Alexa Smart Home Skill V3 is now live!

Announcements
235

Your group endpoint is incorrectly setup and therefore ignored. This means your other two items which should be setup under that endpoint have been discovered as single devices using the same label name.

First, you should delete these two devices, if not all your OH related devices, from your Alexa account using console or mobile app. Secondly, the display category for group endpoints should be defined in the metadata value and not parameters. Last, trigger the discovery process once you updated your configuration.

Group gWohnzimmerStehlampe "Stehlampe" <light> {
    alexa="Endpoint.Light"
}

Switch Wohnzimmer_Stehlampe_Switch "Stehlampe" <light> (gWohnzimmer,gWohnzimmerStehlampe) {
    channel="mqtt:topic:exs-dimmer-01:switch",
    alexa="PowerController.powerState"
}

Dimmer Wohnzimmer_Stehlampe_Dimmer "Stehlampe" <brightness> (gWohnzimmer,gWohnzimmerStehlampe) {
    channel="mqtt:topic:exs-dimmer-01:dimmer",
    alexa="BrightnessController.brightness"
}
236

hi jeremy im trying to get my daikin fan speed working in AU with V3 but I get no new devices found with this:

My device has AUTO and 3 fan settings, any thoughts as to why? I assume syntax. Even setting just

String DaikinACUnit_Fan                     "Fan Speed"        (Group_HabPanel_Dashboard) { channel="daikin:airbase_ac_unit:ducted_ac:airbasefanspeed", alexa="ModeController.mode" }

Doesnt find it. And mode is definitely australian supported.


String DaikinACUnit_Fan                     "Fan Speed"        (Group_HabPanel_Dashboard) { channel="daikin:airbase_ac_unit:ducted_ac:airbasefanspeed", alexa="ModeController.mode" [supportedModes="AUTO=@Setting.Auto,LEVEL_1=Level One:@Value.Low,LEVEL_2=Level Two:@Value.Medium,LEVEL_3=Level Three:@Value.High",friendlyNames="@Setting.FanSpeed,@DeviceName.Fan",ordered=true] }
237

If you use your last item definition, the device should at least be discovered. However, even if the Alexa Skill API now expanded the language support for the mode, range and toggle controllers, it is not yet available in the live skill.

238

So, if im using the V3 privately, I would need to update the code?

239

Correct. Once the changes related to this enhancement are merged into the repository. We will update this thread when it’s available for all the users.

1 Like
240

Along with the openHAB 2.5 official release, we are excited to announce that the following enhancements are now available in the official Alexa skill:

Additionally, it would be much appreciated if you could leave your review on the Amazon website. The current comments don’t reflect all the hard work we put in the recent months. And I believe having a higher overall rating for the skill would steer more new users to our community.

Happy holidays!

@jeshab

6 Likes
241

Is it possible to only have items using the new metadata format discovered by Alexa?

I don’t want all my items tagged “lighting” to be included in the devices found by Alexa, only devices that I specify with metadata.

242

Not that it was intended to be used that way but you could just specify an invalid Alexa metadata value. The skill ignores the tag values if the Alexa metadata is defined.

Switch Light "Light" ["Lighting"] {alexa="disable"}
243

That works! Thank you.

244

I am wonder what abilities the skill has to perform actions based on echo device that received the command. Ie. I have Russound multizone audio system and when in the bedroom if I say “turn on speakers” I would like to have Alexa turn on the speakers in the bedroom without having to specify “turn on bedroom speakers”.

So, is there a way to have Alexa commands change based on the Echo device being spoken too?

245

What you are describing is called room awareness (aka Alexa-enabled group). This works for lights and TVs but I don’t believe for speakers as of yet. You could use the workaround I wrote below to achieve that on the OH side.

1 Like
246

Hi @all,
first of all a big thank you to all working on this great Skill !!!
I am using it and it works great.

But, I I have a question on how to combine the new features of V3 with my KNX devices.

Before (V2) I tagged my items in the .items file with “switchable” or “lighting”. works like a charm. But the roller shutter issue has been discussed a lot …

Now I want to use the new semantic extension of V3, but I can’t figure out how to combine it with my knx binding.

example of actual Rollershutter item:

Rollershutter EG_EZ_Rollo “Esszimmer Rollladen [%d %%]” (gEG_RL, gEG_RL_athome) [“Lighting”] { channel=“knx:device:bridge:EG_EZ:EG_EZ_Rollo” }

how can I add the V3 meta data to my knx channel ?

Rollershutter Blind “Blind” {alexa=“RangeController.rangeValue” [category=“INTERIOR_BLIND”, friendlyNames=“@Setting.Opening”, supportedRange=“0:100:10”, unitOfMeasure=“Percent”, actionMappings=“Close=0,Open=100,Lower=(-10),Raise=(+10)”, stateMappings=“Closed=0,Open=1:100”]}

Thanks for your help.

1 Like
247

Well, that should simply be defined as

Rollershutter EG_EZ_Rollo “Esszimmer Rollladen [%d %%]” (gEG_RL, gEG_RL_athome) [“Lighting”]
{
    channel=“knx:device:bridge:EG_EZ:EG_EZ_Rollo”, 
    alexa=“RangeController.rangeValue”
    [
        category=“INTERIOR_BLIND”,
        friendlyNames="@Setting.Opening",
        supportedRange=“0:100:10”,
        unitOfMeasure=“Percent”,
        actionMappings=“Close=0,Open=100,Lower=(-10),Raise=(+10)”,
        stateMappings=“Closed=0,Open=1:100”    
    ]
}

jeshab can gladly correct me, if I’m wrong.

248

Both tags? “Lighting” and the new meta data?

