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HomeSeer SmartHome Skill (Alexa Version 3 API)

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    Originally posted by mrhappy View Post
    I've just written a quick and dirty web page to show the devices in HS that are configured for voice control and also what I think the suggested commands should be for those devices. Seems to be fairly accurate for me but I'm not all that sure of the inner workings of Alexa right at the minute.

    If you wanted to use it then you would just drop it in your HTML directory and go to it from HS.

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      Originally posted by mrhappy View Post
      I've just written a quick and dirty web page to show the devices in HS ...
      If you wanted to use it then you would just drop it in your HTML directory and go to it from HS.
      I love this! Very helpful to see how things are set relative to Alexa. I loaded it into a spreadsheet, sorted it and removed blank "Example Utterance". Now when people ask what can I say, I show them the printout. Thanks!

      Update: Do note, with the updated skill, now you must use the floor name in the voice command too (not in your voice Ex. Utterance). I hate that. I think I am going to remove all of my Floor descriptions.
      Last edited by ViperJD; January 29, 2018, 11:15 AM.

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        So now with this update, I am finding voice commands got longer.
        Before I could say could say "Turn on the desk light"
        Now I need to say "Turn on the first floor living room desk light"

        I think I am going to remove all of my "Floor:" Names and for some, add a "Voice Command". Anyone know an easy way to do that (like in bulk)?

        Comment


          Originally posted by ViperJD View Post
          Update: Do note, with the updated skill, now you must use the floor name in the voice command too (not in your voice Ex. Utterance). I hate that. I think I am going to remove all of my Floor descriptions.
          Hmm. Take this device for example...

          Device Name: Front Floodlight
          Floor: Outside
          Room: Front Yard
          Voice Command: <Null>


          I'm still saying "Alexa, turn on the front flood lights" and it works. I'm on beta 404 at the moment.

          Comment


            Originally posted by mrhappy View Post
            I've just written a quick and dirty web page to show the devices in HS that are configured for voice control and also what I think the suggested commands should be for those devices. Seems to be fairly accurate for me but I'm not all that sure of the inner workings of Alexa right at the minute.

            If you wanted to use it then you would just drop it in your HTML directory and go to it from HS.
            This is really cool, thank you!

            If you're taking design change requests can we have the Reference sorting understand 13 is less than 130? As it is now the device ordering ends up a touch random for lower numbered devices.

            Comment


              Originally posted by ViperJD View Post
              So now with this update, I am finding voice commands got longer.
              Before I could say could say "Turn on the desk light"
              Now I need to say "Turn on the first floor living room desk light"

              I think I am going to remove all of my "Floor:" Names and for some, add a "Voice Command". Anyone know an easy way to do that (like in bulk)?
              You should be able to put a unique name in "Voice Command" for all of the devices you want to control, thus avoiding any location reference. That is what I am doing with mine. Using that naming with groups and routines is really beginning to take shape.

              If I am in the bedroom, I can say "Alexa turn off/on the lights", but when I am in another room I have to address the specific lights. In the bedroom we have "Bedroom ceiling lights" and "Bedroom track lights", both of which can be addressed individually from any Echo in the house. I also added a virtual device "bedroom lights" which can turn all on or off.

              I am still working through this, but it is already getting tentative approval from the most important person in the house (not me!), who has been adamantly opposed to voice controls. Note the word "tentative", one false step and I fear I am back to square one.
              HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

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                Originally posted by scorp508 View Post
                Hmm. Take this device for example...

                Device Name: Front Floodlight
                Floor: Outside
                Room: Front Yard
                Voice Command: <Null>


                I'm still saying "Alexa, turn on the front flood lights" and it works. I'm on beta 404 at the moment.
                This is true as long as the Device Name is unique. If you want to have a "Desk Lamp" in the bedroom and a "Desk Lamp" in the study, you will have to address it including locations -or- assign unique Voice Command names.
                HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

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                  Originally posted by rprade View Post
                  This is true as long as the Device Name is unique. If you want to have a "Desk Lamp" in the bedroom and a "Desk Lamp" in the study, you will have to address it including locations -or- assign unique Voice Command names.


