Alexa Motion Sensors not triggering routines

[macjeff]

This has happened before and Amazon fixed it internally.  I did report issue to them.

Here are the facts....

 

• They worked 24 hours ago and nothing changed on my end
• When motion is triggered on my end the ISY does report to Alexa and the device in the alexa shows the status.
• Asking alexa to turn things on and off work fine.
• The issue is ROUTINES are not triggering.  I created a new one.  Variable shows motion then say this.  Variable in alexa shows motion but routine does nothing
• I have a lot of these routines based on Variables set as motion sensors and none of them are triggering.
• Workaround is a Node server called Virtual Buttons.  It works fine.
• For a test I did reboot ISY on Polisy but no luck.
• I disabled and re-enabled the skill- no luck
• Added a new device along with new skill-no luck

If anyone else has this issue it would be great. 

THANKS!!

[macjeff]

Amazon says no other reports.  Last time (About a year ago) I had the same issue and took a while for them to agree that there was an issue.  It finally just started working.

[garybixler]

Not triggering routines started for me Friday afternoon. Called Amazon and they saw the problem and are now working or it or at least opened a ticket.

Edited November 5, 2022 by garybixler

[GlowingHair]

My routines are triggering, but about 1-3 minutes after they should. Luckily, for me at least, they aren't for anything critical, just convenient.

[larryllix]

MY routines quite working yesterday also! This happened a few years ago and amazon was always tight lipped about it, and never got back to me. The problem just went away after about a month last time.

I have checked all the data spots all the way through and the problem, again, lies with the routines just not triggering, despite every other data point working from variable to pseudo device in the alexa app.

You are not alone.

[MrBill]

As of the time of posting this message, Alexa is correctly controlling my devices via ISY.  Can't think of any times I've used voice commands this morning but it was also working correctly last evening.

[oberkc]

My routines are working, but seem much delayed compared to times past.  I have done no troubleshooting.

 

[macjeff]

just to be perfectly clear the problem is not about controlling devices. That works fine. The problem is when you have a variable set as a motion sensor or probably a motion sensor in general. It reports correct status to Alexa so it’s not a skill issue but the routine is never triggered from the skill. I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with Amazon screen sharing with me and they can’t figure out what’s going on so at least they issued a ticket to engineering. I just wanted to see if other people have the issue and it looks like there are some that do and some of the posts hear that say they don’t have any issues are talking about device controls not variable set as motion sensors. 

[DaveStLou]

I have had several routines fail today -- ones that have triggered without issue for as long as I can remember.

I suspect it an Alexa system issue (maybe related to time change?). My wife reports that alarms she has set in the kitchen today for various amount of times, immediately go off (like right away). She tried setting one recently and Alexa responded that she's having trouble -- whatever that means.

Edited November 5, 2022 by DaveStLou

[larryllix]

1 hour ago, DaveStLou said:

I have had several routines fail today -- ones that have triggered without issue for as long as I can remember.

I suspect it an Alexa system issue (maybe related to time change?). My wife reports that alarms she has set in the kitchen today for various amount of times, immediately go off (like right away). She tried setting one recently and Alexa responded that she's having trouble -- whatever that means.

Usually when Alexa reports she is having trouble, it means she can't contact the mother ship due to WiFi down or somewhere in the chain is broken.

Edited November 5, 2022 by larryllix

[DaveStLou]

30 minutes ago, larryllix said:

Usually when Alexa reports she is having trouble, it means she can't contact the mother ship due to WiFi down or somewhere in the chain is broken.

Yeah, usually. But everything else is working fine. I still think something is going on in the Alexa system, not locally.

[larryllix]

28 minutes ago, DaveStLou said:

Yeah, usually. But everything else is working fine. I still think something is going on in the Alexa system, not locally.

Definitely. I agree. This happened before and IIRC alexa routines wouldn't trigger for about a year. Amazon always told me it was working fine. Their support group doesn't have a good reputation. This typical of front line support to filter out everything they can, blame it on the user, and look good to their employers on the other side of the world.

All my other calendar additions, voice commands over ISY Portal, and timers, reminders, and alarms work just fine. Only the routines quit working yesterday.

I sent amazon my own note but I didn't use the help/support chat bot but rather the improvement suggestion messaging.  I don't want to hear all the help feedback offers to show me how to click a mouse.

Edited November 6, 2022 by larryllix

[larryllix]

@DaveStLou

@macjeff

@garybixler

YAY! My Alexa routines just talked to me when I got home about 3:30 PM EST today!

[DaveStLou]

9 minutes ago, larryllix said:

YAY! My Alexa routines just talked to me when I got home about 3:30 PM EST today!

I noticed my were working for a routine that triggered just before 2:00 PM CST today too. Hurray!

[macjeff]

I can confirm this is fixed now. Thanks to all those who called Amazon like I didn’t put in trouble tickets to get them moving on this

[mmb]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:15 PM, macjeff said:

I can confirm this is fixed now. Thanks to all those who called Amazon like I didn’t put in trouble tickets to get them moving on this

I'm still seeing intermittent problems.  This yesterday evening the Echo was offline but this morning ok.

Edited November 9, 2022 by mmb

[macjeff]

 

1 hour ago, mmb said:

I'm still seeing intermittent problems.  This yesterday evening the Echo was offline but this morning ok.

maybe they need to move off those buggy Amazon Web Servers   LOL   Just kidding.

I saw app update for iOS today also.

But yes I have seen intermittent issues.

I gave in and used a Pg3 Node server called Virtual Buttons to trigger alexa rather than use variables as motion or contact sensors.  It continues to work flawlessly. 

I also setup a program that updates a variable every hour and that variable should trigger alexa to say TEST SUCCESSFUL and send me a notice (of course not overnight LOL).  It missed a few so they are having issues.  But virtual buttons works every time.

[mmb]

37 minutes ago, macjeff said:

I gave in and used a Pg3 Node server called Virtual Buttons to trigger alexa rather than use variables as motion or contact sensors.  It continues to work flawlessly.

Thanks for the tip!

[macjeff]

12 minutes ago, mmb said:

Thanks for the tip!

If you need any help with it let me know.  I have 99 buttons installed and using over 70 of them!!! 

Install Node server

Put in your access code (see Node server to get one)

Name your buttons

Then in Alexa create a routine (or if existing routing there is a change trigger option under the ... menu in each routine)

Then in the ISY go to that button and click the PUSH BUTTON button.  The routine will trigger.

Even when Alexa was down it worked perfectly.

[larryllix]

 
maybe they need to move off those buggy Amazon Web Servers   LOL   Just kidding.
I saw app update for iOS today also.
But yes I have seen intermittent issues.
I gave in and used a Pg3 Node server called Virtual Buttons to trigger alexa rather than use variables as motion or contact sensors.  It continues to work flawlessly. 
I also setup a program that updates a variable every hour and that variable should trigger alexa to say TEST SUCCESSFUL and send me a notice (of course not overnight LOL).  It missed a few so they are having issues.  But virtual buttons works every time.

It isn't the communications between ISY and the Amazon app. It is the internal software inside the amazon software that wouldn't trigger the routines. As in the past, several of us demonstrated that the pseudo MS point was being fully activated inside the Alexa software.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[macjeff]

6 minutes ago, larryllix said:

It isn't the communications between ISY and the Amazon app. It is the internal software inside the amazon software that wouldn't trigger the routines. As in the past, several of us demonstrated that the pseudo MS point was being fully activated inside the Alexa software.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

 

All I know is that I switch the trigger of the routines to virtual buttons from ISY variables and they worked perfectly when the ISY variables were not triggering.