Release Candidate and Support: Amazon Echo Control Binding

michi · January 30, 2018, 8:01pm

Oh, thats not good. Which version of openHAB are you using?

Question to other users: Is there anybody who has the drop down?

michi · January 30, 2018, 8:11pm

The -r commands makes a lookup in the station list and uses the station id to start the playing with the same command which I use to start playing when a station id will be set as command to the radioStationId channel. There is no “real” command sent to alexa.
Regards,
Michael

michi · January 30, 2018, 8:14pm

The server implementation is a litte bit bad, because the create time of the reminder is also send to the server, so the server know that there is a time difference, but it does not handle it. And I have not found yet a way to get the server time, so that I can calculate the offset. So we have to live with this problem…

Regards,
Michael

Saracen · January 30, 2018, 8:31pm

I used:

alarmSound.sendCommand("any text in here")

That played the alarm sound. I don’t have a drop-down either.

re-vo-lution · January 30, 2018, 8:54pm

I have openHAB 2.2.0-1 (Release Build)

MikeH · January 30, 2018, 10:46pm

re-vo-lution,
I found it on mine by going to the “Control” section of the paperui and then clicked on “Other”.

re-vo-lution · January 31, 2018, 6:12am

I found the item in the control section, but i have no dropdpwn list.

re-vo-lution · January 31, 2018, 6:18am

error:
“Zum besseren Schutz Ihres Kontos geben Sie bitte nochmals Ihr Passwort ein, und geben Sie dann die Zeichen ein, die in der Abbildung unten gezeigt werden.”

I found workaround for that error.
delete the binding jar file, delete the amazon account thign and items.
Log in on a internet explorer in Alexa account, if you do this you must put in the password and the captcha. After this login, the next login is without the second password and captcha.
Now but the binding file back in the addons folder and install the thing Alexa account.
Now it should connect without errors. Be sure you use the correct password.

Marco_Paul · January 31, 2018, 6:47pm

Hi Rene

Unfortunately that does not seem to work for me. What address did you use to log in? https://alexa.amazon.de?
I logged in there without needed to put in a captcha and the error remains.

MikeH · January 31, 2018, 6:51pm

I think I may have a problem with the AmazonEchoControlBinding turning off and on my bluetooth for one of my Amazon Echo’s. It does it 4-6 times an hour. Everytime it does it my speakers make a sound to indicate that it disconnected and then reconnected. If I shut down OpenHAB it stops happening. It just started yesterday and I can’t figure how to stop it. I removed all the bluetooth channels from that echo’s “Thing”. I totally removed it from my items file. I rebooted my bluetooth device and had Alexa forget the bluetooth device and then reset it up. Not sure how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Solved: I think I figured it out. I was trying out the AmazonEchoControlBinding’s “Everywhere” thing yesterday. It works just like it does with the Alexa App, it plays on all echo devices, but any echo device with bluetooth it shuts the bluetooth off and just uses the echo’s speaker and then turns the bluetooth back on when your done. The AmazonEchoControlBinding wouldn’t quit turning it off and on even when I wasn’t using it.

Falk · January 31, 2018, 10:52pm

“Zum besseren Schutz Ihres Kontos geben Sie bitte nochmals Ihr Passwort ein, und geben Sie dann die Zeichen ein, die in der Abbildung unten gezeigt werden.”

Had the same error again after restarting OH2.2 and did just nothing. Just let the system run and let it try to login each minute. For me, login succeeded again after some hours. This is the second time this happened to me.

Edit: same problem after restarting OH2.2 … are we sure this kind of login is the right thing to do? Is there another way except from using the web-page?

michi · February 1, 2018, 7:04am

Restart should not force a new login, the authentication token is stored as thing parameter and will be used for 5 days, regardless if OH is restarted. Have you defined the account device in a Thing file? Because I’am not sure if the storing parameters works for text based definitions.

Because there is not yet an offical supported way to control alexa, I fear it’s the only way. But if anyone find a better way, maybe by combine the login documented with the aws services and usage of the alexa api from the browser, I would integrate it in the binding.

Regards,
Michael

michi · February 1, 2018, 7:09am

This is not a problem of the binding. Multiroom Music is not supported from the echo devices, if you use a bluetooth connection. May the need them for the synchronization.

re-vo-lution · February 1, 2018, 7:59am

Hi Marco,

Yes, i use this adress.
But, did you use the Paper-UI things or did you create it in the thing-file manually? For me it works onyl if i use the automatically created items in the paper-UI.

Falk · February 1, 2018, 9:29am

@michi, yes. I configured in thing file as well as PaperUI.
Deleted thing file for the moment and restarted … let’s see if this makes any difference.

danielwalters86 · February 1, 2018, 9:43am

@michi are there any plans to support two-factor authentication?

MikeH · February 1, 2018, 10:42am

I realize it’s normal operation when I’m using the “everywhere” thing to play music on all my echoes at the same time to turnoff bluetoooth. However, the problem I was having was that the Bluetooth kept cycling off and on when I wasn’t using it.

Gordon_Geist · February 1, 2018, 4:46pm

Gordon_Geist · February 1, 2018, 4:49pm

Heres an example of what I have

michi · February 1, 2018, 5:50pm

No, but the source is open source, so maybe another developer will do this.

Regards,
Michael