                  Makes sense and this is where I wish alexa had a fan out capability to look for devices in the local group first, then only ask if there are duplicates in other remote groups.


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by scorp508 View Post
                    Makes sense and this is where I wish alexa had a fan out capability to look for devices in the local group first, then only ask if there are duplicates in other remote groups.


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                    About two years in, this skill is still evolving. It took a year after the Echo was released to get our first HomeSeer skill.

                    I have tried each step in the evolution and we finally have a skill that will do most things. Each of the prior versions were non starters in our household, for one reason or another. This one finally allows us to issue common voice commands that can control almost anything. I would hazzard a guess that as the skill gets better and more people employ it, the evolution will accelerate for a while and we will see a lot of changes in the not so distant future. The most important thing in this skill version is the ability to create work arounds for unique problems that I never found to be true in V2.

                    The Alexa Developer website is good to visit to learn more about skills development.
                    HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by rprade View Post
                      About two years in, this skill is still evolving. It took a year after the Echo was released to get our first HomeSeer skill.

                      Just so I'm clear I was speaking about Alexa itself and not the HS skill. I'm not pointing fingers at HS for Alexa's lack of intelligence. This very same situation exists for non-HS related skills/devices such as Hue bulbs where you could easily have a "desk light" Hue bulb in multiple rooms which are all in their own individual Alexa device group.

                      If Amazon wants a natural language feeling experience then it makes sense to look in the local Alexa enabled group for the device you named. If a device exists in the local group with that name, interact with it, regardless of there being three other bedside lights in other Alexa device groups external to the group you're currently interacting with.


                      For what it's worth I sent the suggestion to Amazon via the Alexa app to include this kind of fan-out logic.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by scorp508 View Post
                        Makes sense and this is where I wish alexa had a fan out capability to look for devices in the local group first, then only ask if there are duplicates in other remote groups.


                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by scorp508 View Post
                          Hmm. Take this device for example...

                          Device Name: Front Floodlight
                          Floor: Outside
                          Room: Front Yard
                          Voice Command: <Null>


                          I'm still saying "Alexa, turn on the front flood lights" and it works. I'm on beta 404 at the moment.
                          I have 404 too. I was not working last night. I had to say the floor location and name. Today just the name. Very strange.

                          Comment


                            I was understanding with API 3 ,, one would be able to make a group called let's say living room and add the HA modules you want to control and lastly and an echo device. So now if I have 2 echos and 2 overhead lights to control,, Master Bedroom and living room,, IF I'm in the living room and say "Alexa turn overhead light on ,, only the living room light will turn on... Is this not so ???

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by dem5867 View Post
                              I was understanding with API 3 ,, one would be able to make a group called let's say living room and add the HA modules you want to control and lastly and an echo device. So now if I have 2 echos and 2 overhead lights to control,, Master Bedroom and living room,, IF I'm in the living room and say "Alexa turn overhead light on ,, only the living room light will turn on... Is this not so ???
                              That is what I understand. I have gotten it to work with "Alexa, Turn on the Lights" and the lights will only go one in the Living Room, when I am in the living Room, otherwise it says "I cannot find lights". I have a Group called "Living Room" with the Living Room Echo Show device added to it.

                              It seems to work most of the time.

                              Now I am trying to figure out how to easily run an event with the new plugin.

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by scorp508 View Post
                                Hmm. Take this device for example...

                                Device Name: Front Floodlight
                                Floor: Outside
                                Room: Front Yard
                                Voice Command: <Null>


                                I'm still saying "Alexa, turn on the front flood lights" and it works. I'm on beta 404 at the moment.
                                Make sure you device icon on the Alexa app looks like a "bulb" and not a wall switch. This makes a diference how Eco reacts
                                Hector
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