Homematic Thermostats with Alexa Metadata - OH3 UI - How?

[salexes]

Hi everyone,

as you may noticed from the other threads I have created lately. I am currently trying to integrate all my different smart home devices with Alexa and sometimes I run into issues, I fail to solve myself. I tried to search in the forum if someone had a similar issue already but since that was not the case I have opened this thread.

Now I am again at the point where I am unsure how to expose/setup the last piece of the thermostat alexa settings.

What I have done is this:
I created a group for the thermostat with alexa metadata
Underneath the group I configured items for currenttemperature and settemperature.

This is working as it should.

Now I have 5 different items for the following channels:
switch auto_mode
switch boost_mode
switch comfort_mode
string control_mode
number manu_mode

control_mode is the read-only value, which holds the status of the thermostat.
If you want to change the status, for example you have to switch auto_mode to on.
Then the thermostat switches to auto_mode, control_mode receives the value auto_mode and the switch turns back to off.

I have created a proxy string item to handle the different modes.

My issue now is that I am not sure how I need to tag my proxy item in the Alexa Metadata UI, so all the different Modes are usable in Alexa.

I thought about using Thermostat.Mode but I am unsure if that is correct and I am unsure what exactly to enter in Supported Modes and what exactly in Action Mappings.

Any tips what to set to make it work with Alexa?

[jeshab (Jeremy)]

@salexes

Any tips what to set to make it work with Alexa?

How do you interact with your proxy string item? Which modes will that item support?

[salexes]

The modes it supports would be

Automatic
Comfort
Boost

When one of these strings is set for the proxy item, then a rule triggers the correct switch.

[salexes]

@salexes

Automatic
Comfort
Boost

I have added these in the supported mode field now and alexa is now recognizing the modes.
Automatic=Automatic
Comfort=Comfort
Boost=Boost

But when I am in the alexa app and click on the Thermostat, then there is no dropdown of modes available. What do I need to do so they show up there aswell ?

[jeshab (Jeremy)]

@salexes

But when I am in the alexa app and click on the Thermostat, then there is no dropdown of modes available. What do I need to do so they show up there aswell ?

That’s the issue with using the generic attribute over the specific one. Granted that the latter one is more rigid, it is integrated in the Alexa app thermostat implementation while the former isn’t.

So you will have to decide what’s more important to you. If you decide to use HeatingCoolingMode, then you will have to pick the closest supported mode that matches your setup.