Hi All,
Looking for some advice in syncing my Kwikset Z-wave deadbolt to the Amazon Echo. The lock works great with the SmartThings Hub, however when I go to authorize the Amazon Echo, the device list is blank.
The drop down correctly shows me “Home” under the “From:” dropdown, however “My device list” is always blank. I currently only have this one device linked with my SmartThings hub.
Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Sean
Locks are not supported at the current moment for the official integration. There are some very real security concerns to adding locks to a virtual assistant that doesn’t distinguish between voices.
At the present time, echo only recognizes switches and lights. Nothing to do with SmartThings. Same is true for Wink and Insteon.
The workaround is to use a virtual switch to stand-in for the lock. A number of community members, myself included, do that. (I use it only for unlocking from indoors, by the way. But there are other cases. )
You’ll find more details in the community FAQ:
Also, it’s nothing to do with security. Smartthings allows you to use IFTTT to unlock locks (by the way harmony does not) so at that point you have unauthenticated voice to unlock if you want it just using a regular voice text.
And the Amazon security FAQ specifically mentioned locks and garage doors and says just be aware that anybody can use it to open it. They don’t care. They leave it up to the individual user.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201819970
Amazon just hasn’t implemented support for this device class yet, just like they haven’t implemented support for thermostats or Sonos. They probably will eventually. Meanwhile, you can use the virtual switch work around if you want. It’s up to you.
This may be Amazon’s stance, but I was speaking from my perspective.
Also, it is true, even if it were possible and we wanted to include locks, we can’t yet.
SmartThings does allow unauthenticated voice control of locks. They’re unusual in doing that, but choice is good. Many people use that feature. You can do unlocks in the official SmartThings IFTTT channel just with a voice text. You can do them with UBI.
There’s no reason echo should be any different.
The issue right now is echo’s recognition of the device class. My guess is they will add it eventually. I think it’s more an issue of complexity than security.
I’ve seen youtube videos of people using their Amazon Echo to unlock the Kwikset locks, so they must be using some kind of hack. So this will never be supported from the smartthings hub?
You can do it right now with SmartThings. Many of us are. Please see the link to the Echo FAQ in my previous post. There’s a section in there about locks.
Thank you JDRoberts, I missed the post when I replied. I’ll will check this out now. Appreciate the quick response.
I’m quadriparetic, use a wheelchair with limited hand control.
The very first use case I needed for home automation was a combination lock that would have a touch free control mechanism for me to use from inside the house. That way my housemate and other people we had authorized for the house could use the keypad on the lock, and I could use voice or some other option. (I can turn the Turnbolt manually, but it takes me 10 minutes and is a lot of work. )
So this exact use case is one I I followed in excruciating detail from back before I ever bought SmartThings. If SmartThings didn’t allow for unauthenticated voice control of locks, I wouldn’t have bought it.
So every time a new voice control option becomes available, I’m for usually the first one dissecting it to see how it works with SmartThings. Or anything else. 
Just one of those situations where my top priority is pretty irrelevant to most people. Everybody needs different things.
I bought this with the same requirement in mind. I appreciate there can be security risks, but everything has some level of risk and I would prefer to be the one to make the decision as to the level I’m comfortable with…
I’m really tired today but the FAQs have step-by-step instructions for everything you should need.
If you’re impatient and just want to jump right to getting the lock to unlock, put the unlock in a routine and use this method to tie a virtual switch to it.
If you want something more elegant, just go through the set up FAQ linked to above.
No luck so far. I tried following the directions here:
“To use, create a new device with the “On/Off Button Tile” type. Install this app and select your new Button Tile virtual device and a Lock device. This will link the on/off state of the Button Tile to the locked/unlocked state of the lock. Now you can use Amazon Echo to say “Alexa, turn on the garage door lock” which will turn on the Button Tile, which in turn will lock the specified lock.”
I see you say “Alternatively, you can associate a switch directly with the lock as @luna has done in the following thread”… Anytime I associate a switch directly with the lock, the lock no longer functions…
Sorry which FAQ and step are you quoting from?
I’m pretty sure the way “associate” is being used in that sentence is not the way you think it’s being used.
Are you using Alexa helper to associate the virtual switch with an existing routine that has the unlock in it?
Luna’s method used a whole different smartapp.
So that’s three different methods and three different uses of the word “associate” right there. I know it’s confusing. You just need to pick one and work it through. If you mix and match them it won’t work.
OK. I’ll stick with the explanation here:
“To use, create a new device with the “On/Off Button Tile” type. Install this app and select your new Button Tile virtual device and a Lock device. This will link the on/off state of the Button Tile to the locked/unlocked state of the lock. Now you can use Amazon Echo to say “Alexa, turn on the garage door lock” which will turn on the Button Tile, which in turn will lock the specified lock.”
So I’ve created a new device as an “On/Off Button Tile” , I’ve installed the basic script provided. So next step is to “Select your new Button Tile virtual device AND a lock device”… I don’t know what that step is trying to tell me… Select them how, where? Under My devices? When linking the Echo?
Ok… For some reason the app just would not show up on my phone. After removing it and re-adding it a few times. I could finally see the “Script” on the phone app… Got it working now…
Thank you for all your help
OK that’s Luna’s App and his protocol. Just ask your follow-up questions in that thread and the people using it will help you. It’s probably the most elegant solution that’s there. But it’s not the simplest. And it’s not the one I use, so I can’t really help you with it.
No problem, its working fine now… I just couldn’t get it to install to the phone app at first… Once it finally showed up and started working, the rest of the steps made sense…
Thanks again.