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    Confused about naming conventions

    I'm new to HA and I'm having trouble with naming conventions. I've got a house full of Somfy shades, Amazon echoes in most rooms, some Zwave light switches and just brought an ELKM1 online. Currently, I have a ZRTSI, which HS3 controls the opening and closing just fine. However, there are times when I'd like to open or close a shade in a particular room using a voice command. What is the best way to name things so that I could walk in a room and just say "Alexa, open the shades", or, "Alexa, tell Homeseer to open the shades" and the shades in that room will open. I've tried this and I often get a reply that there is more than one device with that name. With more than a dozen rooms with powered shades, I don't want to have to give them all different names and have to remember all those different names. What is the best approach to this?

    #2
    Bumping this thread. I'd love to hear some folks' suggestions.

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      #3
      I usually tie each device to the room.

      So, turn on the master bedroom lamps.

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        #4
        Many have requested room awareness be added to Alexa routines. That would give you (and me) what you're looking for. Unfortunately there's been little improvement of routines by amazon. I've not figured out a way to do this within HS.
        -Wade

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          #5
          Originally posted by mik3 View Post
          I usually tie each device to the room.

          So, turn on the master bedroom lamps.
          That works with lighting. You don't even have to say master bedroom if they're tied to a room using the Alexa app. You can walk into the master bedroom and say, "Alexa, turn on the lights," and the master bedroom lights will come on. I have our kid's rooms set that way and they appreciate not having to say the room's name (They're both teenagers - need I say more?)

          I only have 2 automated shades so the name Living Room and Dining Room are easy to recall. Twelve individual names would be much to remember.
          Dan-O
          HomeSeer contributor since summer 1999, yes 1999!

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            #6
            Originally posted by Dan-O View Post

            That works with lighting. You don't even have to say master bedroom if they're tied to a room using the Alexa app. You can walk into the master bedroom and say, "Alexa, turn on the lights," and the master bedroom lights will come on. I have our kid's rooms set that way and they appreciate not having to say the room's name (They're both teenagers - need I say more?)

            I only have 2 automated shades so the name Living Room and Dining Room are easy to recall. Twelve individual names would be much to remember.
            When is this require an Alex in each room

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              #7
              I have an Alexa in about every room.
              Dan-O
              HomeSeer contributor since summer 1999, yes 1999!

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Dan-O View Post
                I have an Alexa in about every room.
                Okay, that's what I was thinking. If somebody didn't have an alexa in each room, they would have to call it by room name.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Dan-O View Post

                  That works with lighting. You don't even have to say master bedroom if they're tied to a room using the Alexa app. You can walk into the master bedroom and say, "Alexa, turn on the lights," and the master bedroom lights will come on. I have our kid's rooms set that way and they appreciate not having to say the room's name (They're both teenagers - need I say more?)

                  I only have 2 automated shades so the name Living Room and Dining Room are easy to recall. Twelve individual names would be much to remember.
                  I have nine echoes in different rooms in the house. Just to confirm, you set this up in the Alexa app, with nothing needed in HS, correct?

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                    #10
                    As long as the device is set up in HS to be voice controlled and it has been found and added in the Alexa app, you should be good to go.
                    You can then create a room and add lights to that room in the Alexa app.
                    Dan-O
                    HomeSeer contributor since summer 1999, yes 1999!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Dan-O View Post
                      As long as the device is set up in HS to be voice controlled and it has been found and added in the Alexa app, you should be good to go.
                      You can then create a room and add lights to that room in the Alexa app.
                      Which brings me to a thought... is it better to create a room and add devices to that room in Alexa, or just create say a virtual device in HS which turns on what devices you want, and then reference that virtual device via voice? That same virtual device could then be referenced in your mobile interfaces and elsewhere.

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                        #12
                        I do both. I have actual devices and virtual devices. Both of them in Alexa and the HS Mobile app.
                        I have a virtual garage door that gets turned on through Alexa or the app. The virtual device status's change is what triggers an event.

                        I have 233 devices both real and virtual, and 219 events, I'm sure others have more but I would say we have a fined tuned, yet ever evolving automation system in our house.
                        Dan-O
                        HomeSeer contributor since summer 1999, yes 1999!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Dan-O View Post
                          I do both. I have actual devices and virtual devices. Both of them in Alexa and the HS Mobile app.
                          I have a virtual garage door that gets turned on through Alexa or the app. The virtual device status's change is what triggers an event.

                          I have 233 devices both real and virtual, and 219 events, I'm sure others have more but I would say we have a fined tuned, yet ever evolving automation system in our house.
                          I'm still in the early stages of HA, and haven't even looked at the HS Mobile app yet. I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of the basics. For example, my kitchen lights, which are controlled by an HS-WD200+ dimmer. After reading the previous posts I managed to add the switch to the Alexa Kitchen group and everything seems to be working nicely. (Only after I removed the switch originally using S2 security, and added it without security.) However, I'm still trying to figure out why HS adds three entries for the switch. Why do I need all three of these?
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                          Also, when clicking on "Kitchen lights" to manage the device, I'm unsure about some of the settings. Why would I want to check the "light" box? Would that be for a smart bulb, as opposed to a switch? Also, Alexa seems to work fine when I leave the Voice Command box empty. Would I use that box more with the "other" app, where you have to say "Alexa, tell homeseer....", to control a device not inside the Alexa group? In other words. If I filled the Voice Command box for the recreational room lights with "rec room", and also had these lights in the recreational room Alexa group, so that I can walk in and just say "Alexa, turn on the lights". Would I now be able to go in the kitchen and say "Alexa, tell homeseer to turn of the rec room lights? Is this how it is suppose to work?
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                            #14
                            Originally posted by MSG56 View Post
                            I'm still trying to figure out why HS adds three entries for the switch. Why do I need all three of these?
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                            HS adds the other parts of the switch. The first one is the "Root" device, I usually hide that one by clicking the hide from all views box.
                            The second one not all Z-Wave switches have and can be super useful to trigger events and other devices. Obviously one tap was you pressing the button once. But you can tap twice or more and trigger an event - as an example - If node 51 Central Scene had its value set to Scene 01 pressed 2 times then (Insert action here)
                            There are events that can be fired with you hitting the on/top button 2 or more times and also the off/bottom button as well. I use this to go into Night Mode as well as to tell HS that I'm in bed and finish turning all the rest of the lights out ahead of time.


                            Originally posted by MSG56 View Post
                            Also, when clicking on "Kitchen lights" to manage the device, I'm unsure about some of the settings. Why would I want to check the "light" box? Would that be for a smart bulb, as opposed to a switch? Also, Alexa seems to work fine when I leave the Voice Command box empty. Would I use that box more with the "other" app, where you have to say "Alexa, tell homeseer....", to control a device not inside the Alexa group? In other words. If I filled the Voice Command box for the recreational room lights with "rec room", and also had these lights in the recreational room Alexa group, so that I can walk in and just say "Alexa, turn on the lights". Would I now be able to go in the kitchen and say "Alexa, tell homeseer to turn of the rec room lights? Is this how it is suppose to work?
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                            Is Light is for Alexa to acknowledge that it's a light and not another type of device like a fan or thermostat or garage door as examples.
                            I believe you are correct about the Voice Command box, believe it or not, I don't use them that way. I have re-named my devices in Alexa to the names I want when I edited them in the Alexa app.
                            I could be wrong, but the more current HS Skill doesn't require you to say, "Tell Homeseer" I think you can just say, "Alexa, turn the Rec Room lights on"
                            Dan-O
                            HomeSeer contributor since summer 1999, yes 1999!

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