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Smart Home skill: "There was a problem" message and status

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    Smart Home skill: "There was a problem" message and status

    I upgraded to HomeSeer 3.0.0.435 and the new HomeSeer SmartHome skill (Alexa Version 3 API). I can turn on and off lights using my Echo. I can also turn on and off lights using the Alexa app in my iPhone. So, things look to be okay...

    However, when I look at a device in the iPhone Alexa app, the top of the screen always says "There was a problem". This is for all devices. See attached image for an example. I'm trying to figure out what is the problem? I don't see anything strange in the HomeSeer log file.

    Does anyone else get this message?

    Also, is the iPhone Alexa app supposed to show and update the status of devices? Whenever I go to a device in the Alexa app after first starting the app, it always says "Light is off" even though the device is turned on. This is the behavior for all devices. If I turn on a device from the Alexa app, then it says "Light is on". However, if I turn it off a device outside of the app (e.g. via Echo voice, or HS3Touch, or physical light switch), the status isn't updated in the Alexa iPhone app. If I force quit the Alexa app (swiping up), and then start the app, then it reverts back to the status "Lights is Off".

    It seems that Alexa thinks whatever the status is should always be Off when the app is first started. After that, it thinks the status should be whatever the app changed it to last, even though the status may have been changed outside of the app (e.g. manual switch, Echo voice, HS3Touch, etc.).

    With the previous version of the skill (version 2 Alexa API), the page didn't explicitly say whether a device is on or off. It just had an On and an Off button. With the new skill, there is only one button, and under the button, it always says "Light is off" when the app is first started, or, later, the status that the Alexa app itself changed it to.

    If the Alexa app can't have updated status information, then why does it presume to know a device's status, instead of behaving like the version 2 API skill, where it doesn't say what the status is but just presented 2 buttons (one for On and another for Off)? It's best not to guess what the status is (like the old version 2 skill) than it is to guess wrong (like the new version 3 skill).

    To summarize, the new skill works well for voice, but not so far, to me, the Alexa app itself isn't very useful. Nevertheless, I still would like to know what the "There was a problem" message is, and whether it is related to not having the correct status or something else.
    Attached Files

    #2
    Originally posted by randman View Post
    I upgraded to HomeSeer 3.0.0.435 and the new HomeSeer SmartHome skill (Alexa Version 3 API). I can turn on and off lights using my Echo. I can also turn on and off lights using the Alexa app in my iPhone. So, things look to be okay...

    However, when I look at a device in the iPhone Alexa app, the top of the screen always says "There was a problem". This is for all devices. See attached image for an example. I'm trying to figure out what is the problem? I don't see anything strange in the HomeSeer log file.

    Does anyone else get this message?

    Also, is the iPhone Alexa app supposed to show and update the status of devices? Whenever I go to a device in the Alexa app after first starting the app, it always says "Light is off" even though the device is turned on. This is the behavior for all devices. If I turn on a device from the Alexa app, then it says "Light is on". However, if I turn it off a device outside of the app (e.g. via Echo voice, or HS3Touch, or physical light switch), the status isn't updated in the Alexa iPhone app. If I force quit the Alexa app (swiping up), and then start the app, then it reverts back to the status "Lights is Off".

    It seems that Alexa thinks whatever the status is should always be Off when the app is first started. After that, it thinks the status should be whatever the app changed it to last, even though the status may have been changed outside of the app (e.g. manual switch, Echo voice, HS3Touch, etc.).

    With the previous version of the skill (version 2 Alexa API), the page didn't explicitly say whether a device is on or off. It just had an On and an Off button. With the new skill, there is only one button, and under the button, it always says "Light is off" when the app is first started, or, later, the status that the Alexa app itself changed it to.

    If the Alexa app can't have updated status information, then why does it presume to know a device's status, instead of behaving like the version 2 API skill, where it doesn't say what the status is but just presented 2 buttons (one for On and another for Off)? It's best not to guess what the status is (like the old version 2 skill) than it is to guess wrong (like the new version 3 skill).