I tried it without like this, but I have 3 problems:

Rollershutter EG_EZ_Rollo   "Esszimmer Rollladen"  (gEG_RL, gEG_RL_athome)  { channel="knx:device:bridge:EG_EZ:EG_EZ_Rollo", alexa="RangeController.rangeValue" [category="INTERIOR_BLIND", friendlyNames="@Setting.Opening", supportedRange="0:100:10", unitOfMeasure="Percent", actionMappings="Close=0,Open=100,Lower=(-10),Raise=(+10)", stateMappings="Closed=0,Open=1:100"] }
  1. It finds the new item, but the name is “SHADE” and not “Esszimmer Rollladen”
  2. up and down are inverted (same as with “Lighting” tag)
  3. item does not work any longer, only Alexa can talk to it (e.g. openhab can no longer move roller shutter)
249

I’m not quite sure. As detailed here, tags are not implemented for all add-ons yet. Tagging in the Alexa Smart Home Skill V3 works slightly different, see here. Ultimately, I don’t think you need the “Lighting” tag as you used it, but I don’t think it will hurt, either.

Regarding 1.: just drop the friendlyName, then the Alexa detectable device should inherit the name from the item label in openhab, .i.e be “Esszimmer Rolladen”.

Regarding 2.: You can invert the channel action or perhaps state via habmin for the channel of the thing OR you can manually edit the tags for he alexa smart home skill to correctly model your physical situation (i.e. blind motors), see the item config below with swapped values for Close, Open, Lower, Raise commands and Close, Open state.

Regarding 3.: That is strange and in my setup all UIs of openhab, as well as Alexa voice commands, can control the items. How does the item not work any longer, is it still displayed in a sitemap, is it still displayed in Paper UI?

Rollershutter EG_EZ_Rollo   "Esszimmer Rollladen"  (gEG_RL, gEG_RL_athome)
{
    channel="knx:device:bridge:EG_EZ:EG_EZ_Rollo",
    alexa="RangeController.rangeValue"
    [
        category="INTERIOR_BLIND",
        supportedRange="0:100:10",
        unitOfMeasure="Percent",
        actionMappings="Close=100,Open=0,Lower=(+10),Raise=(-10)",
        stateMappings="Closed=100,Open=0:99"
    ]
}
250

It works without the “Lighting” tag, so you only need the old or the new syntax.

Reg 1)
i don´t get your point :roll_eyes: The item name is not necessarily the “human understandable” name to control the blind with Alexa

Reg 2)
Yep, shame on me, that was to easy

Reg 3)
I did some more testing. Indeed, the item is visible in the UI and I can troll the blind, BUT the group settings do not longer work (that’s what I noticed yesterday). So if I send a “down” command to the group gEG_RL like

gEG_RL.sendCommand(DOWN)

all blinds in this group move except this one (Esszimmer).
I guess, it’s a compatibility problem with the group definition and the new V3 syntax.

The corresponding goup is actually defined as:

Group:Rollershutter:AND(100,0) gEG_RL "EG Rollos [(%d)]"
251

You’re right. I actually meant the item label and corrected that in the previous post. Still, you can use the friendly name, but I got the feeling you wanted to adress the item thrugh alexa as “Esszimmer Rolladen”, and not as “Öffnung”, as your firendly name suggested. You can still set the firendlyname property to anything you like, e.g friendlyName="Banane".

I copied your group definition to my setup, added my blinds and adressed it with the command you showed in the openhab ssh console. For me, all blinds moved accordingly.

I suspect you have a problem with the group state. How did you make the correction to point 2 from above? Perhaps try to temporarily define the group as

Group:Rollershutter gEG_RL "EG Rollos [(%d)]"

and see if sending UP/DOWN commands works?

252

And again, shame on me. A little more of RTFM would have helped to figure this out. I just copy-pasted the command from the manual and forgot to change the friendly name.
Now, all is OK :grinning:
Finaly the item is:

Rollershutter EG_EZ_Rollo   "Esszimmer Rollladen"  (gEG_RL, gEG_RL_athome)  { channel="knx:device:bridge:EG_EZ:EG_EZ_Rollo", alexa="RangeController.rangeValue" [category="INTERIOR_BLIND", friendlyNames="Esszimmer Rollladen", supportedRange="0:100:10", unitOfMeasure="Percent", actionMappings="Close=100,Open=0,Lower=(+10),Raise=(-10)", stateMappings="Closed=100,Open=0:99"] }

And also as suggested. The group issue was related to the group definition. What you suggested works, but if my group definition works on your setup, I have to check further why it’s not working with my OH2.

Anyhow, already a big thank you for your hints!!!

253

update. after restarting the OH2 service, point 3 also seems to be solved :neutral_face:

254

Seems there is something I’m missing about the rollershutter…

This is my configuration, and it works great if I say Rise or Lower actions (in Spanish Subir o Bajar), but when I what to Open 0% or Close 100% (in Spanish Abrir o Cerrar), it says “it is not compatible”.

I thought the new V3 solved this adding: actionMappings=“Close=100,Open=0,Lower=(-10),Raise=(+10) but in my case it doesn’t work.

Am I the only one with this issue?

Rollershutter Persiana_Salon_P7 “Persiana Salon” (Persianas_Salon)
{
knx=“2/5/20, 2/5/21, 2/5/22+2/5/120”,
alexa=“RangeController.rangeValue”
[
category=“INTERIOR_BLIND”,
supportedRange=“0:100:10”,
unitOfMeasure=“Percent”,
actionMappings=“Close=100,Open=0,Lower=(-10),Raise=(+10)”, stateMappings=“Open=0:99,Closed=100”
]
}

Thanks