# Alexa treats TV like a light

**URL:** <https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511>\
**Category:** Amazon Alexa\
**Tags:** tv, samsungtv, alexa\
**Created:** [January 15, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511 "2020-01-15T14:09:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/1 "2020-01-15T14:09:40Z")

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Hi

I configured a [Endpoint.Tv](http://Endpoint.Tv) group and a Switch to turn my tv on. The switch is bound to  
the “power on” channel of my Samsung TV and I used alexa=“Switchable” [category="TV].  
In the alexa app I created a room and added the lights of the room and the TV to it.

Now when I say “Alexa, turn the light in on” the TV gets turned on too.

I thought maybe [category=“TV”] does not overload what is set by “Switchable”.  
Therefore I tried alexa=“PowerController.powerState” [category=“TV”].

But the behavior still remains. Even after deleting the device from the alexa app  
and getting it recognized by alexa again.

If I tell alexa to turn the TV on or off it works perfect.

I can not find another reason why alexa does mistake my TV for a light.  
(BTW it does the same with the power switch of my receiver)

Mirko

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**Author:** ![H102](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/h102/32/25595_2.png) [@H102](https://community.openhab.org/u/H102)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/2 "2020-01-15T14:19:15Z")

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> [@orko](#):
>
> In the alexa app I created a room and added the lights of the room and the TV to it.

Try remove the tv from the room with the lights and create a separate tv room. Also how are the tags for lights defined?

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**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/3 "2020-01-15T17:22:43Z")

</div>

Removing the TV from the room would work. Drawback is that I have alexa and tv in the same  
room and it makes it convenient, because I don’t need to say turn TV in Livingroom on.

My TV looks like this now:  
Switch TV\_Power “TV Power” (TV) {channel=“samsungtv:tv:0eab0dd8\_a540\_4459\_b66c\_70a3e925bded:power”, alexa=“PowerController.powerState” [category=“TV”]}

My lights are not defined as alexa items at all in openhab. I use the hue alexa skill to control them through alexa.

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**Author:** ![jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/u/jeshab)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/4 "2020-01-15T19:46:45Z")

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> [@orko](#):
>
> I thought maybe [category=“TV”] does not overload what is set by “Switchable”.  
> Therefore I tried alexa=“PowerController.powerState” [category=“TV”].

Your understanding is correct.

> [@orko](#):
>
> I can not find another reason why alexa does mistake my TV for a light.

Did you add an Alexa-enabled echo device to your “room” Alexa group? The room awareness feature based on specific display categories seems to only work that way. Otherwise, it will revert back to turn on/off any PowerController device linked to your account.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 8:41am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/5 "2020-01-16T08:41:02Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Did you add an Alexa-enabled echo device to your “room” Alexa group? The room awareness feature based on specific display categories seems to only work that way. Otherwise, it will revert back to turn on/off any PowerController device linked to your account.

Yes, I did. Like you said otherwise the room awareness does not work.

For now the solution recommended by H102, to remove the TV from the group, does the job.  
But actually I would love to find out what the technical reason is that alexa mistakes my TV  
for a light. Or better said turns it on together with the lights. Because in the alexa app the TV is  
listed as of category TV.  
So Alexa seems to not think it’s a light, at least from the point of view of the app.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/u/jeshab)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/6 "2020-01-16T14:47:22Z")

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> [@orko](#):
>
> But actually I would love to find out what the technical reason is that alexa mistakes my TV  
> for a light.

Would you be able to attach a screenshot of the Alexa group you set for your room keeping the TV device in it?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![H102](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/h102/32/25595_2.png) [@H102](https://community.openhab.org/u/H102)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/7 "2020-01-17T17:44:28Z")

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@orko If you have the time try using v2 tagging ( [“Lighting”] ) with the group and see if that changes anything.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 8:52am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/8 "2020-01-23T08:52:36Z")

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Hi

I am not sure if the attached screenshots help you.

 ![2020-01-23 09.48.29](https://community-openhab-org.s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/3X/c/3/c36ae1f2d6713e7cddf4b061984e2962c6f49971.jpeg) ![2020-01-23 09.48.17](https://community-openhab-org.s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/original/3X/b/a/baa0980e9ddf4d9ded41f41b9456bcecdf7c3f08.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 8:56am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/9 "2020-01-23T08:56:29Z")

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Hi

This is my configuration for the speaker:  
Group Spotify “Musik im Wohnzimmer” (Entertainment) {alexa=“Endpoint.Speaker”}  
Switch Spotify\_LivingRoomPower “Musik im Wohnzimmer Power” (Spotify) {alexa=“PowerController.powerState” [category=“Speaker”]}

This for my lights:  
Color LivingRoom\_CeilingLamp “Wohnzimmer Deckenlampe” (LivingRoomLamps) [“Light”] {channel=“hue:0220:0017882a05d0:11:brightness”}

As you can see I don’t use Alexa to control my lights in openhab. On the Alexa side I use the Hue skill to control the lights. In the screenshots that I attached to another post you can see that the speaker is registered as Lautsprecher (speaker) in the Alexa app.

