Yeah, that’s what I did. For tones, I’ve loaded a complete set of tower bell sound bites for each hour (1-12), same with a complete set of cuckoo clock sound bites. I also loaded a sound bite of fireworks and … a chipmunk version of Auld Lang Syne, LOL — gonna use those to mark the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve.
Too bad the sound bites are limited to 20 sec. max 
, otherwise, I’d replace the chipmunk version with a traditional (and longer) version of Auld Lang Syne.
Do you use the parenthesis in the custom message section of the Audio Notification?
ie is it ‘playTrack(2)’ or ‘playTrack 2’
Custom commands can be executed through the SmartApp CoRE or other custom SmartApps, but they can’t be entered into the Custom Message field. All you can enter into the custom message is the track number.
The Aeon Siren has that functionality, but the doorbell doesn’t have many options so it’s not necessary.
Most SmartApps that provide a custom message audio option have a volume field so if you enter a number between 1 and 10 it will play the specified track at that volume.
If you enter a number above 10 it will use 10 instead and if you don’t specify one it will use the volume specified in the device settings.
Adding new mp3s isn’t that bad once you get used to the process, but starting with everything you can think of is a good idea.
Make sure you add at least 200 milliseconds of silence to the end of your tracks or the doorbell will only say part of the last word.
I have about 70 mp3s and I’m using them for alerts, messages, and confirmations. There are a few examples along with my leading tone sounds in my resources github repository under mp3s.
Alarm Tracks
My alarm tracks play an obnoxious whoop whoop sound before saying the message so that I’m paying attention when it says the message.
I have at least 2 tracks for every room because they both say the name of the room and one says motion was detected and the other says a window was opened.
Every door also has a track that says its name.
If someone broke in while I was sleeping I’d immediately know how they got in and every room that they go into.
I also have tracks for my water sensors and at least 4 tracks for each level of my house that say the level (Basement, First Floor, etc.) followed by:
Message Tracks
My message tracks start with a soft tone which gets my attention so I"m listening for the message, but doesn’t make me jump and I know that it’s not that important.
I have Message tracks for things like:
Confirmation Tracks
Since I’m expecting the confirmation messages they don’t play a sound before starting to talk.
I use confirmation tracks for things like:
Kevin, Can you PM me the inova instructions as well? Thanks!
I want to set up a door chime and a " alarm warning" (remind me to turn off the alarm with a low volume alert, before the delay is up and the real siren goes) in my house.
Would I be able to accomplish this with this device handler and CORE?
Yes, you can use them to play an mp3 when the door is opened and another before the alarm goes off, but you need to wait at least 2-3 seconds after the first track stops before starting the other track.
Hi Kevin,
I’ve been able to successfully setup the Aeotec doorbell and by using CoRE pistons link the opening of a specific door to a specific phrase. However, I’m experiencing a delay (often 3-4 seconds) after the door is open before the phrase executes. There are a couple of previous posts relating to delays, and I’m curious if I have the latest DH and whether pistons are the most efficient method to trigger specific phrases?
The version of the DH I’m using is Aeotec Doorbell v 1.10.1
There was also mentioned in previous posts something about secure inclusion, but being a newbie, not completely sure what this is, nor whether I’ve connected the doorbell device in the correct manner. Any help to set me straight would be appreciated.
Cheers, Craig
You’re on the correct version of the DTH and there’s always about 1 second delay. If you’re not paired securely the delay is worse. Having the device close to the hub and tapping the action button multiple times during the pair process is supposed to make it pair securely, but some users have been unable to get it to pair securely.
If you’re seeing a delay in CoRE, but the delay isn’t that bad when using the buttons in the device’s screen then the delay might be caused by CoRE.
With SHM and Speaker Notify with Sound the way you play the track affects performance, but it shouldn’t with CoRE.
Hi Kevin,
I’m experiencing a delay of 3-4 seconds (in fact, I can walk through the door and close it behind me as the chime is playing). I’ll attempt to re-pair the device in secure mode later this week.
Additional questions:
As always, thanks for your continued assistance.
Cheers, Craig
How bad is the delay when you use the “doorbell”, “beep” and “alarm” buttons on the device screen?
If you select only the “debug” option for logging in the device settings, then open Live Logging in the IDE and save the settings screen in the mobile app, it should display a message about secure commands being enabled or disabled.
I’ve never used the simulate option, but I’m assuming the delay would be close to the same as when the door triggers the piston.
