Alexa what's the temperature

Devices & Integrations Connected Things
1

So finally the Amazon is catching up with its smarter group of Alexa 3rd party developers. They finally announced today, the official integration of temperature status updates. A feature that has been available for a long time to ST members using the @MichaelS s Ask Alexa app or more recently EchoSistant.

The temperature status updates seem to be available for the main connected Thermostat Players, at the moment. I hope the Home Automation companies will update their skills soon.

Screenshot_20170224-211035.png1080×1920 435 KB

The thing is, that Amazon has a long way to go


I still like EchoSistant’s way of asking:

Alexa what’s the temperature in my Home, and then tell Alexa to turn the lights off in the same session, without the need to wait for Alexa to go to sleep and then say Alexa turn the lights off.

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2

Looks like it’s just available for connected thermostats that have native Alexa skills. I don’t see it for wink or Insteon, for example. So it’s not just that smartthings doesn’t have it. It’s that thermostats got it. Not hubs.

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4

You should give one of the community projects listed above a try. I get Temp, Setpoint and even Humidity from Ask Alexa. :slight_smile:

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6

Actually, because both are 'skills", YOU actually define the invocation name. So, Ask Alexa is capable to respond to “home”, or even a room name. So you can say “Alexa, turn on the light in this room” and it will operate. And, I just added instructions to allow for a multi room install.

If you need assistance installing either, the wiki or the community can assist.

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7

Tastes sweeter! lol and with a little naming creativity, you would not even realize that you are using a custom skill but still get all of its benefits. The ask/tell/use connectors. are a thing of the past.

Let us know if you need any help getting started


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8

The temperature status is available from any compatible thermostat via SmartThings. Works with Filtrete 3M-50 Wi-Fi Thermostat.

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9

Yep


Alexa, turn on the lights in the living room

Alexa, make it darker in the living room

Alexa, slow down the ceiling fan in the living room


All of those are using the EchoSistant skill
 but sound just like the native Alexa app


And only ONE install!!!

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10

I’m using the HoneyWell 8320z
 I get
 “That command does not work on that device”.

But, I am connecting it through ST and not directly to Alexa
 that’s probably why.

The custom skill EchoSistant still gives a better more personal experience with thermostats

11

That’s exactly it. I couldn’t get it to work either until I excluded my Ecobee3s from the ST ↔ Alexa integration and ran discovery in the Alexa app to pick up the thermostats directly. Now it works like a charm, and even queries the remote sensors.

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12

what commands?

13

[quote=“bamarayne, post:12, topic:79157”]
what commands?[/quote]

My t’stats are named “Upstairs” and "Downstairs"and the remote sensors are “Master Bedroom” and “Family Room”, so


“What’s the temperature upstairs/downstairs?”


or


“What’s the temperature in the master bedroom/family room?”

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14

EchoSistant’s way


Me: Alexa what’s the temperature upstairs in my home?
Alexa: 74, anything else?
Me: it’s too hot
Alexa: ok, adjusting your temperature upstairs to 73

OR

Me: What’s the temperature in the master bedroom/family room?" (notice there is NO difference how you ask)
Alexa: 71, anything else?
Me: switch to CNN
Alexa: ok, starting Harmony activity

OR

here is favorite


Me: What’s the temperature in the master bedroom/family room?"
Alexa: 71, anything else?
Me: is downstairs thermostat running?
Alexa: No, the downstairs thermostat is not running


Can your native Alexa skill match this!

@anon36505037 
 this is what I mean by the ‘benefits’ of a custom skills

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15

It doesn’t work for me and my direct Nest to Echo integration. When I ask the question it just ignores me and says nothing. Standard alexa is so limited. I just treat it as an alternative to a light switch and a slightly enhanced speaker. Everything else is just so meh


16

I wonder if it’s not enabled for the UK yet.

In the US, we get an email from Amazon every Friday listing what’s new. The temperature feature was listed on the one for this week. But the other featured skills were about the Oscars, so it might be region specific.

Do you get a similar weekly email in the UK, and if so does it mention the temperature feature?

17

You’re probably right as usual. We do get regular mailings, possibly weekly, not sure. It all gets randomly bundled as spam every now and again.

Have found the interface so finicky and if you don’t know exactly what and how to ask for things it’s too stubborn to understand you
 but that’s a whole other topic :slight_smile:

18

My direct Ecobee 3 to Alexa just tells me ‘that command doesn’t work on that device’. She works great for changing the temperature.

19

@JDRoberts is always right, don’t you know it? Here is the proof


“Today we are happy to announce support for thermostat query, a new feature for Alexa skills developed using the Smart Home Skill API. The feature is now available in the US, with support for the UK and Germany coming soon.”

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20

This doesn’t work with my Ecobee. It says there are many devices matching that name.

21

Doesn’t work with my Honeywell 9500. Alex says “That function not available on that device.”

22

I guarantee you that both would work great with EchoSistant loool


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