"Alexa, turn on/off the lights" turns on/off the lights AND the fan

Devices & Integrations
1

I am using ST and Echo/Echo Dots to control my fan and fan lights in each room. Each room has either an Echo or Echo Dot.

The room I’m having most issues with Alexa’s voice control has a fan and fan lights which are wired on separate switches on the wall. For the fan lights, I’m using Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ dimmer. For the fan, GE 14287 smart fan speed controller. I’ve created a group both in ST and Alexa App and added the above two devices and the Echo Dot.

In this room (kid’s room), when I say “Alexa, turn on/off the lights,” Alexa turns on/off both the lights and the fan. Dimming the lights will also change the fan speed as well. What’s weird is that this doesn’t happen 100% of the time. Out of 10 times, maybe 8 times Alexa will activate both lights and the fan. Both light and thee fan works properly when using the wall switches or using the ST App. This only happens when voice-controlled using Alexa.

In the master bedroom, I have an Echo Dot, Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ dimmer for lights (ceiling recessed lights, not the fan) and Leviton DZ15S-1BZ switch for the fan. All of the devices are in a separate group in both ST and Alexa App called “master”. The fan lights are NOT on a separate switch, but controlled by a remote that came with the fan. In this room, both the dimmer and the fan switch work properly majority of the time using Alexa. I would say, 19 out of 20 times, Alexa properly activates the correct device.

All the devices are properly recognized in both ST and Alexa App, but the DZ15S-1BZ smart switches are recognized as a “relay” in ST App, not switches. Also, “turn on the lights” work in each group. So, I don’t have to say “turn on the master lights” when I am in that room. However, none of the fans work this way. For every fan, I have to say “turn on the master fan” or “turn on the family fan”. I must say the specific room’s name, although each fan is grouped together with the lights and Echo. If I don’t specify the room name, Alexa responds “there are few things that share that name” and then requests the room name.

I tried removing the devices and adding them back into the groups, but doesn’t seem to help.

Any ideas as to what I’m doing wrong? Thanks.

2

Alexa sees the Fan as a Light. Take the Fan out of the group. Hopefully soon, we will have the ability to assign a device type in the Alexa App.

3

Wow! So, simple and brilliant. I just removed the fan from my son’s room group and it worked. Fan turned on, but lights didn’t. Dimming the lights didn’t lower the fan speed either. In Alexa App, the GE 14287 smart fan controller is seen as a dimmer. So, this makes sense.

For my other rooms, where a switch is used for the fan and dimmer for the recessed ceiling lights, any ideas why “turn on the fan” doesn’t work? I have to say “turn on the master fan”? All of the devices are grouped together.

Lastly, I have group in ST. Do I have to duplicate the group in Alexa App? Currently, I duplicate every group and devices that are included in the group. Also, name each device and group exactly the same.

Thanks.

4

For now, the only advantage of the new grouping in the Alexa app is the ability to turn on “Lights” without actually having to say the name of the device.

For anything other than Lights, you still have to say the full name. Eventually, hopefully you will be able to define device types so instead of having to say, “Alexa, turn on Master Fan”, you will be able to say turn on Fan. But for now, the only devices that work correctly are lights…

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