So, Alexa is not available as a speaker client?

[JimSpy]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered dozens of times, but...do I understand correctly that with all this interconnecting of technologies - HomeSeer, IFTTT, Alexa, etc. - it is not possible to send a Speaker TTS phrase, or even a media file, to an Echo device?

Now THAT would be useful! Is it being worked on?

[rprade]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered dozens of times, but...do I understand correctly that with all this interconnecting of technologies - HomeSeer, IFTTT, Alexa, etc. - it is not possible to send a Speaker TTS phrase, or even a media file, to an Echo device?

Now THAT would be useful! Is it being worked on?

Amazon has hinted at making TTS available in the future, but for now Echo does not offer that.

Since you can upload your own music to the Amazon cloud, it might be possible to play individual media files you have uploaded to your Amazon music account.

[IanIreland]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered dozens of times, but...do I understand correctly that with all this interconnecting of technologies - HomeSeer, IFTTT, Alexa, etc. - it is not possible to send a Speaker TTS phrase, or even a media file, to an Echo device?

Now THAT would be useful! Is it being worked on?

You can - bluetooth from a device with the speaker client to the echo. Works for me.

[JimSpy]

You can - bluetooth from a device with the speaker client to the echo. Works for me.

Well, now, there's something I didn't know: The Echo can receive bluetooth as well as transmit?

[JimSpy]

Amazon has hinted at making TTS available in the future, but for now Echo does not offer that.

Since you can upload your own music to the Amazon cloud, it might be possible to play individual media files you have uploaded to your Amazon music account.

You mean, upload announcements I have recorded for HomeSeer events to my Amazon Music account, and then trigger them on the Echo(s)? Well, I guess it's a workaround, but a little...inelegant. Thanks, I'll wait for the upgrade.

[smikkelsen]

Amazon allows for push notifications. https://developer.amazon.com/docs/al...-overview.html

Is there no way with the alexa skill to add amazon devices as speaker clients so you could for example have your master bedroom echo say "The back door is open" if someone were to open it at night.

For me this is what I really need to sure up my home automation. I've got 8 echos in my house in various places. To be honest, I have yet to find a good, cheap, practical speaker client for home seer. All of this nonsense about hooking it up to a computer with bluetooth etc is lame. I don't want to spend 15 dollars a month in electricity for a computer to power a little speaker.

[rmiles7721]

Amazon allows for push notifications. https://developer.amazon.com/docs/al...-overview.html

While the push notifications don't allow for speech from the echo until you have spoken the trigger word to check your notifications, they apparently do allow for an audio file along with turning the LED ring yellow.

"The directive's payload will include two boolean values that instruct your client to persist a visual indicator and/or play an audio file. persistVisualIndicator is a global value, if true your product must continue to inform the user that notifications are available until they are retrieved by the user, the product receives a new notification with persistVisualIndicator set to false, or receives a ClearIndicator directive. playAudioIndicator lets your product know whether to audibly inform the user that a notification is available. If true, a URL is provided and must be played immediately. In the case that the audio file is unavailable, your product should play a locally stored new notification audio file as a fallback"

My guess is that HS could probably add this in to the skill but you would have to give your audio file a public url. Easy enough with AWS, Drive or any other cloud backup. Probably even host it in your html directory. Only problem is that it looks like the audio files url has to be hardcodecoded into the skill.

[IanIreland]

Well, now, there's something I didn't know: The Echo can receive bluetooth as well as transmit?

Indeed it can

[Sgt. Shultz]

While the bluetooth solution isn't ideal, it's a start.

You can send Text-To-Speech from HomeSeer to the Echo via bluetooth for unprompted messages. (Ranges today for a BLE device are pretty good, even in house).

We haven't delved into the notification area of the Echo as yet because it's a solution that no one really cares for, because it relies on you to once again prompt the echo for info.

[mystic860]

I don't want to spend 15 dollars a month in electricity for a computer to power a little speaker.

No computer needed.
The tablet I have hanging on my wall to control homeseer using the imperihome front end is connected via bluetooth to my alexa and can be triggered by Imperihome plugin.
Just an option for those who didnt think of it.

[rmasonjr]

We haven't delved into the notification area of the Echo as yet because it's a solution that no one really cares for, because it relies on you to once again prompt the echo for info.

^^This

I would never use it if I had to prompt for the message from HS.

[LeeIII]

We haven't delved into the notification area of the Echo as yet because it's a solution that no one really cares for, because it relies on you to once again prompt the echo for info.

Is this comment still relevant? Seems that Ring.com has certainly found a way to interface with notification services and has unsolicited notifications emit both sounds and voice statements for motion detection and doorbell button presses. Seems that a generic connection like this through the HomeSeer Skill is really what the community wants. Could start with a phased approach:

1) Enable notifications to emit TTS messages and/or trigger Alexa available sounds. Could be exposed in HS as an event action or Script API.

2) Explore more sophisticated uploading your own sounds or TTS voices for playback if feasible.

3) More crazy stuff from there...

But I for one am at the point where Alexa has become my voice interface for HS3. Therefore, I would prefer to have everything flow through Alexa for notifications as well.

--Lee III

[JimSpy]

Is this comment still relevant? Seems that Ring.com has certainly found a way to interface with notification services and has unsolicited notifications emit both sounds and voice statements for motion detection and doorbell button presses. Seems that a generic connection like this through the HomeSeer Skill is really what the community wants. Could start with a phased approach:

1) Enable notifications to emit TTS messages and/or trigger Alexa available sounds. Could be exposed in HS as an event action or Script API.

2) Explore more sophisticated uploading your own sounds or TTS voices for playback if feasible.

3) More crazy stuff from there...

But I for one am at the point where Alexa has become my voice interface for HS3. Therefore, I would prefer to have everything flow through Alexa for notifications as well.

--Lee III

That's what I'm talking about! A truly Alexa-fied house, commands in, unprompted notifications out. And the option to change her voice to a HAL 9000. "Bit flatter please, Hal." "Just a minute...just a minute..."

[Ltek]

any new news on this?

[mitchmitchell1616]

Google Home Mini can be used as a speaker client -- that's what we've done even though we use Alexa for home automation.