    To summarize, the new skill works well for voice, but not so far, to me, the Alexa app itself isn't very useful. Nevertheless, I still would like to know what the "There was a problem" message is, and whether it is related to not having the correct status or something else.
    You're not the only one with the same status message at the top of the window and the questioning of why the app doesn't behave in the same manner.

    Other skills that I have used provided actual device status. I don't know if HS has plans to implement that or not.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by jeubanks View Post
      You're not the only one with the same status message at the top of the window and the questioning of why the app doesn't behave in the same manner.

      Other skills that I have used provided actual device status. I don't know if HS has plans to implement that or not.

      Comment


        #4
        Are there any updates on this issue as I'm getting the samething.
        HomeSeer Version: HS3 Standard Edition 3.0.0.548
        Linux version: Linux auto 4.15.0-72-generic #81-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 26 12:20:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
        Number of Devices: 484 | Number of Events: 776

        Enabled Plug-Ins: 3.0.0.13: AirplaySpeak | 2.0.61.0: BLBackup
        3.0.0.70: EasyTrigger | 1.3.7006.42100: LiftMaster MyQ
        4.2.3.0: mcsMQTT | 3.0.0.53: PHLocation2 | 0.0.0.47: Pushover 3P
        3.0.0.16: RaspberryIO | 3.0.1.262: Z-Wave

        Z-Net version: 1.0.23 for Inclusion Nodes
        SmartStick+: 6.04 (ZDK 6.81.3) on Server

        Comment


          #5
          I just started getting this in the Alexa app. All of my Homeseer devices are showing this message. But I also have some Wemo devices in the office that are connected directly to Alexa and they are doing the same thing. So the issue doesn't appear to be just Homeseer.

          Comment


            #6
            I have been getting a similar message over the weekend on everything. So today I just fixed it by taking all devices off Alexa and then disabling the homeseer skill on Alexa and then re enabling it and rediscovering the 166 devices [took two tries]. It started working again.

            Comment


              #7
              As far as I can tell the devices are actually working. So I am not sure what the error message is.

              Comment


                #8
                Devices working but Events don’t. To make matters worse if you set voice that will kill adding devices. Engineering I understand is working on it.
                HomeSeer Version: HS3 Standard Edition 3.0.0.548
                Linux version: Linux auto 4.15.0-72-generic #81-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 26 12:20:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
                Number of Devices: 484 | Number of Events: 776

                Enabled Plug-Ins: 3.0.0.13: AirplaySpeak | 2.0.61.0: BLBackup
                3.0.0.70: EasyTrigger | 1.3.7006.42100: LiftMaster MyQ
                4.2.3.0: mcsMQTT | 3.0.0.53: PHLocation2 | 0.0.0.47: Pushover 3P
                3.0.0.16: RaspberryIO | 3.0.1.262: Z-Wave

                Z-Net version: 1.0.23 for Inclusion Nodes
                SmartStick+: 6.04 (ZDK 6.81.3) on Server

                Comment


                  #9
                  Engineering at Homeseer or at Amazon?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    HomeSeer
                    HomeSeer Version: HS3 Standard Edition 3.0.0.548
                    Linux version: Linux auto 4.15.0-72-generic #81-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 26 12:20:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
                    Number of Devices: 484 | Number of Events: 776

                    Enabled Plug-Ins: 3.0.0.13: AirplaySpeak | 2.0.61.0: BLBackup
                    3.0.0.70: EasyTrigger | 1.3.7006.42100: LiftMaster MyQ
                    4.2.3.0: mcsMQTT | 3.0.0.53: PHLocation2 | 0.0.0.47: Pushover 3P
                    3.0.0.16: RaspberryIO | 3.0.1.262: Z-Wave

                    Z-Net version: 1.0.23 for Inclusion Nodes
                    SmartStick+: 6.04 (ZDK 6.81.3) on Server

                    Comment

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