I’ve been trying to get Alexa to notify me when the washing machine is done. I added a power meter switch to the machine and when the power drops below 1 kw it sends a text through ST.
I signed up for Notify me and have that working, so I added a virtual switch called “home” in ST and when the power drops ST turns that switch on. When IFTT sees that switch turned off, I would like it to send a notification.
(As a side note I added a actual light as a trigger and when it turns on it does work)
The problem is that IFTT doesn’t offer the virtual switch as a trigger.
Is your end goal to have Alexa notify you? If so, this can be done without using IFTTT. You would simply just need to create a virtual switch/sensor. The reason being that Alexa can only run a routine for sensors. So, you create a switch, though it looks like a sensor to Alexa, have that switch turn on (open as Alexa will see it) in ST when the power gets to your threshold, then setup a routine in Alexa that when that sensor opens, it makes an announcement. Here’s a link to the thread to get you started. Install the switch handler in IDE, create the device, you’ll probably have to toggle it open and close in the ST classic app (the new app has problems with virtual devices), and then you should be good to go.
I figured out that you have to delete the the smartthings application from IFTT and then add it back in to add new switches to IFTT.
That being said, I did read about what you were saying previously. The problem for me was after adding the virtual switch, I saw no where to edit the meta data for the body to be like;
What about not needing a Virtual Switch at all…EchoSpeaks is an AMAZING App that allows you to do all sorts of things with your Alexa devices.
Also, using webCoRE as your main rule engine will also eliminate a bunch of headaches and allow you to do simple things and complex things without much fuss.
With EchoSpeaks and webCoRE, you would simply say:
If power drops below 1w
Then with Echo Device
Speak: “The washer stopped”
It’s as simple as that. No Virtual Switches, no IFTTT, no using the Alexa App
I found it with google. It’s a template you use to create a smart app in your own environment.
Once configured, you have to install a device handler so it knows how to interact with your devices. Looks cool and to be honest, I might screw with it if this daisy chain screws up (which it invariably will).