The SmartApps Smart Home Monitor (SHM) and Speaker Notify with Sounds allow you to select the device as a music player.
This allows you to use the custom message field to specify a track number to play. I find both of those SmartApps a lot faster than CoRE, but unfortunately they pass the track number through Amazon’s TTS service before sending the it to the device handler.
That extra step adds a couple of seconds to the process which cancels out any performance improvement over CoRE.
If you set the “alarm track” in the device settings to the track you want to play for that door, setup a Custom Monitoring Rule in SHM and use the “Alert with Sirens” option to play the track, you should see a performance improvement of 1-2 seconds.
This only works for one track so you should use it for the rule that needs the best performance.
Anyone else have issues with the Doorbell not showing up on their computer. I’m trying to connect it to my Mac to copy audio files onto it, but it’s not showing up. Tried different cables, but no luck.
EDIT: Nevermind. I plugged the device into the wall and then connected it to my computer via cable and it finally showed up. That’s the weirdest thing I’ve encountered in a while.
I’ve been unsuccessful in getting my Aeotec Doorbell to work. It appears to be paired securely and interacting with the hub using Kevin’s latest device handler “Aeotec Doorbell v 1.10.1”; however no sound comes out. The ring around the button does flash blue if I either activate a sound from the app (iPhone, latest version) or push the button on the remote.
I have downloaded some additional sounds as MP3s, and I’ve also tried erasing the device by using Disk Utility on the Mac and reloading them one by one to eliminate the possibility of the tracks ending up in an odd order. Still, no luck.
Anybody had a similar experience? Any suggestions for things to try?
I’ve included an annotated IDE device log for the doorbell below. Any suggestions appreciated…
Technodad
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:55 PM: debug Battery is normal
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:53 PM: debug Volume: 3
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:51 PM: debug Repeat: 2
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:50 PM: debug Doorbell Track: 3
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:48 PM: debug alarmTrack is 7
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:48 PM: debug beepTrack is 1
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:48 PM: debug Executing refresh()
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:08:48 PM: debug Secure Commands Enabled <- HIT DONE IN SETTINGS
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:06:36 PM: debug Parameter #82: 3 <- PUSHED REMOTE BUTTON - RING ON DEVICE FLASHED BLUE
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:05:12 PM: debug Turning Off <- PUSHED DOORBELL BUTTON IN APP TO TURN OFF
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:05:12 PM: trace Executing off()
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:05:02 PM: debug Parameter #82: 3
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:04:59 PM: debug Ringing Doorbell
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:04:59 PM: trace Executing on() <- PUSHED DOORBELL BUTTON IN APP (TURNED BLUE)
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:03:06 PM: debug Battery is normal
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:03:05 PM: debug Volume: 3
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:03:02 PM: debug Repeat: 2
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:03:00 PM: debug Doorbell Track: 3
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:02:58 PM: debug alarmTrack is 7
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:02:58 PM: debug beepTrack is 1
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:02:58 PM: debug Executing refresh() <- PUSHED REFESH BUTTON IN AEORTC DOORBELL APP
a0378d54-5318-425e-9515-385cd55f2070 3:02:25 PM: debug Parameter #82: 3 <- POWER ONDid you make sure that track 3 isn’t a silent track? Each push would be playing that track and if it’s silent then it obviously won’t make any noise.
Yes, Track 3 (and the third file copied to a freshly formatted device) is the file “81072__bennstir__doorbell” which was one of the sounds shipped with the doorbell.
I have 22 sound files uploaded. I do not have a silent track loaded in the first slot; it’s probably worth noting that the device does no sound when powered up.
If it doesn’t make a sound when powered up, then I’d be inclined to say the speaker is simply defective unfortunately. I know you’ve formatted the device, but have you tried a full reset by holding the action button on the device for 20 seconds? I doubt this would have any effect on the speaker, but it’s worth a shot before having to send it in to be replaced.
Have you tried changing the track and volume from the physical device to see if you can get it to make a sound?
Do you see a small red light on your device?
i do see a small red light when the device initially powers on.
As for track and volume, I have tried the ring switch to change the volume. I hadn’t realized a long press would change the track - I’ll give that a try, though I am beginning to suspect a speaker problem as @abc suggests.
I haven’t seen this reported anywhere else in the thread, but I just got mine from Amazon today and it’s constantly reporting the battery is at 1% and looking at the logs its polling very frequently for the battery status too. Not sure if I truly did get a bum battery or something has changed recently with the code on github. Any ideas?