Smartapps confusion

General Discussion
1

I truly like the SmartThings idea, however, there is a lot to be desired as far as documentation is concerned. I am trying to get my garage door automated via Alexa or Google Assistant. I understand and have a routine to turn on the Leviton outlet which in turn, turns on a relay connected to my garage. The issue is that I need that relay to turn off after 3 seconds. There is a nifty program that I found in the SmartThings IDE that does that. Problem solved? No, apparently, I am unable to use the smartapp via voice or routine. I have to open the SmartThings app, go to automation, and press the smartapp start button. This turns on the power, my garage starts opening and then 3 seconds later cuts the power. Garage finishes. I need the final say before taking this hub back to Best Buy. Can I link a smartapp to a routine so that I can use my voice? If so, please point me in the right direction. I have run out of Google search options. Thank you.

2

Hi there and welcome to smart things.

I can recommend a very good app that will do everything you want using voice control.
Itā€™s called EchoSistant and is an integration of ST and Alexa.

Take a look hereā€¦

2 Likes
3

It could be very confusing at first to find your way around the ā€œdark sideā€ of Smartthings. The best part, is that it gets better once you understand the ins and outs. And before you know it, you become a pro with 100+ devices. I am telling you, this hobby is that addictive. :smile: It really depends on your spare time if you become addicted or very frustrated.

There are many ways to use a relay with Alexa. What relay are you using? Do you have a contact sensor on your garage to know if the door is open or closed? You donā€™t need to use the outlet to trigger the relay.

Give us more details about your devices and I am sure you will receive many good tops on how to do it.

3 Likes
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I do not have a contact sensor. I plan on adding it later. I wanted something practical and useful to determine whether I would pursue automation. I have a Levitron outlet. Itā€™s the only device I have so far. I did figure out how to fire the smartapp. I had to use ifttt. Couldnā€™t get it to work any other way. The relay isnā€™t smart. Just a RIB U1C.

6

Iā€™ve been requesting a timer function for Routines since launch. Itā€™s well past due.