Release Candidate and Support: Amazon Echo Control Binding

[HannesFE (Hannes)]

Hi Michael,
just wondering if it may be possible to access the internal temperatur sensor of the echo plus. It can be displayed in the amazon alexa app.
Usually the echo is located somewhere central, so the temperature should be the overall room temperature. So you can safe money for getting an additional temp sensor.
Maybe this is an idea for an future release or you can provide an instruction how to add channels manually to the binding.
Thx

cheers Hannes

[michi (Michael Geramb)]

@HannesFE

It can be displayed in the amazon alexa app.

Reading out the value, should not be the problem. But the question is, if there is a notification if the temperature is changed. If not, than additional polling is required and this would be not nice. BTW, is it possible to show the temperature in the alexa web site, too? Or is it only available in the app? I

Best, Michael

[michi (Michael Geramb)]

btw, you can check if you have the new version if you open the binding webpage

http://<youropenhab>/amazonechocontrol

You should see the Beta hint on this page:

[HannesFE (Hannes)]

Hi,
unfortunately i cannot see the Temperature on the website.
Im not sure if there is a notification, but you can create a alexa scene or rule depending on this temperature. for example: “switch on ventilator, if temp raise over 26°C”. So i assume there is a notification, right?

Cheers

[jriker1 (John Riker)]

Is someone able to explain the relationship between OpenHAB and Alexa/Echo? What specifically does what? Every example out there, and there are not that many, references to add tags to your things in OpenHAB, and then install the OpenHAB Cloud Connector. Then go to your Alexa app and add the OpenHAB skill. WHich then will pull in all the items that are tagged. They then start telling Alexa to turn lights on and off and change this color and that color. I’m confused what is happening during those requests, who is executing those requests, and they never ask for any other bindings on the OpenHAB side so confused about that and where this binding for example comes in. Appreciate any clarification.

Thanks

JR

[summerguy (Matt Lo)]

I think you are in the wrong topic . see here :

Official Alexa Smart Home Skill for openHAB 2

–Updated 5/31/2018, added new Languages and Regions – I am pleased to announce that the openHAB 2 Alexa Smart Home skill has been certified by Amazon today and is now live. This skill allows you to connect your openHAB setup through the myopenHAB.org cloud service to Amazon Alexa. With this skill you can control items that respond to on/off and numeric commands as well as limited support for thermostats. The skill is supported for the following languages and regions: English (UK) English (…

[jriker1 (John Riker)]

Summerguy, If that comment is for me, I don’t believe so unless you are suggesting this should be a separate topic. I’m trying to understand the openhab and Alexa integration, how it works, and since none of the tutorials require a specific binding other than the cloud connector, trying to understand what these bindings do.

Thanks.

JR

[Bredmich (Michael)]

Yes that comment was for you

What you‘re talking about is the Alexa Skill for openHAB. It let‘s you expose items from oH to Alexa so you‘re able to control them with your Echo devices.

In this thread it‘s about controlling the Echo devices from openHAB.
You‘re able to send TextToSpeech, check the lastVoiceCommand or controll the music playback.

Kind regards
Michael

[steffe (Steffen)]

@michi

New Beta Version 2.5 (5)

@steffe

Echo Input:

2019-02-04 21:59:44.011 [ome.event.ItemCommandEvent] - Item 'alexa_Buero_TTS' received command <speak><voice name="Celine">Ich liebe Dich</voice>.</speak>
2019-02-04 21:59:44.013 [nt.ItemStatePredictedEvent] - alexa_Buero_TTS predicted to become <speak><voice name="Celine">Ich liebe Dich</voice>.</speak>
==> /var/log/openhab2/openhab.log <==
2019-02-04 21:59:45.837 [WARN ] [mmon.WrappedScheduledExecutorService] - Scheduled runnable ended with an exception: 
org.openhab.binding.amazonechocontrol.internal.HttpException: GET url 'https://al

All warnings are gone. Good work

[Normann_P_Nielsen]

Ive just uninstalled the 2.4.0 binding and installed the org.openhab.binding.amazonechocontrol_2.5.0.Beta_05.jar as a replacement.

Everything seems fine, and the crazy stacktracing regarding Amazon URLs in openhab.log has stopped - Good work !!

BR,

Normann

[Karl2 (Karl)]

If I want to turn off the screens on my echo show and spot devices I can issue the command “Alexa, screen off”. Could this functionality be provided using the control binding ?

[michi (Michael Geramb)]

@Karl2

“ Alexa, screen off ”. Could this functionality be provided using the control binding ?

Is this function available in the alexa app, too?

[Karl2 (Karl)]

Hi there,

This is a normal voice command I give to my show and spot devices to get them to switch the screens off. I cant find any specific action within the Alexa app that offers this as an option when building a routine. It just appears to be something that can be spoken. Perhaps the API you use exposes this functionality ?

Regards
Karl.

[michi (Michael Geramb)]

@Karl2

Perhaps the API you use exposes this functionality ?

No, there exist no documented offical API. Only call of the aop can be used.
Sorry, I can‘t help in this case.

[Karl2 (Karl)]

No problem. Thanks for checking.

[Felix_Raetz (Felix)]

I was wondering where to find the correct commands for the Player Item.
e.g. for next track i thought it is “next track”, but I found out thats just “NEXT”.

Channel Type ID	Item Type	Access Mode	Thing Type	Description
player	Player	R/W	echo, echoshow, echospot, wha	Control the music player e.g. pause/continue/next track/previous track

[jwiseman (Mr. Wiseman (OH 4.2 Snapshot on Pi4))]

Monitoring Run Away Echo Alarms

I want to monitor run away echo alarms and shut them off automatically; has anybody done something like this through OH?

My family sometimes sets an alarm for the morning and then gets up before the alarm and forgets to cancel the alarm. I walk up there hours later and the alarm is still going off for many hours from when it was set.

Any thoughts how to do this?

Best, Jay

[salexes]

Could somebody explain me the basics of how this binding works?
I mean as far as I understood every action is simulated on the Webinterface of Alexa.

Could someone link me the file on github for setting an reminder ?

I want to adapt that code and modify so I can set timers via the binding too.

[jriker1 (John Riker)]

Do you need VoiceRSS to use TTS with this binding or does this have it’s own internal text to speech capability? If it still needs VoiceRSS what is the difference? Note I have a Sonos ONE so maybe it’s something related to pure Amazon Echo devices?

Thanks.

JR

[Baron (Baron Von Richthofen)]

Hey guys,

awesome binding. I have a couple of questions about the startRoutine function, maybe someone is in my same boat.

1. the command list mentions this for the command. “Type in what you normally say to Alexa without the preceding “Alexa,””.
   Let’ say you have a smart home device linked to the amazoin echo called “Light”.
   Will a mapping with “Light ON” passed to the startRoutine command trigger the switch?
   I cannot seem to crack this, instead I have to create a specific routing and map such routine’s name.

2. With this create routine and call through mapping method I am running into the problem that for some routine (seems to be completely random and it changes from one day to another), I am getting the log message “Routine XXX not found”, where XXX is the routine name (I’ve tried all caps, no caps, no spaces, spaces). cannot seem to find a solution where all routines are found.
   Some routines work right away, some other work after i edit their name, some don’t work at all, some work one day and return the “not found” message the following day.

Anyone ran into this before?

Thanks