom blue lights, bedroom, bedroom green lights, etc.. etc..

Then I command GH
OK google! Turn on bedroom lights
Google will respond. Turning on 8 bedroom lights!

So if you use a device type with adjectives (hue in this case) , you cannot use just the device name (keep the format constant)  or GH will think you mean all of them.
Alexa allows this.

This is not a big problem as long as you understand that GH does this grouping assumption, when adjective styles are mixed/missing.
 

I've tried to implement this idea. I'd like to say "Alexa, shut off the big room" or "Shut Off the basement lights" and have all the lights shut off but she keeps saying there are many devices named this...

In the portal I've named the devices like this for all lights in the big room

Room=Big Room

and then for each device

Big Room Ceiling

Big Room Wall Sconces

etc...

Did I misunderstand the post I quoted here?

Drew

[palayman]

Larry is talking about Google Home.  You are using Alexa.  Their implementations and behaviors are different. 

Quote

 

 

[andrew77]

Okay, I misunderstood then when he said Alexa allows this.

Is there a way to input the names to do this?

Or do i have to create scenes solely for voice commands?

Would Routines be the best bet?

I guess I'm hoping to be able to label the devices in the Portal with subsets like Big Room and be able to shut off sections of the house.

i.e. Alexa Shut off the basement would then shut off Library, Basement Hall, Theatre room, Various lamps, all of which are labelled Basement under the room setting in the Portal.

Drew

 

[larryllix]

38 minutes ago, andrew77 said:

Okay, I misunderstood then when he said Alexa allows this.

Is there a way to input the names to do this?

Or do i have to create scenes solely for voice commands?

Would Routines be the best bet?

I guess I'm hoping to be able to label the devices in the Portal with subsets like Big Room and be able to shut off sections of the house.

i.e. Alexa Shut off the basement would then shut off Library, Basement Hall, Theatre room, Various lamps, all of which are labelled Basement under the room setting in the Portal.

Drew

 

I don't use any room settingsand leave them blank in both GH and Alexa. I also do not set any items to Scenes as I don't want Alexa or GH to group anything. GH does someof tht anyway. ISY does it better. Most of my controls are using ISY programs as ISY knows best how to stage and sequence multiple brand lighting scenes and probably more than 50% of my devices are now non-Insteon devices. I have no Zwave.

I leave as much as possible to ISY in order to keep my sanity.

For A/V I  use things like
Alexa Turn on louder
Louder is an ISY program

[andrew77]

Hi Larry, thanks for the reply.

If I understand you correctly I should make a scene called Big Room Off in the ISY GUI and then trigger the scene from Alexa.

That makes sense.

You've touched on something I've been wondering about since I bought the echo.

Can I turn on my tv gear by saying Watch TV? (I have apple tv, blu ray, receivers, projectors< etc, all hooked up with IR that I trigger with two Harmony remotes)

If so, what gear do I have to buy for that if possible?

 

Drew

[adamthp]

A little off topic, but I wanted to share a little trick I found in GH.

I'll use my office as an example. I have an Insteon switch to control my main office lights. I have this setup as 'office lights' as the the spoken command, and in the office room in GH. I then have a lamp with a hue bulb in it. I don't control any of my hue stuff directly to the hue hub, all through the ISY. The spoken for the lamp is 'office lamp', but I have not placed this in the office room in GH, it is not in any room. What I wanted to achieve was to be able to say 'turn the lights on/off' while in the office(without having to say office lights) and only have the insteon controlled lights turn on and off, but also just be able to say turn the 'lamp on/off' while in the office(not office lamp) and have just the office lamp respond. I didn't want to control these together as I often turn the lights off and leave the lamp on. This would have happened had I added the office lamp to the office room in GH. I have plenty of other lamps throughout the house, but it only controls this one. I might not be doing the best job at explaining this... but I hope it helps. There is a bunch of nuances to the room awareness in GH, but also lots of ways to exploit it. 

This did not work when I had the hue hub connected directly to GH. When I would say lamp on/off without the room... it would turn all of my hue bulbs in the house (lots of them) on and off. 

[andrew77]

I have the Big Room off scene working but I have to say

"Turn on the Living room off"

If I say Turn the living room off she says okay and does nothing.

Right now I'm making a scene called Living room that will have all the devices in it. Then I'll tell Alexa to turn it off and just trigger that scene.

Is there an easier way?

 

Drew