I have an old Dumb House with a hub, and an Old school I use as my office building with a hub gen 2 at both. I having fun with making them smart. I seem to be missing something, I can not seem to make Alexa skill see both Hubs at the same time. When I enable it I have to pick the hub I wish to control and then search for devices, Is there a way to bring both hubs under one Alexa account. If this is a easy and or dumb question I am sorry, but I am really new, but learning fast as I have a networking background.
I think you may want to check out Hubconnect. You can put Alexa on one hub and share all the devices from both hubs.
I know the thread is a long read so scan the first 10-20 posts, then skip to post about 1500 and continue.
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Thank you for the info. I have installed HubConnect and can not see the devices from my remote hub on my main hub. I am just assuming they should show up in the device tab on the main hub. I will be doing some more reading but any info would be greatly appreciated. * update* ok I read the remote will setup virtual devices on the main. I am not seeing this. So more research to be done.
OK, you should now see on each hub online, in the apps tab. On each hub on-line app you should see a selection available for selecting devices to share. On the server it will show "Connect local devices to remote hub"
The remote will show "select devices to synchronize to server hub"
These will allow community access to devices.
When you select devices, make sure you copy any required drivers to the other hub BEFORE you select done on the app. Any required drivers should show up at the bottom of the page of the devices selected. (blue text on my system) If the drivers are not available on the receiving hub, no device will transfer. (Hard lesson as I had to repeatedly go back and RTFM)
HubConnect is a workaround in this scenario, In my humble opinion Alexa integration should be allowed from each HE hub using the same Amazon account. Same as ST does.
Yes, I know names need to be unique......
Simon
Not sure I understand your point. Hubconnect is creating a local network to share devices. Smartthings is also creating network to share devices through cloud. Seems to me almost the same thing, Just different asset allocations.
I prefer to keep all my cloud stuff (and inter-hub rules/apps) on one hub to isolate any potential issues. I have 3 - main floor, upstairs and "controller" hub. I use Alexa via virtual switches etc on my controller and sync them with my device hubs. HubConnect makes it trivial to do this. Works really well for me.
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Ever try to get Alexa to tell you if a door is left open too long? Where the door sensor is on one hub and the Alexa integration is on the HubConnect Server hub? No matter which hub you put the rule on I found it screws up.... The only way is to do it on the hub where the door sensor is and then use a virtual switch to tell the HunConnect server to get Alexa to announce that the door is open and then to reset the virtual switch for the next time. This is all hassle we shouldn't need to do.....
And adding a bit to the complexity the hub with the door is in the USA and the HubConnect Server is in Ireland......
Simon
Getting back to your original statements, how is Smarttings better?
I don't use Alexa as a notification device so can't answer to that particular situation. I do have an Aoetec MultiSensor 6 I repurposed as a lux sensor - it's sitting outside in a weather proof housing and reports to my controller hub which then syncs to my other hubs to turn lights on or off - like my exterior lights on my main hub. That seems to work okay.
Are you talking about alerts or triggering something via a virtual switch?
I also have a Ring Doorbell which through Alexa sets a virtual switch on my controller hub which by changing triggers an alarm on an old Aoetec 5 doorbell (chime part only) on my main hub. That works well too..
I guess I should mention the Amazon skill is on my controller hub..
Fridge and freezer doors, fitted with door/window sensors. If door left open for too long, multiple Echos warn you that the food is about to escape and run back to the supermarket - or in the case of the freezer - melt and then escape and run back to the supermarket.......
Doing it without using virtual switches as signals to Echo Speaks on the HubConnect Server results in many many Alexa announcements long after the door has been closed..... WAF was not good!!!
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Ouch! One definitely must tread carefully in that situation...
So are you sure it's really a HubConnect issue not Echo Speaks?
I have refrigerator door sensors and door left open rule too but use a notification driver that sends an alert to my cell phone & email. Am NOT using HubConnect for this - I generally like to keep local rules local to each hub.
Although in thinking about it now I may change this.. seems better to use my controller hub for the internet communications... mmmmm... If I do so I will let you know how it goes.
My guess is that each time HubConnect refreshes the device to the HubConnect Server RM was seeing that the contact had "changed" and triggered the rule - even when the contact haden't changed.... somewhere these queue up and when the contact does indeed "change" (that is, door closed) there's a queue of "changes" that need to be processed by RM until it eventually gets to the one where the door was closed.
My overall point being, we shouldn't need to be getting into complexity like this - each hub should be able to talk to Amazon, using the same Amazon account.
That's a question for @srwhite / @csteele maybe..
(Note: this is a reply to the post above @simon's last one!!)
I dunno - to me having multiple instances could be overly complex too. Managing devices etc, multiple paths to the internet etc - but that's only my opinion ymmv..
Having the choice to run everything through one hub or via multiple hubs would be good.
For example, I would like my main US hub to integrate with Amazon and my main hub in Ireland to integrate with Amazon.
If I have an issue in one or the other I don't want to fly 3,684 miles to sort it out (although I do have ST in both locations controlling an ST outlet powering the HE hubs - so if a hub is dead I can power cycle - only thing ST is really used for anymore)
Couldn't you set up separate HE accounts for each hub? You would still be able to use HubConnect to link them and I guess then the shared Amazon thing would work?
Also that is a seriously remote hub you have there. very cool.
Also how do you handle the HubConnect connection between the hubs? Straight internet access to the external IP address / port forwarding or do you use a VPN?
At any rate seems latency could be a big factor here. Kinda makes sense why the Alexa stuff is so erratic.
No VPN. HubConnect Server in Ireland connects to the HE cloud to get US hub data.
However the fridge/freezer and HE hub with the contact sensors and HubConnect Server hub are all in Ireland so they are all local together.
