Received Echo(Alexa) developer access

[coolcatiger]

I received Amazon Echo (Alexa) developer access, so what to do next to integrate it with ST?

[April (April Wong)]

Sorry, can you elaborate on what you just received?

[coolcatiger]

I had requested invitation to Amazon’a Echo (Alexa) developer access. Amazon sent access to create app’s for Echo.

[tslagle13 (Tim Slagle)]

@coolcatiger

so what to do next to integrate it with ST?

You’d have to work with their API and create an app that would connect the two.

[JDRoberts]

One of the earliest Echo hacks told people they needed to request developer access as one of the steps. I honestly don’t remember anything else about it, but I’ve seen similar questions elsewhere for that reason.

[tgryffyn (Gryffyn)]

I just got my SDK today… not sure how much I’ll be able to play with it this weekend, but I got a basic application set up and pointed to my “endpoint” on my web host and my application shows up in my Echo app under Apps. It’s not “published” but if I get things fleshed out, you can invite people to be testers.

Looks like the next place we need to go is to set things up in SmartThings… looks a good writeup here:

Tutorial: Creating a REST SmartApp Endpoint

SmartApp endpoints are a powerful way to securely control your SmartThings with familiar REST calls GET,POST,PUT or DELETE. You have the freedom to define your URL schema and can pass query values through the URL path or through JSON. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up this App Endpoint Example. After you authorize the app to see specific devices, it will generate a web page of buttons with URLs to toggle your chosen lights and locks. You can download the full code for the SmartApp Endpoint Example and PHP code to interact with the endpoint. Additional OAuth documentation can be found here. Step 1: Enable OAuth in the SmartApp To begin, add a New SmartApp in the IDE. Make sure to click the button to “Enable Oauth in Smart App.” Note the “OAuth Client I…

Going to try to at least get that half set up this weekend if I have time. The next bit would be to connect the two so you could talk to Alexa and have it interact with SmartThings. Ideally I want to have it so you go to a web page, connect to your SmartThings system, name your devices so you can, hopefully, refer to them by name via the Echo. Calling things “switch 1” would be annoying.

[coolcatiger]

Cool, I can be a tester.

[tgryffyn (Gryffyn)]

Quick update… haven’t had much time to really play with this, but I also hit a wall. I bought a COMODO SSL certificate via my web host but I’m getting an error from Amazon saying my development end point SSL cert isn’t from a “trusted” source. As far as I can tell, the certificate path is on Amazon’s approved list so not sure what’s going on with that. I have to finish some other stuff then will get back to it. If/when I get something functional working… if I reach a point where testers are useful, I’ll be sure to post.

[schettj (John S)]

The SSL Cert thing is one reason I went with Lambda - no cert needed there.

[tgryffyn (Gryffyn)]

I figured the SSL cert would be quick and easy to set up… seems pretty easy stuff. Need to check back… trying to set up Cloudflare to use their SSL but haven’t had time to play recently. Might look at AWS Lambda and see what that takes to set up.

[mager (Andrew Mager)]

This tutorial is much better: http://docs.smartthings.com/en/latest/smartapp-web-services-developers-guide/tutorial-part1.html#smartapp-as-web-service-part-1