Alexa wont find the virtual switch I created to use ActionTiles/Sharptools to run an Alexa Routine

[bellevino]

I have a Xiaomi Roborock S5 vacuum that is linked to my Echos via the Xiaomi Alexa skill. I would like to use my wall mounted tablet that is running Actiontiles / Sharptools to run the vacuum via touch. From what I have read I need to create a virtual switch in Smartthings then have Alexa “Discover Devices” to find the switch to use it as a trigger to run the Alexa routine.

I have created the virtual switch, but I cant get Alexa to discover it. My “non-virtual”, aka real, devices are discovered, but not the virtual ones. Any ideas what the problem might be?

[tgauchat (ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)]

Just might be looking for a “light” on the name or something…

My Virtual Switches have worked fine with Alexa (so far).

Are you using a specific Device Type Handler?

[JDRoberts]

You don’t need a virtual switch. You need a virtual device with is both A switch and a contact sensor. This is because Amazon routines at present cannot be triggered by a switch.

You will end up with a device which will look like both. You will be able to turn the switch part on and off. When you turn on the switch part, the contact sensor part will look like it opened, and that is what will trigger the echo routine.

Read the FAQ. Follow the steps exactly in the order specified even if you think you have already done some of them.

This is a very popular integration and it should work fine if you follow those steps.

(There is a link to the code you will need for the dual device in the FAQ.)

FAQ: Can I trigger an Echo Action without Speaking to It?

[joshua_lyon (Josh, SharpTools.io Dashboard)]

Are you using the new app or the classic app?

The Amazon Echo integration has the option to either authorize all devices or to pick and choose which devices you want to authorize. If you originally chose to pick individual devices, you may need to update your authorizations:

Depending on the app you use…

• Samsung SmartThings: Settings → Connected Services → Amazon Alexa
• SmartThings Classic: Automation → SmartApps → Amazon Echo