Smartthings+Echo+Harmony Hub = Voice Controlled TV! (2016 version)

My setup. I used Yonomi to interface Harmony and Echols.

I have my ST/Harmony/Alexa setup working, but it doesn’t quite work as I was expecting. I added the routines as activities, but I can’t seem to just add a single button press, like Mute, or Channel Up, Volume Up. The routine has to turn on all the devices first, then I add a step to Mute or Volume Up. Problem is that if the devices are already on (which it usually is when you want to turn the volume up), it turns some of the things off. Also it then see that the current activity is Volume Up, not Watch TV. If I want to Turn up the volume again, it thinks I’m shutting off the Volume Up Activity and shuts the whole system off.
Kinda frustrating.

I was trying to add the command to the channels on logitech, chose my dish receiver but doesnt give any choice on the value to choose the channel I want i.e. HGTV

How did you do it? thanks

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on the Value field, you actually have to type in the channel number that represents HGTV on your Dish.

If the devices were originally turned on by Harmony it should know they’re on and not shut them off. That’s what happens with mine. I have activities set up for skip ahead, back, pause/play but until I get my dot it’s easier for me to just got a button as alexa is in the kitchen. I wish harmony would add ‘actions’ to ‘devices’ and activities so if you were watching tv you could say “alexa hgtv” and it would change the channel without changing activities.

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Has anyone managed to get Netflix / Kodi to work with Alexa / Harmony / Smartthings,

i.e.

Alexa play Luke Cage Episode 3 on Netflix

which could then turn on my TV, ShieldTV, change to correct channel and launch Netflix.

Big ask, but that would be nice.

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I can tell Alexa to turn Netflix and she sets everything up and starts Netflix… But I have to search for the movie.

I would take this a step further, if Alexa can tap into Google now/AndroidTV for the voice commands this would be amazing. This is the last part I need to get Alexa and ST to be controlling my entire experience.

This Alexa Skill almost does what I’m after, it attempts to play locally on Kodi and then revert to Netflix if it can’t find it, ideally I’d like to tie it in with Harmony / Smartthings too,

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=258165

I have a Hue dimmer running the living room Hue Beyonds, which has been imported in to ST via Hue (Re)Connect: it’s been named ‘living room lights’

Alexa, turn living room lights off - works fine
Alexa, turn living room lights on - clearly doesn’t know what to do
Alexa, turn living room lights to 100% - works fine

The interesting thing is that because ‘on’ doesn’t appear to be a concept for dimmer switches, she quite often mishears is as ‘off’!

My Alexa hates the word Netflix.

“Alexa turn on netflix”

She goes mental and dosent do anything or say anything.

Change the “netflix” word to “video” word and she works.

Any idea?

I changed it to net flicks and it worked

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Good idea. Thank you. Will try tonight

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I am having issues with the voice commands, I can get alexa to “turn on the tv” but when I say “Watch TSN” she doesn’t recognise it though i do have that set as an automation in my harmony then smartthings app. Same if I say watch Netflix or anything else apart from turn on/off tv. I have got alexa to do toher things like turn on the kitchen light and the kettle so I’m not a n00b but getting her to switch channels or do any other harmony activities seems to be a problem, any suggestions? BTW the activities all work fine from the smartthings and harmony apps, so it’s just the Alexa part I’m stuck on.

Common issue. Please see the below thread. Use IFTTT or Ask Alexa.

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I also had to change mine to Net Flicks - as she didn’t like Netflix

Here is another riddle I have yet to solve…

I have an activity to Turn on Sky TV - works fine.

I have other activities to Mute or Pause TV - all work fine.

But if I use them - Harmony ‘switches’ to them and ‘turns off’ the ‘Turn on Sky TV’ activity. Now my TV doesn’t turn off when I activate ‘Mute’ for example - as I have configured the power settings.

But the issue I have - is because the ‘Turn on Sky TV’ is now not the ‘active’ activity running - I cannot tell Alexa to ‘Turn off Sky TV’. So I cannot turn off the TV.

If I look at the Harmony App - its because as far as its concerned the 'Turn on Sky TV’s is already off - and one of my Mute or Unmute activities is the one that’s running.

The work around is I have to re-say ‘Turn on Sky TV’ - so it becomes the ‘active’ activity - then say ‘Turn off Sky TV’ to turn off the TV.

I tried to create an Activity that just purely turns off the TV and does nothing else - but couldn’t figure it out in Harmony.

Anyone got a solution for this?

Unfortunately, this is a limitation of Harmony. It’s activity based and you can only run one activity at a time. A lot of people have voiced complaints about the fact you can’t perform actions within an activity. IFTTT, Yonomi, Alexa, Smartthings, etc. all have the same challenge with Harmony.

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The alexa harmony integration gets around some of that. Not the mute, pause thing as if yet but it seems to be a lot more liberal in the naming. You can call one harmony activity multiple names so instead of remembering to say Alexa turn off cable I can say alexa turn off tv, television, cable etc…and you can turn channels without leaving an activity. As for turning things off IFTTT works great. I just say “alexa trigger off” and it shuts everything off that’s on regardless of what activity you’re in.

Thank you all for this wealth of knowledge. I am very new at this and just bought my SmartThing Hub, Logitech Harmony Hub and Echo. Could someone explain in detail how to set up “Activities” on the Harmony Hub software to create voice commands of On/Off and change channels?

Much appreciated!

T

After you play with this for a while you should check out an app called
Yonomi. It will integrate your Echo with your Logitech hub and most of the
process is automated for you. Its just another way to do it as there are
several options to make this all work.