Amazon Echo and Group Names Problem

[renegade600]

I think your problem is you don't want to think about what room you are in, you just want to tutn on an "Alexa" light switch.  If the wemo there is named Basement.  It's not that much trouble.to say turn on the basement..If it were me, I would turn on basement BEFORE I arrived there.

And I think you problem is you don't want to just flip a light switch. How much work is that?

Eventually in the near future just walking into a room will turn the lights on and when the last person leaves the lights will go out all automatically.
And after that will come fusion and the lights will stay on 24/7 if we want.

this can already be done with motion sensors.   a lot of public restrooms are already setup that way.  they stay on as long as someone is in the room.

 imo, you are doing nothing but jerking the members chains on this forum.   your question was answered and just because it was not what you wanted to hear (or read) you won't accept it.  you cannot always do what you want.  there are limitations at this time you will have to accept. 

[rderkis]

I'm sorry this didn't work for you. I am at a loss to explain why. I have this set up in my home, but I am not using Wemo devices. I don't think that Wemo is the cause, but it is the only difference I can see. I hope you are able to get it working soon. Good Luck!

Do you have multple devices and multiple alexas?

[rderkis]

I'm sorry this didn't work for you. I am at a loss to explain why. I have this set up in my home, but I am not using Wemo devices. I don't think that Wemo is the cause, but it is the only difference I can see. I hope you are able to get it working soon. Good Luck!

Group Name -> "Bedroom"
Wemo Device Name-> "Bedroom Light"
Echo Device Name-> "Bedroom Echo Dot"
*No quote marks of course

Said "Echo turn on the light" -> Response "Sorry I did not find light"
Said "Echo turn on the lights" -> Response "Sorry I did not find lights"
Said "Echo Turn off the bedroom light" -> Response "OK" -> Worked

Hmm the above should work.
You are sure you put the correct dot in that group, were talking to that dot (only), and the group shows as "alexa-enabled" in the app?
Also, what happens if you say "echo, turn on bedroom"?

Exactly as above. How would Alexa know that device( "Bedroom Light") was a light?

[rderkis]

The short answer is it's impossible to do that currently.

Sure. Which is why I have that working in every room in my apartment... 

Regarding group names, you cannot have groups with the same name. That is, you can't name the group "lights" for every room you want to control. If a group is named "lights" additional groups must be named something different.

As dragon123 stated, the alternative is to give each group a unique name such as "kitchen", "bathroom", "bedroom". If you have multiple bedrooms that you want to control, you must give each one a different name, e.g. "bedroom one", "bedroom two", "bedroom three", "John's bedroom", "Mary's bedroom". As you walk into a room, you would say "Turn on kitchen" or "Turn on bedroom two".

There are 2 threads about this. Again, DO NOT NAME A GROUP "LIGHTS". Ever. At all.

Name them by room or give them another name just not 'lights' or 'light' and all your alexa-enabled groups will behave EXACTLY like OP wants. "Alexa, turn on the lights" will then turn on the alexa-enabled group of the room you're currently in. Voila.

Just out of curiosity doing it as you suggest how does wemo know it is a light? Not a remote control or something else? If Alexa did no know what light is she would respond "Sorry I did not find light"

[dragon123]

Exactly as above. How would Alexa know that device( "Bedroom Light") was a light?

My lights in the groups (hue lights, livingwhite plugs and osram smartplugs) have a lightbulb icon, so alexa apparently knows it is a light. Do your wemo plugs have that same lightbulb icon?

My windows server shows as a light ( ), my domoticz smartplugs and water sensor have a on-off switch icon, my thermostat has a temperature icon.

[rderkis]

Exactly as above. How would Alexa know that device( "Bedroom Light") was a light?

My lights in the groups (hue lights, livingwhite plugs and osram smartplugs) have a lightbulb icon, so alexa apparently knows it is a light. Do your wemo plugs have that same lightbulb icon?

My windows server shows as a light ( ), my domoticz smartplugs and water sensor have a on-off switch icon, my thermostat has a temperature icon.

THANK YOU! Changing the icons to alight bulb was all it took. Many people tried to tell me how to do it but you are the only one that made it clear about changing the icon. And that is what made it work.
Thank You Again!
Roin Derkis

[stusviews]

A work-around it to give each room a different wake word. There are four available.

