supported_hardware:alexa
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supported_hardware:alexa [2018/03/19 14:37] – created James Sentman | supported_hardware:alexa [2023/02/13 14:52] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 | ||
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=====Amazon Alexa Bridge===== | =====Amazon Alexa Bridge===== | ||
+ | ----- | ||
+ | **NOTE** as of October 2019 Amazon pushed an update to their Alexa devices that broke every single non-cloud based home automation integration system, not just XTension. As of February 2020 there are three potential solutions to this problem since Amazon either wanted to do this or is not interested in fixing it. | ||
+ | * the simplest solution is to find a generation 1 Echo device on ebay or elsewhere. Note that many that are labeled as such actually aren’t as people don’t really know what they are selling and are re-using descriptions from other similar devices. Please make sure you can identify a version 1 device! It will have the bezel that you can physically turn to change the volume. If if has buttons to adjust the volume then it is not a generation 1 device and will not solve your problem. These gen 1 devices are not eligible for the newer software updates and therefore will not automatically receive the update that breaks everything. Once you have one on your network you can do the discovery for new devices through it and not through one of your newer devices. When that is working all communications to the shared units will go through this older device even if you issue the command from a newer device also on your network. This works without having to make any other changes to your system usually though you may have to re-discover all your units through the new/old device. | ||
+ | * If you do not require port 80 standard web services on your XTension server you can now run the new [[supported_hardware: | ||
+ | * If you do require the standard web port on your XTension mac or you need multiple instances of the plugin to share all the units that you wish to then you can run more instances of the plugin on separate machines. This will work from extra Macs or more easily by putting the plugin code onto a Raspberry Pi. See the [[supported_hardware: | ||
- | With the Alexa Bridge you can control any of your XTension units via voice control through any compatible Amazon Alexa or Echo device. | + | ----- |
+ | With the Alexa Bridge you can control any of your XTension units via voice control through any compatible Amazon Alexa or Echo device. Since this works by pretending to be a phillips hue hub, the Alexa can control your units even without a working internet or cloud connection. | ||
- | A huge thank you to Dean Davis of [[http:// | + | The direct Alexa interface limited to turning things on and off and setting a brightness for them. Each plugin instance is limited to sharing 20 units and/or scripts. If you wish to share more than that number of units create another interface instance and set it up with the remaining units. |
+ | |||
+ | The original Bridge was written by Dean Davis of [[http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | As of XTension version 9.4.12 the Hue Bridge Plugin is included with the main XTension distribution so no other installation is needed. | ||
- | ===Download=== | ||
- | Download from AfterTen.com: | ||
===XTension Setup=== | ===XTension Setup=== | ||
- | Create a List in XTension | + | {{: |
+ | |||
+ | In the Interface list window click the New interface button and select | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{ : | ||
+ | To setup which devices will be available to the Alexa either leave the default selection of Share Everything, which probably isn’t a good idea unless you only have 3 things in your database, or change to the Limit to selected Objects selection. Then click the Sharing Selection button. From that window you can choose the lists of units and scripts | ||
+ | {{: | ||
- | ===Bridge Setup=== | + | ===Sharing Scripts=== |
+ | If you choose to share scripts then you can run them by telling Alexa “turn on ’name of the script’” and XTension will run the global script. If you create a handler in the global script called “commandOn” then that will be called as well. If you create a handler called “commandOff” then that will be called when you ask Alexa to turn off the named script. If you do not create the commandOff handler then no action is taken if you try to turn off a script. At this moment there is no way to tell a script to dim to a specific level, only turn on and off. | ||
- | Launch the Alexa Bridge program | + | ===Setting up Alexa=== |
+ | Once the interface is running | ||
- | If the bridge program finds the List you created above the units will be shown in the program. | + | Once the shared |
- | ===Alexa Setup=== | ||
- | Using the Amazon Alexa app on your iPhone or Android device go into the settings portion of the app and start the search for new devices. Any units that you’ve dragged into the List will appear here and you can add them to your Alexa controlled devices. There seems to be a 27 device limit for Alexa control from a single hub. | ||
Now you can make voice commands to control devices. | Now you can make voice commands to control devices. | ||
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* Alexa, turn off “unit name" | * Alexa, turn off “unit name" | ||
* Alexa, brighten “unit name” to 50% | * Alexa, brighten “unit name” to 50% | ||
+ | * Alexa, turn on “name of shared Global Script" | ||
===Notes=== | ===Notes=== | ||
- | The app works by emulating | + | If you are using an echo plus that has a built in ZigBee hub those devices will not be available to XTension. |
- | If you are using an echo plus that has a built in ZigBee hub those devices will not be available | + | It is not necessary |
- | You can run this app and also have a real hue hub on your network at the same time. | + | There should be no confusion with making changes to the list of shared objects between XTension |
- | The program binds to port 1901 to provide UPnP services. If you’re running other UPnP software on your mac or are otherwise using that port the program will not be able to share it’s devices. |
supported_hardware/alexa.1521470239.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/02/13 14:51 (external edit)