Inexpensive Security Play Audio Notifications?

As JD said, Alexa can do it for cheap, but maybe a little complicated if you have to use a virtual switch device. The cheapest route directly in SmartThings is a $100 Ikea/Sonos Symfonisk speaker.

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@Automated_House So, the Symfonisk speaker is a bit more than I was hoping to spend given that it’s single purpose is for a pre-siren warning, but even if I did go that route, isn’t it just a speaker? Wouldn’t I need something else to send the audio to it? Or am I missing something?

If you’re in the US, I’m Pretty sure you can do it with the $45 Zooz multisiren as well, but you have to use a pre-recorded sound file, you can’t just type in text.

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https://www.support.getzooz.com/kb/article/264-how-to-set-up-custom-audio-notifications-for-your-zse19-multisiren-in-smartthings/
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And I still don’t know the exact steps you would have to go through to delay the siren sound. :thinking:

Which reminds me, I forgot to ask what country you’re in. The device selection does vary somewhat.

Yeah, I’m in Colorado. I’ll check out that Zooz MultiSiren, that might be just what I need. I just put up a Honeywell Wave2, but it looks like I might be able to replace that with a Zooz and it sounds like it would be able to play the warning and then advance to the siren by itself … Thanks for the link!

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You use STHM or an automation to send the voice alert to the Sonos speaker. And I don’t think it’s single use, it still plays whatever music you want too :grin:

Tagging @TheSmartestHouse

@Automated_House, so does SmartThings have built in audio files or text to speech or what? How is the sound quality, like for music, of the Symfonisk and how loud is it?

As I understand it, the new websocket integration for Sonos generates an audio file base on your text and which voice you choose. It then send that to the speaker every time the automation runs. I don’t have any other Sonos devices to compare the Symfonisk too. I’d say it sounds a little better than my 2nd generation Echo Show 10, but not as good as a bigger speaker like my Denon Home 250, which is to be expected.

@JDRoberts, first thanks for the info. I have a question after finding the Echo Dot one of my kids had and getting it running again. I have it recognizing the devices I have in SmartThings like my sensors. It does not, however, recognize if the alarm is tripped or not. Is that what I would create a virtual sensor for, to make the alarm status look like a sensor to that Alexa could use that status?

Yes, exactly. You do whatever you want to do on the smartthings side with the end result that you turn on a virtual switch which is also a sensor. Then the Alexa routine will trigger from that sensor. :sunglasses:

@JDRoberts so any advice? I created the Virtual Switch and it shows up in SmartThings and I’m able to turn it on under my Home Monitoring under the alarm Set Response. Alexa sees the switch as a light, but when I try to create a routine in Alexa neither lights or switches are available under When This Happens so I can’t do anything. In Alexa under When This Happens I do see my physical sensors so I tried changing my Virtual Switch to a Virtual Contact Sensor, but when I do that I am unable in SmartThings under alarm Set Response to turn it on so, again stymied. I feel like I’m soooo close to getting my pre-siren voice notification working, but just can’t seal the deal. Any ideas?

Please read the community FAQ on this method and follow the steps there exactly.

You have to use a very special kind of virtual device which is BOTH a switch and a sensor. When you turn on the switch, it will look like the sensor opened. When you turn off the switch, it will look like the sensor closed. You can’t use just any random virtual device, you must use the code which is linked to from the FAQ.

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

It will end up looking like this in the ST app: one device, which is both a sensor and a switch.

It will look like two separate devices in the Alexa app.

So, thanks, I missed that part from your earlier post (combo switch/sensor). So, going through the instructions I got to the developers section, but I don’t have the code. I think I am supposed to get the code at https://community.smartthings.com/c/projects-stories/created-smart-apps, but that page says it doesn’t exist or is private.

Nevermind, I missed the link, I think I now have the code …

It is a DTH, not a smartapp.

[Release] Virtual Alexa Switch/Button

Yeah, I realized I that, just misspoke. I got it working though. Thanks a bunch!

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@JDRoberts I spoke too soon … so, I had it working and it tested ok, but I had just set it up quickly to have Alexa tell a joke. I went in and changed Alexa to a custom message and then checked SmartThings and found that my new Simulated Alexa Switch is now showing up under the Siren and not under the Turn On Lights where it had been. The problem now is that I have the Siren delayed by 30 seconds, but the turn on lights doesn’t have a delay so before it moved it worked great because the Alexa message played and then the siren would go off after the delay. Now that the virtual switch sensor is under Sirens it will be delayed as well.
Any idea why it is now showing up as a Siren instead of under Turn on lights where it used to be?

@JDRoberts let me know if you think there is a better way to do this, but what I did was I created a stock simulated switch and then I set up and automation that when it is turned on then it turns on my Simulated Alexis Switch so in the Home Monitoring I don’t enable that custom switch under the siren section, but I do have the stock simulated switch set on under the alarm response. When that goes on it triggers my automation with turns on the custom switch which Alexa then responds to … seems a bit hokey, but seems to work.

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That seems to be the assessment of a number of the integrations these days, I’m glad you got it working. :sunglasses: