I understand Echo doesn’t recognized motion or door/window sensors. However, I have seen a video where a person had Echo tell them when a door was opened and closed or motion was sensed outside. Does anyone have a work around to allow Echo to see sensors?
That’s not an example of the Echo “seeing” any sensors, or even knowing about their existence at all. It’s an example of using SmartThings’ integration with those sensors as well as a combination of smart apps and mobile apps to “play” notifications on the Echo via a Bluetooth connection.
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OK, so I’m not very experienced with this. Do you know of information out there that I could learn how that was done? It’s very interesting and something I’d like to try.
Yup! I have Alexa “speak” whenever certain sensors do something, like my doors, locks, and windows.
I use a spare Android device (this is important) that connects via Bluetooth to my Echo, and via LANnouncer and a SmartApp called Big Talker, my Alexa speaks to me any event I want from almost any device. Here are important links you need to set things up:
Big Talker (also has links to LANnouncer)
LANnouncer:
http://www.keybounce.com/LANdroidHowTo/LANdroid.html
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Yeah…what this ^ guy said.
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Thanks you!
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I have “a lot” of this set up in Ask Alexa.
So i can call the status of any single device (with an alias set up so the language is more natural).
I have MANY Voice macros that report a group of devices - that I end with the word summary.
“Alexa, ask the brain for my battery summary” (these contain more than one device)
…temperature summary
…detailed temperature summary
…open / close (this is doors / windows)
…lock summary
…motion / presence summary
…hazzards summary (things that I deemed may burn my house down a motor out if left on - coffee pot, curling iron, humidifier.
etc etc
I think you get the idea.
Does that help?
Yes, it does help. Thanks
There are multiple apps that allow for this. The key to using the echo speakers is the landroid/lanouncer and a spate android device.
Using big talker will give you a ton of options fir feedback responses.
Using askAlexa gives you a lot of control over learning the status of devices and then controllingthem.
Using EchoSistant allows for pretty much th he same as both of the above, but it gives a more conversational interaction with Alexa.
But if you really want total control use all three apps together. Especially AskAlexa and EchoSistant, those two work great together.
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OK so I want all this lol. So far I’ve successfully integrated big talker, Lanannouncer and have done some configuring based on information from the community. When I open my back door, for testing, the app gives the notice that it’s triggering but there is no speech recognition. I’m connected via Bluetooth and upon setup I vaguely heard her say something in regards to something I did ie alarm or something. But I’m stuck on getting the actual verbal announcement from my echo. Everything that I can see seems set up correctly. Please alexa just speak to me lol. Any advice. And my devise handler says off and when on it says alarm in orange, what state should this be in. Again when I trigger the contacts and go into recent logs it states the action correctly but just doesn’t transfer to speech. With time I’ll get this but I could use some help
My luck with using bluetooth speakers period in conjuntion with Big Talker (at no fault of Big Talker) has been terrible. Bluetooth speakers aren’t reliable enough IMO to be used as a text-to-speech for home automation. I ended up getting a Sonos:Play1 and it’s working great so far! No unreliable bluetooth. Works over good 'ol lan. I’d highly recommend Sonos integretion for this much more than lannouncer or vlcthing IMO.
Do note that there are other speaker intergretions available, but Bose does not do anything besides control playback and volume and with Samgsung Multiroom speakers… only certain models work. They also happen to be the more expensive ones. Sonos is better anyway! 
I’ve used lannouncer very successfully.
I use a speaker wired directly to the android device… It works so much better than Bluetooth.
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ok so if I connect my extra android devise next to the echo I want with an auxiliary cord it might work? just wondering if I’m missing something else. or is big talker self explanatory.
You have to install lannouncer on the android device. You have to install the ST landroid app. Install the media renderer connect app in ST.
Set up the communication app of your choice. Choose the landroid device in the app and you’re good.
Connect a speaker, or an echo to the phone, and stuff plays on it
OK I have all that but what is the media renderer? I have lanouncer on ST. I finally got it to let me accept voice synthesis because I don’t have sonos. I messed around with ip address stuff but everything seems to be like it should
Everything seems to be triggering. I am connected to my echo through Bluetooth in the alexa app. Big talker was set up with a couple basic events ie back door is open or motion in office. Not to familiar with LaNouncer but ports match up and from what I can see it looks correct but I don’t know. Do I still need a (generic media renderer) driving me crazy. Saw a video on one of these threads where the guy did all this.
The information in the string of comments is very valuable to me and I’m sure to others in my situation. I am learning more every day, so it’s great to see others experiences. I need to find an old android device to get started to see if I can accomplish my goal of doing what you’re doing Cody, Thanks for posting here.
OK so I deleted everything and started over using one devise and slowly step by step and I now gleefully have my echo lanouncing all my contacts as I wanted, ya so excited, lol. So now that I understand big talker and lanouncer more I’ve set some alarms up but it will only alarm once and then it stops, I would like this to go on for a set duration for away security and or alarm for when I’m sleeping. Any suggestions for that purpose would help me. Also I’m now trying to understand ask alexa app a little more. I seem to have set it up and configured some or all contacts but I have know idea what to say or ask. What is the phrase and how is ask alexa used by you guys and gals. I did set up a lambda account but when I click settings or about ask alexa it goes to the next page and a red error bar pops up then my only action choice is delete app. Who knows, I need to quit my job lol.
So when looking for these devices, do you look for things that are Alexa compatible or SmartThings compatible? or both?
I am looking for door/window sensors, I find either they are Alexa compatible or SmartThings but not both.