[rderkis]

A work-around it to give each room a different wake word. There are four available.

I learned how to do it.
just make a group with the room's alexa dot in it and the rooms light/switch/plug you want to control.
Then make sure the icon of the light/switch/plug is a light bulb! You must tell alexa it is a light by using that light bulb's icon(found under type on device)

Plus by making a group called

[rderkis]

Group Name -> "Bedroom"
Wemo Device Name-> "Bedroom Light"
Echo Device Name-> "Bedroom Echo Dot"
*No quote marks of course

Said "Echo turn on the light" -> Response "Sorry I did not find light"
Said "Echo turn on the lights" -> Response "Sorry I did not find lights"
Said "Echo Turn off the bedroom light" -> Response "OK" -> Worked

Hmm the above should work.
You are sure you put the correct dot in that group, were talking to that dot (only), and the group shows as "alexa-enabled" in the app?
Also, what happens if you say "echo, turn on bedroom"?

The reason it did not work was because you did not tell me to change the type of device to light (with a light bulb icon). Most device when you set them up defaults to a light but wemo does not.

[kenf]

On round two of trying this:

Step One:
Each Alexa is named after the room (Bedroom, Kitchen, etc)
Each light is named after the room it is in + " Light" so "Bedroom Light"
I made a group for each room with the same name "Bedroom","Kitchen" and assigned its respective Light to it.

Step Two:
On the mobile App (not possible from web): goto SmartHome->Groups
select a group (the ones you named after rooms)
click Edit (a listing of Echo devices, normal devices and scenes will appear)
select the Echo device that represents that room
save it
repeat for each Group

I couldn't find this initially and it is the critical part.


Step Three:
repeat the process of discovering devices, making groups and assigning Echos for EACH user account you have in your family because Amazon doesn't share any of this info across accounts.  I get that skills might use different accounts for linking, but that's a PITA if you are managing automation for a household.

Now I can say "Alexa, turn on the light" while sitting in the bedroom and the light will turn on in that room only.

If I say "Alexa, turn on the lights" it will turn on every light in the house, so keep your plural and singular in mind

I just got this working and tested it after a flurry of other posts and reading and trying things out.

It works.

[rderkis]

it is really easy to do. I got a LOT of conflicting answers/advice. I came to realize the most device set themselves up as a light (type) in the alexas app. Those work fine and the people that used them could not understand why mine would not. It seems wemo sets them up as a TYPE switch or plug. Those people can not get them to work by saying turn on the light in each room. All you have to do is go into the alexa app and change TYPE  to light and it will work fine.

[kenf]

it is really easy to do. I got a LOT of conflicting answers/advice. I came to realize the most device set themselves up as a light (type) in the alexas app. Those work fine and the people that used them could not understand why mine would not. It seems wemo sets them up as a TYPE switch or plug. Those people can not get them to work by saying turn on the light in each room. All you have to do is go into the alexa app and change TYPE  to light and it will work fine.

I need to look deeper into the Alexa app.  I really hate that the web management tool is missing things the App has.  It is a lot easier to configure things from a laptop screen than a tiny phone.  Especially when I need to hope between SmartThings, ADT and Alexa management screens to wrangle devices.

For my setup, Alexa recognized everything as a Light by default.

[rderkis]

this can already be done with motion sensors.   a lot of public restrooms are already setup that way.  they stay on as long as someone is in the room.

Your being silly. :-) Motion sensors, as they are now, only turn the light on for a set period of time after the last motion was detected. Don't belive it, go in the bathroom stall farthest from the light and sit for 10 or 15 min and they will go out leaving you in the dark.
 

imo, you are doing nothing but jerking the members chains on this forum.   your question was answered and just because it was not what you wanted to hear (or read) you won't accept it.  you cannot always do what you want.  there are limitations at this time you will have to accept.

I disagree. Almost all these small limitations can be overcome, if you can program and build electronic devices.
And I can prove it. I can now go into any of my rooms and say "Alexa, turn the lights on" and the lights will turn on in that room only. Or I can say "Alexa turn the lights on in the bedroom" or any other room and alexa will turn them on there.