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[mike1]

Hi Tuicemen

Getting closer, so I followed your instructions loaded everything up, Alexa recognized all my 45 devices.  I ask Alexa to execute she said ok. But nothing happens? What am I missing? What's not working?  Thanks for all your help. I

[Tuicemen]

Can you turn on/off a device from HA-Bridge now?
Did you reboot?

[mike1]

Thxs Tuiceman and Brobin back up in running. It took a couple of days for the devices to recycle but everything is up and running.  Once in awhile I have to same commands twice to get them to activate.  But happy everything I'd back on line.  Greatly appreciate all your help guys!

[brobin]

Glad to hear it! 

[mike1]

Good morning

Ok so Java has an update should I leave the OP old version. Again I'm experiencing no new devices being found?


Thxs
Mike

[Tuicemen]

You should always keep Java update for security reasons.
However I'd recommend you pick up a inexpensive $10 pi ZeroW and use it for Alexa.  This may take a few hours to setup but at least you won't  be constantly having to play with it unless you wish to.

My Alexa has been running steady problem free since last HA-Bridge update.

[mike1]

Hi Tuicemen

What does it take to switch over to Pi, hardware wise, software ? So no pc to run? What are the drawbacks if any?

Thxs
Mike

[Tuicemen]

You need a PC to initialy create A SD card image however you can order a SD card with the OS already installed. So hard ware required is:
1:A x10 interface Cm11, cm15, cm19 (you already have one)
2:A pi board any version will do  I recommend the ZeroW as it is a small board and can be put in almost any case( even a x10 door window sensor case) it also has Wifi and BT built in.
3: A 5 volt 2.5 amp power supply I recommend the official pi power supply not a Phone charger though that will work in a pinch. I use the USB ports on my UPS so a power outage doesn't shut down the pi.
4: a mini SD card of at least 4 gig capacity. You may already have a few laying arround to play with.
5: (optional) a case for the pi model you get.
6: depending on model of pi youll need a USB addaptor (the zero boards only have a mini usb port.

You can get pi kits which include every thing in one package. Several users have gone that route.

[brobin]

You can get pi kits which include every thing in one package. Several users have gone that route.

For $27 you can get everything but the SD card in one package at: https://amzn.to/372lzY3

You might have an old 4GB card lying around from an old phone but you can use larger. The benefit to a 4GB is that it's faster to copy an image for backup.

The image and instructions are at: http://forums.tuicemen.net/index.php?topic=1332.0

If it's your first time playing with a Pi give yourself some time but the instructions are very clear & step-by-step.

The PiAlexaHub is very reliable and needs no attention once you've set it up.  I've mentioned the Smartenit Harmony P2 which is "plug 'n play" and does even more but, since you're familiar with HA-Bridge, I think you'll be very very happy with the Pi solution.

If you do this - or any other solution to replace Alex10 - be sure to delete all the X10 devices and routines from the Alexa app and discover devices fresh with the new hub.

[mike1]

Hi Tuicemen/ Brobin

Seems pretty much a no brainer,will in be able to control Slexa and myx10 devices remotely  through my phone, table TV etc?

[brobin]

If you could do it with Alex10 you can do it with the Pi.  The Pi is basically a replacement for the PC. The one big difference is that with Alex10 you have Mr.T's nice Windows program to manage your devices as a front-end so you don't have to work directly with HA Bridge. With the Pi you'll be working directly with HA-Bridge.

If you want to have an app to control things from anywhere then you're looking at the P2 solution.  That was one of the reasons I moved to the P2, I wanted easier control from an app while out & about than my Stargate's web portal offered.

[Tuicemen]

You'll be able to control Alexa through anything you can now.
Depending on what you want to do & what you put on the pi (software wise) you may be able to do so much more.

I've mounted a zero W board into several CM15As now. These all run the PiX10Hub image (includes HomeGenie and HA-Bridge)  I have one at my off grid place and one at my city place these do everything AHP did plus so much more. I can access every thing with anything that has a browser.
HomeGenie has a free Android app and a $5 version. I've used both, the $5 version is well worth the price.

The one big difference is that with Alex10 you have Mr.T's nice Windows program to manage your devices as a front-end so you don't have to work directly with HA Bridge. With the Pi you'll be working directly with HA-Bridge.

Actually HA-Bridge now has a HomeGenie helper which integrates HomeGenie devices directly into HA-Bridge with simple mouse clicks.

[brobin]

Understood... I thought he was looking at the non-HG 'PiAlexaHub' version to work with his existing controller.

[Tuicemen]

I'm not sure Mike has committed to any route yet.

[brobin]

I get the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that mike1 is looking for a very simple to implement replacement for Alex10 to maintain Alexa control with whatever he's using.

To clarify for mike1, there's the Pi route where there are two excellent options; the basic PiAlexaHub which simply replaces the Alex10 program and the PiX10Hub which is the HomeGenie program with HA-Bridge integration that can replace your current controller.

The other option mentioned is the Smartenit P2 which is an off-the-shelf product.