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Author Topic: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)  (Read 123432 times)

petera

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #225 on: October 23, 2019, 03:52:51 PM »

 Royal Philips Electronics Hub" is effectively the Hue Emulator that Alexa identifies and binds to the HA Bridge. I've mentioned on a number of occasions that the Hue Emulator is effectively broken at the moment and many home automation programs are struggling to work with Alexa as a result. Port 80 assignment is one solution but it doesn't work for everyone and results are varied including the ones you have outlined.

The only sure way to have Alexa work reliably with your home automation is to use a solution that includes an officially registered Alexa Skill.
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IPS

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #226 on: October 23, 2019, 04:38:13 PM »

Quote
The only sure way to have Alexa work reliably with your home automation is to use a solution that includes an officially registered Alexa Skill.
And which skill is that? please send a link. I am using laptop and HA-bridge and not Pi.
Any idea why I was able to control devices from the bridge without having CM15A or any other interface connected to my laptop? It is a mystery to me. The only connection to laptop was battery charger plugged into wall outlet.
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Tuicemen

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #227 on: October 23, 2019, 06:28:04 PM »

It has been a while since using Alex10 however of I remember right uninstalling Alex10 didn't uninstall HA-Bridge. I susspect you have a cm19 or cm15 or cm11 connected to some PC and HA-Bridge is talking to it. In reality Alex10 isnt required to control X10 with Alexa.
Originaly I just used the AHP SDK with HA-Bridge and wrote the scripts.
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petera

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #228 on: October 23, 2019, 07:06:34 PM »

Quote
The only sure way to have Alexa work reliably with your home automation is to use a solution that includes an officially registered Alexa Skill.
And which skill is that? please send a link. I am using laptop and HA-bridge and not Pi.
Any idea why I was able to control devices from the bridge without having CM15A or any other interface connected to my laptop? It is a mystery to me. The only connection to laptop was battery charger plugged into wall outlet.

You’ll find all the relevant Alexa lighting skills and their associated hardware/software in the Skills section of the Amazon app. Just do a search there for your options
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IPS

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #229 on: October 23, 2019, 09:55:37 PM »

Quote
[t has been a while since using Alex10 however of I remember right uninstalling Alex10 didn't uninstall HA-Bridge. I susspect you have a cm19 or cm15 or cm11 connected to some PC and HA-Bridge is talking to it. In reality Alex10 isnt required to control X10 with Alexa.
Originaly I just used the AHP SDK with HA-Bridge and wrote the scripts
Mr. T
So you mean the bridge on laptop is talking to the AHP PC that has a CM 15 connected to it. I thought laptop must have some interface to talk to other devices.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2019, 01:08:01 PM by Tuicemen »
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Tuicemen

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #230 on: October 24, 2019, 01:06:42 PM »

Depending how the bridge is setup! it will talk to any device on your network if you had your setup on your laptop and some how the IP changed the bridge looks for that IP if that IP coresponds with a PC with a copy of programs that were on your laptop then Alexa would still have control.
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IPS

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #231 on: November 22, 2020, 07:35:30 PM »

 >*<
hopefully you all are safe and healthy.
However my Alexa is not. I have done all that I know and all that I have read on the forum for the entire weekend has not helped Alexa to discover devices that are on the bridge. I can control all the X10 devices from the bridge and Alex 10 but Alexa does not see X10 devices. All other non X10 are listed and fully controlled by Alexa.
I have installed and reinstalled Alex 10, Java . Window defender is not blocking. Even the router is not blocking the port.

Now am very tired and will greatly greatly appreciate any help to get Alexa back on track.

Thanks. Stay safe and healthy.
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brobin

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #232 on: November 23, 2020, 02:51:16 PM »

Alex10 and the PiAlexaHub are good solutions for interfacing X10 to Alexa but there are occasional glitches that can cause a lot of frustration, as you well know.  The solution I'm using is a Smartenit Harmony P2 with an Insteon PLM.  At $60 for both it's an economical solution that not only gives you Alexa skill supported control of X10 but an app and a fairly sophisticated controller with email and text notifications.  I've been using it for almost 2 years and it's rock solid.  It's basically what X10's WM100 should have been and is half the price.  It's virtually plug 'n Play so you can be up and running 30 minutes after you open the box.  Everything is done through an Android/IOS app or web portal.  In addition to X10, you can also use it to control Insteon and ZigBee devices.

https://smartenit.com/product/harmony-p2/
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petera

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #233 on: November 23, 2020, 03:45:54 PM »

>*<
hopefully you all are safe and healthy.
However my Alexa is not. I have done all that I know and all that I have read on the forum for the entire weekend has not helped Alexa to discover devices that are on the bridge. I can control all the X10 devices from the bridge and Alex 10 but Alexa does not see X10 devices. All other non X10 are listed and fully controlled by Alexa.
I have installed and reinstalled Alex 10, Java . Window defender is not blocking. Even the router is not blocking the port.

