Right in the documentation
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Thanks. I installed the advanced driver yet when say "Alexa, set the downstairs thermostat to 77" I get the response "It's set to auto". Which is the same behavior as the generic driver.
I thought Alexa and Auto mode worked together with this driver?
Not sure I don't use Alexa
I tried to start a new thread regarding this Alexa not working with Auto mode but it was deleted as a duplicate. I don't think I'll get an answer to this question because it just doesn't work together. I see no reason to keep the Advanced Honeywell T6 Pro Thermostat driver since Alexa/Auto doesn't work with that either.
Can you create a virtual thermostat and see if Alexa properly controls it, when the thermostat is in Auto mode?
I don’t think this is a driver issue as much as it is an Alexa integration issue.
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I think your right regarding the problem being Alexa integration. I started reading about the virtual thermostats at the link below. Thank you for the idea. I'll give it a try.
You don’t need to install that app to get a virtual thermostat. I’m not at my computer, but just search the Hubitat documentation on how to create a virtual device. It is very easy.
Wouldn't that be the correct response? You are not asking to set the cooling setpoint or heating setpoint, just the setpoint. In that case, Alexa will change the proper setpoint based on what mode it is in, it will change heat if in heat mode, and cool if in cool mode.
Auto is not either heat or cool mode. My guess Alexa is telling you the truth, that in auto mode there is no setpoint to reference for which one to set.
Have you tried telling Alexa to change the cooling setpoint or the heating setpoint specifically, when in auto mode?
Telling Alexa to change the cooling setpoint did not work. So, I thought let me see what is the syntax of Alexa thermostat commands. So while in auto mode I first used Alexa to set the thermostat to cool mode. Then I was able to set the temperature directly.
Alexa, set [downstairs thermostat] to Cool
Alexa, set [downstairs thermostat] to 77
Of course you can set it back to auto when done. You can see additional commands below and even more at the link below. Amazing since the Honeywell T6 is not even Alexa compatible!
WHICH AMAZON ECHO ALEXA VOICE COMMANDS CAN I USE WITH MY THERMOSTAT?
Smart Thermostat Echo Voice Commands
- "Alexa, set [group or thermostat name] to X degrees"
- "Alexa, raise [group or thermostat name] by X degrees"
- "Alexa, lower [group or thermostat name] by X degrees"
- "Alexa, what is the temperature inside"
- "Alexa, what is Thermostat set to?"
- “Alexa, what is the temperature of [group or thermostat name]?”
- “Alexa, set [Thermostat Name] to (Heat/Cool/Auto/Off)”
- *“Alexa, set [group or thermostat name] to x degrees until 7 PM” **
- “Alexa, set the Living Room to 72 degrees until 7:15PM”.
- “Alexa, resume [thermostat name] schedule”
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Obviously, the needs of your home could very well differ from mine. But I don't set my thermostat on "Auto". I use automations to set it on Cooling mode, Heating mode, or Off. The automations are based on the outdoor temperature, which I get from a Tempest weather-station in my backyard. Here is what the automation looks like:
Basically:
- When the temperature is <= 60F, the thermostat is set to Heat mode.
- When the temperature is >= 70F, the thermostat is set to Cool mode.
- When the temperature is between 60-70F, the thermostat is turned Off.
Very simple, but seems to work quite well.
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I just noticed something on my T6s. I can set them to "auto" using the driver, and the driver reports mode is auto, but on the thermostats, it is just "auto changeover" and it still sets the actual mode on the thermostat to be either heat or cool, and it says auto-changeover is active at the top of the screen.
I do not use auto mode so I never realized this. I don't think you want to set it to auto mode in the driver as the current set mode, you want to set auto mode on the thermostat, and it will change to heat or cool as needed. As soon as you send a command to use heat or cool mode, it will turn off auto.
In which case, Alexa will see the mode that the thermostat sets when auto changeover is enabled. Auto is not a mode, per say, it is a setting that auto changes the actual heat or cool mode.
Note that Alexa is seeing the mode from the driver, not what is on the screen of the thermostat. So when setting the driver to auto in Hubitat, while it does engage auto changeover on the thermostat, doesn't seem like the right way to do it as the mode is stuck in auto mode.
Edit: I take that back, when I set auto changeover on the thermostat, the mode in the driver also changes to auto, not what the thermostat is showing for which mode it is using. So, I'm not sure how you can get around that setting, the driver would need to be updated to not change to show mode as auto, but what the thermostat actually set the mode to.
Same here, I just use automations to determine heat or cool mode changeovers, which is why I never really played with auto mode on my T6s.
Looks like fun! I've used auto mode for a couple of years and it works well (Pre-Hubitat). Never had Alexa or the possibility of home automations then I got the Hubitat. And I loved being able to make slight adjustments with voice commands. Until I ran into the "auto / Alexa" issue. But I have a solution to that issue now.
I often find I need to adjust the temperature a degree or two depending how much the house has heated during the day or cooled at night.
I'll definitely tuck your code away for future reference!
-Thanks
FWIW, if you have temperature sensors, you can automate that minor adjustment as well. There’s even a built-in app for that!
That's good to know. However in my case, I am the temperature sensor! 
Grasshopper, your automation journey has just begun😂
I'm completely serious. Sometimes in the summer it's 78 in my house (according to the thermostat) and I feel comfortable. Other times it is 78 and I feel warm so I turn down the thermostat to 77 or 76. There is no sensor that is going to know if I'm feeling warm at 78 or comfortable at 78. I could be running around the house doing chores and running warm. My wife tends to run cold, I can't tell you how many times she's turned up the air conditioning! Of course, it depends on the humidity as well.
So in addition to my Hubitat thermostat schedules, being able to control the thermostats with voice commands is very convenient.
There can be (for most/many people). You need psychrometric sensing. Comfort is a function of temperature and relative humidity.
In my old house, I had about 12 sensors that measured temperature and relative humidity. Then I would calculate a dew-point based on that, and automatically adjust the HVAC to satisfy the desired dew-point.
For the temperature you mentioned - 78F, the dew-point at 50% RH (57.8F) would be very different from the dew-point at 60% RH (63F)..
A good target dew-point would be 53-55F.
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but have you people checked out what happens if/when the rules or hub stop working?
This is the beauty of the ecobee. It can use the cloud as a fall back.
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