not controlling Loxone from Alexa, but the other way around

[bboydens]

I’m happily using 1Home for Alexa instructions to automate Loxone commands. What is the easiest way for Loxone instructions to trigger Alexa commands ?

[bboydens]

I have a robotmower, and a robotvacuumcleaner, both Alexa-enabled.

I do NOT want to talk to them, Loxone needs to ‘control’ them through Alexa.

How can this be done ?

[AaronP]

Not sure if this Loxberry plugin can also be used for device cantrol via Alexa also but this is the closest thing i've found to what you're after, hopefully its a starter for ten - https://loxwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/LOXBERRY/pages/1246069002/Alexa2Lox#Alexa2Lox-Beispiele

[AaronP]

What mower and vacuum do you have? Do they have an API you can utilise through virtual inputs/outputs directly in Lox without having to go through Alexa?

[bboydens]

Hi Aaron, thanks for the LoxBerry link.
I was trying to do it without another additional component, but understand the LoxBerry add-in Alexa2Lox would do the trick.
Being an 1Home bridge owner, it appears it should publish Loxone sensors, switches and devices as triggers for Alexa Automation. In my case, it doesn't.

I'll post an update as soon as I receive more information.

The mower is an Ambrogio 4.0 Elite. iRobot Roomba and Braava listen to Alexa. 

[bboydens]

Hi all, 

I got it working with the 1Home bridge and the routines in Alexa app. Here's how to do this:

BB20211204: for an object to be available as a trigger in Alexa routines, the object's type (icon) in 1Home must be of type 'contact sensor' or 'motion sensor'.
To ensure a newly added Loxone object is available as a contact sensor in 1Home, do this:
- ensure the Alexa account (used by 1Home) has access to the object in LoxConfig
- ensure that the object is visible in the Loxone User Interface (attribute "Use" is checked)
- save changes in LoxConfig to the miniserver
- load the newly added object as a device in 1Home by hitting the /Smart Homes/Refresh button
- enable te newly added object in 1Home/Devices
As of now, the object can be used as a trigger("When this happens") in an Alexa routine.
Note:
- objects can be LoxConfig switches, memory flags, virtual states, ...
- the object does not need to belong to a specific sensor Category in LoxConfig, it will be assigned to the 1Home 'Contact Sensors' device type by default
- it is not necessary that in LoxConfig, the used category is assigned to 'Category Group' of type 'Sensors'
- the object name in 1Home is  the same as the object name in LoxConfig, unless if the object's description field is filled in; that takes precedence.
- the type of any device can easily be changed by switching the device type (icon) in 1Home.

Issue is, I got it working just for one day. Since then, the triggers are not being picked up anymore... Still looking what is going wrong... Will keep you posted !

Bart

[bboydens]

I got it working again, by reducing the name of the contact sensor in 1Home/devices down to 41 characters, and recreating the ON and OFF routines in the Alexa app. Not sure if that was the reason it was failing, but it did the trick...