Mirko

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![H102](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/h102/32/25595_2.png) [@H102](https://community.openhab.org/u/H102)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/10 "2020-01-23T14:35:24Z")

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> [@orko](#):
>
> This for my lights:  
> Color LivingRoom\_CeilingLamp “Wohnzimmer Deckenlampe” (LivingRoomLamps) [“Light”] {channel=“hue:0220:0017882a05d0:11:brightness”}
> 
> As you can see I don’t use Alexa to control my lights in openhab.

If your not planning to use Alexa to control the lights you can remove the [“Light”] tag as it is incorrect. If you wanted to use Alexa the proper tag would be [“Lighting”] for v2 and {alexa=“BrightnessController.brightness,PowerController.powerState,ColorController.color”} for v3 syntax. Please note that [“Lighting”] as a tag for color item may not work as expected so v3 syntax is preferred.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![orko](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/b5a626/32.png) [@orko](https://community.openhab.org/u/orko)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 10:17am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/11 "2020-01-24T10:17:22Z")

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Hi

Afaik the [“Light”] is not used by Alexa. I put it there for openhab chatbot.  
([HABot Walkthrough (2/n): Semantic Tagging & Item Resolving](https://community.openhab.org/t/habot-walkthrough-2-n-semantic-tagging-item-resolving/55651))

Mirko

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NilsAcht](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NilsAcht](https://community.openhab.org/u/NilsAcht)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/12 "2020-08-31T05:53:33Z")

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Hi, I have a similar problem.

I tried to control my TV via Switchbot and Alexa. My Items look like this:

```
> //TV
> Group tv_endpoint "Fernseher" {alexa="Endpoint.TV"}
> Switch dummy_tv "Fernseher Power" (tv_endpoint) {alexa="PowerController.powerState"}
> Switch firetv_scene "Fire TV" (tv_endpoint) {alexa="SceneController.scene" [category="SCENE_TRIGGER"]}

```

Then there is a rule that should fire when the tv i turned on:

```
> //TV schalten
> rule "TV schalten"
> when
> Item dummy_tv received command
> then
> if (receivedCommand == ON && networkTV.state == OFF){
> sendHttpGetRequest("https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger/.......")
> logInfo("Wohnzimmer.rules", "Send command for TVON to IFTTT!")
> }
> else if (receivedCommand == OFF && networkTV.state == ON){
> sendHttpGetRequest("https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger/.......")
> logInfo("Wohnzimmer.rules", "Send command for TVOFF to IFTTT!")
> }
> end
> 
> rule "TV maneull"
> when
> Item networkTV received command
> then
> if (receivedCommand == ON){
> dummy_tv.postUpdate(ON)
> }
> else if (receivedCommand == OFF){
> dummy_tv.postUpdate(OFF)
> }
> end
> 
> rule "Fire TV scene"
> when
> Item firetv_scene received command
> then
> if (receivedCommand == ON){
> sendHttpGetRequest("https://maker.ifttt.com/trigger.......")
> logInfo("Wohnzimmer.rules", "Scene Fire TV ON")
> firetv_scene.postUpdate(OFF)
> }
> end

```

But Alexa says “device not responding”.  
A similar setup for my entry lamps is working (also via Switchbot and IfTTT).

Don’t know what is wrong.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jeshab](https://community.openhab.org/u/jeshab)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/13 "2020-08-31T14:06:16Z")

</div>

> [@NilsAcht](#):
>
> But Alexa says “device not responding”.  
> A similar setup for my entry lamps is working (also via Switchbot and IfTTT).
> 
> Don’t know what is wrong.

What utterance did you use? Do you see the command reaching your OH server?

In terms of configuration, `SceneController` shouldn’t be part of a group endpoint. These are modeled separately from devices on the Alexa side.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NilsAcht](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NilsAcht](https://community.openhab.org/u/NilsAcht)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 8:01am UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/alexa-treats-tv-like-a-light/90511/14 "2020-09-01T08:01:40Z")

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Thanks for the answer.  
My TV is working now. I rebooted openhab a few times.

The SceneController outside of the TV Group is also working perfectly.