Now am very tired and will greatly greatly appreciate any help to get Alexa back on track.

Thanks. Stay safe and healthy.

The HA Bridge has become a bit of a labour of love project. As soon as Amazon push an update it usually breaks. You can view the issue and a purported solution here until the next Amazon update. https://github.com/bwssytems/ha-bridge/issues/1243

If you rely heavily on Alexa ( I don’t), as suggested above buy yourself a cheap hub with a registered Alexa Skill and save yourself all the trouble unless you feel confident to follow the above fix.
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IPS

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #234 on: November 23, 2020, 04:31:58 PM »

Hi brobin

thanks for the suggestion. I have ordered the device. will let you guys know when i get it.
Getting fed up with HA-bridge. Too much wasted time.
Take care stay safe.
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brobin

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #235 on: November 23, 2020, 05:02:40 PM »

Best 60 bucks you'll ever spend for X10 control.  Any questions or help needed just holler.
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petera

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #236 on: November 23, 2020, 05:35:08 PM »

Hi brobin

thanks for the suggestion. I have ordered the device. will let you guys know when i get it.
Getting fed up with HA-bridge. Too much wasted time.
Take care stay safe.

The HA Bridge is for people who prefer to spend hours tinkering and look at it as a challenge. Not many here I reckon the challenge anymore. Life’s too short for that. It was certainly a solution while it worked without intervention. Not so these days and the posts on that topic prove this.
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brobin

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #237 on: November 23, 2020, 05:57:28 PM »

I love the challenge but after awhile a repeating problem just becomes a chore.  There's also the expectation of others in the house (aka: wife) that things will work reliably and when they don't the fix becomes a "honeydew" item that requires immediate attention. 
So off-the-shelf makes life easier which is what HA is all about.
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petera

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #238 on: November 23, 2020, 07:29:08 PM »

I love the challenge but after awhile a repeating problem just becomes a chore.  There's also the expectation of others in the house (aka: wife) that things will work reliably and when they don't the fix becomes a "honeydew" item that requires immediate attention. 
So off-the-shelf makes life easier which is what HA is all about.

For practicality purposes a hub with the ready to go basic home automation features would be the solution. I suppose something that included the proverbial Alexa to keep the wife happy (not an issue here) is mandatory.

The trick when creating a bespoke solution yourself is to get the foundations properly in place. Hacking bits and pieces of other people’s work and not really understanding what lies beneath it is a recipe for failure. So much time is spent propping it up its a complete turn off for the end user.

There’s no one size fits all home automation system. Bearing in mind that this is the X10 forum, getting a working X10 solution is not a problem. It’s only when the focus drifts to other elements of home automation do you start to encounter problems. There’s such a vast array of hardware on the market these days it’s sometimes difficult to include support for everything on a bespoke DIY setup. This is where knowledge of what is going on under the bonnet is important.

It seems the desire these days is for a full blown Alexa hub with its own proprietary lighting, switching, sensors etc hardware. No doubt that’s in the pipeline but until it happens you’ll need a hub with a certified Amazon skill to ensure some form of ongoing reliability. Emulators just don’t cut it anymore unless you have the requisite programming skills to maintain them.
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HA Dave

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Re: Alex10 (x10 control with Amazon echo, dot or tap)
« Reply #239 on: November 24, 2020, 12:01:21 AM »

I am a big, long-time X10 fan. I also saw the potential greatness in voice control home automation back in 2006? I loved setting up and using BVC (Bill's Voice Commander) to control my X10.... back in the old days. Bill.... was way ahead of the times.

My set-up is in a state of constant growth, change, and evolution.... and has been since day one. My Home Automation is NOT a home component like a furnace or hot water heater. They work till they break... and THEN.. they get replaced. For me... Home Automation is a state of mind. My set-up ideas are somewhat internally generated ideas (although my best ideas are OTHER peoples) that I adapt my home to accept.

And now.... more and more... with the inclusion of my phone (and earbuds). I've been adapting my own lifestyle to be more inclusive of automation. I wonder.... if it isn't time to drop the word "HOME" from our automation setups.

X10 can be adapted to work with Alexa. If.... that is necessary and/or desired. But it is a little work. Maybe unnecessary work as X10 (and home automation) has many functions that work fine without an AI component. I run a menagerie of HA products along with Amazon's Alexa. For me... I've found the best way to is to determine what your needs and/or wants are and then select and exploit the product that best fits own ideas.


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Home Automation is an always changing technology
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