If Alexa doesn’t see it as a door bell it is not likely to solve the problem with Alexa switch not consistently trigging Alexa routines.
That being said a virtual door bell might be useful for other things.
1 Like
Driver Update Notice
Now Driver Version: 2023-05-05T17:22:09.83804519
Change Summary:
- Added doorbell option to virtual momentary combo device (enabled in device settings)
- This will change the device icon to a doorbell, change the device category to DoorBell, and display a button state field on the device details screen. Since this combo device also includes a contact and switch that can be synched and auto-reverted, the doorbell device mode can also be used with Alexa routines both as a trigger (using contact) and an action (using switch).
- Added pause button to the virtual shade device (@v.porsio) that can be used in automation routines as both an IF condition and a THEN action
4 Likes
Blanco,
This seemed to work every time. Good Catch. I will use this till they get the Alexa Switch working again. Thanks for workaround.
1 Like
Should already created momentary combo buttons still work or will they be affected?
I’m getting a server error on them all, I’ve got a load of them, but don’t know whether that’s maybe temporary problem like sometimes I see on my hub.
Hopefully just a temporary app glitch. Give it some time and/or try reloading the app.
Let me know if it doesn’t clear up.
1 Like
Is there a way to create a virtual device that is a doorbell only without the switch and sensor. I’m just thinking if the issue is with virtual contact sensors, having a device that looks like a doorbell in ST, but is a sensor in Alexa, might not actually help anything (as you pointed out previously). It seems like the method mentioned of using IFTTT with VoiceMonkey simulates pushing the button of a doorbell device In Alexa rather than opening/closing a sensor.
It’s also interesting to note that this appears to be a one-way problem. My Alexa routines that set my virtual presence sensors work flawlessly in reflecting state in ST and triggering the related Routines. It’s only when I trigger the virtual devices in ST that the Alexa routine may fail to trigger even though the state seems to have been received. For a majority of my use cases, that simply means repeating the ST action that ultimately triggers the Alexa routine.
1 Like
This works great, I’ll say if the main post could be updated to reflect the changes would be great. It states that it will be added as a unknown device and it didn’t. My issue on my end was it didn’t find a new device when I searched to find out it did add this on its own but was added to the same room as my hub so I was very confused for a bit.
UPDATE Now running correctly thanks! I rebooted the hub before going to bed and this morning all virtual switches are running.
Strangely enough I’ve been following these various threads on this problem with Alexa, but I have 26 momentary combo buttons and I haven’t detected any problems, where I am. What I do find is inconsistent response to sensors, including it’s own, in Alexa.
Thank you for all the great work you do!
1 Like
I’m not seeing any reliability improvement in contact sensors triggering routines in Alexa unfortunately. Anyone else?
Wish I could help, but I’m starting to think there may be something geographical with Alexa’s problems here.
Did an experiment this morning using @TAustin 's Counter Utility as a virtual trigger, which I use among other things as Presence Detection. Set up a routine in Alexa that gives me a message every time switches on - counted 56 messages over 4 hours (might have missed in counting). Would be interesting to know if anyone in Europe is still having problems…
Does presence detection also use the contact sensor function? I’m going to try that. Can you confirm what virtual presence sensor you are using? When I try to add one in smartthings it does not show in Alexa as a trigger.
For the past few days I’ve switched to Voice Monkey buttons for any virtual contact sensors used in Alexa, which I set via IFTTT based on Smartthings Contact Sensors (/ Switches) and changed my Alexa triggers to the Voice Monkey buttons. 100% reliability for the past few days. No idea how Voice Monkey implements its doorbell press. Watching this forum for a permanent solution via Edge drivers so I can return to a direct Smartthings to Alexa interface reliably
1 Like
Sorry if I have confused you with this example.
The virtual switches that I use most (26) are the momentary combo (with contact sensor)
which @TAustin updated yesterday (see his post above) to add a doorbell option which should help to ensure its function. As far as I can detect they trigger my Alexa routines correctly, in my case without any updating.
The example I gave, is different as it is a timer, but it enabled me to repeat triggering and prove that it was working. Possibly it’s not a good example as it can’t be used in many cases, but it did demonstrate quite conclusively! It is from @TAustin Shared Projects channel and is well documented
precisely here to set up for presence detection. I recommend it for this use but not for a general use. Hope some of this helps.
I did some testing today of various physical and vEdge virtual devices in ST to see the behavior when used in Alexa routines:
-
Virtual Alexa Switch - would trigger intermittently, often with a delayed response
-
Virtual Momentary Button (With and without doorbell enabled) - always looks like a switch for actions and sensor for routines. Would trigger intermittently, often with a delayed response
-
Virtual Lock - consistently triggered the Alexa routine without delay
-
Physical Contact Sensor - consistently triggered the Alexa routine without delay
-
Virtual Presence Sensor - Alexa sets the state using its geo-location and that state is immediately reflected in ST causing Routines to fire
So, for me, this says it’s not a contact sensor issue with Alexa since the physical sensor immediately triggered routines, but specifically something about the virtual contact sensor. And I don’t think it’s in the ST-Alexa integration since the virtual lock is working fine as well.
@TAustin Any chance you could add the option of having 1) a doorbell without switch or sensor and; 2) a contact sensor with no switch? Since a virtual lock has no switch or sensor, wondering if having those devices as standalone devices might get us somewhere.
1 Like
Without a switch would you be able to trigger the virtual doorbell with a ST routine?
Hmm…not sure.
Is your theory that the inclusion of these capabilities is somehow affecting the Alex triggering?
Can everyone who opened a ticket with Amazon share their tickets numbers? Support is telling me there is no ongoing issue and wants me to do all the usual fixes that obviously will not help because this is a back end problem. I’m hoping if I share ticket numbers for users with the identical issue as mine, they can’t keep saying there is no issue.
wasn’t given a number per se, but in the note saying he’d contact me after he hears back from engineering it has A35Z1D7JJZQYYD in the reply address … no clue if that is a ticket #
Could be. Although the number format does not match mine. Anyway, I followed the pointless steps they provided and it did nothing, so the ticket is being escalated somewhere else now apparently. Hopefully one of us will will get resolution.
I do think there may be something with the virtual contact switch being both a switch and contact, as though both changes at the same time might be causing a problem.