Android as a Speech/Alarm Device released! And Updated!

Devices & Integrations
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61

This is so cool.

I’ve now got it running with just one contact sensor (the fridge) on a Nexus 7 Android tablet. I paired the tablet it with our Amazon Echo, so the audio runs through that, which is a better speaker than the tablet. My wife is rolling her eyes as I open and close the fridge and the Echo announces, “the fridge is open. The fridge is closed. The fridge is open…”

The Android audio isn’t as good as the Alexa voice, but there are a few premium voice synthesis apps in the Google Play Store that you can use as the default voice renderer in Android. The one I installed, Acapela, sells decent voices for only a few dollars. (I’m testing a British English one that’s sort of Jarvis-ish, which isn’t too bad.)

62

Probably not a good question… .but what would it take to get to get this to run under JellyBean or Kitkit? All of my Android devices are old and none run Lollipop. I think there are custom Lollipop ROMs for 2 of them; I’m looking into that.

63

To answer my own question, you wrote this on your web page:

LANnouncer requires SDK 21, which means Lollipop, Android 5.0, or
above.  This isn't capricious; because I've updated all of my devices
and because I initially wasn't even considering publishing this (it was
just to solve an annoyance), I used Android methods supported by my
devices.  Specifically, the AudioAttributes.Builder class,
added in SDK 21.

I now know I can update at least one of my old phones to 5.0, so I’m all set.

64

It’s running fine on my Nexus 7 with 6.1. The only problem I have that if the device is not plugged in all the time, it sometimes does not say anything. I have all the settings set to stay on wifi and everything. Can’t figure this out.

65

I grabbed an old smart phone, put it on Wi-Fi, plugged it in and stuck it under my recliner where no-one will see it or touch it… Works great!

66

[quote=“matt, post:61, topic:30282”]I paired the tablet it with our Amazon Echo, so the audio runs through that, which is a better speaker than the tablet.
[/quote]@matt Please elaborate. How?

67

I got the idea from @bamarayne in this thread: Amazon Echo DOES Voice Notifications!

If you direct Echo to “pair” it will prompt you to turn on the Bluetooth on your device and connect to a specific Echo device. Then the Echo is basically a plain old BT speaker. It’s been a documented Echo feature from early on, but alas, audio only goes one way. You can’t get anything out of Echo to another device.

68

I have my Kindle Fire HD 10 set up the same way over BT for this application to the Echo.

It’s more centralized than my tablet’s locations. Plus, it’s louder and a quality speaker.

69

Anybody have a good way to AUTOMATICLY run LANnouncer for every boot, without root?

70

Automatically how? As in on device boot up or when you arrive at a certain location?
Trying to figure out exactly what you’re looking for.

EDIT: Actually… Regardless of how you are trying to set it up, Tasker will be capable of this. It supports Location, Wifi Status, Uptime, Date, Time, etc

71

LANnouncer/LANdroid has to start once, and run on the device in the background, so I forget to start it one time, every time I reboot the tablet or phone.

I’ll try tasker.

72

I just now set this up on a factory reset S4 without a need to be rooted. It really wasn’t too difficult to get going.

Now I just need to wait until morning when my wife hears Echo say the door was unlocked… This may take her over the edge a bit. She’s been quite patient with all the ST and Echo stuff to date, but I don’t know about this one. I wish the voice was the Echo’s vs the phone’s.

73

Definitely go with Tasker.
You can use the Uptime option in there for Launch App.

74

I have the same issue…and can’t figure out… Seems when there is no activity, and then a sensor is triggered there is a huge delay. Like the device or service is waking up.

75

Using through Echo requires Echo to remain paired via BT to the Android device, correct?

When Echo is paired, does other Echo functionality work the same (IE - voice commands to turn things on/off)?

76

Yes. and 20 characters…

77

Yes.

When it first launched, it was not capable of this. If it was connected via BT, you could not use it for anything else.

They realized the flaw in that and updated it

78

So I got Lannouncer to work pretty good with opening and closing of contact sensors.

Now I would like to use it as a siren when there alarm us tripped at night, but I am having some issues doing this. I used the Smartthings security app, and set the Siren to the Lannouncer voice, but the Siren doesn’t trip…it still just announces the door opened.

Is there a certain app to use to get the Siren to go off, when alarm is tripped?

Thanks in advance.

79

[quote=“Phil_Panfili, post:78, topic:30282, full:true”]
Is there a certain app to use to get the Siren to go off, when alarm is tripped?[/quote]
No special app needed; it’s built into SmartThings.

Dashboard - Setup (top right) - Security - <select your sensors for the alarm - Done - Done> - Configure intrusion alarm notifications
Your LANnouncer/LANdroid devices are listed under “Alert with Sirens”

80

ahhh I wondered how that worked. This SHM/configure-intrusion alarm notifications - presents a conundrum for me. I would like to experiment with SHM, without a dedicated siren, but with verbal notifications.

I can imagine my cellphone yammering about multiple (false) motions in a meeting with 85% dedicated volume not responding to mute or disarm - careful testing is called for.

Still it’s pretty cool.