Alexa Skill - support for window shades/blinds

📢 Feedback Feature Requests
21

Hi @bcopeland, I finally updated my C4 to latest firmware. It's been working wonderfully - no performance issues, no z-wave issues, the new shade controller works, and Alexa now recognizes my fans as fans. This "I'm not quite sure what went wrong" issue is the only one I'm having in the entire release. It seems to happen about 50% of the time, which might match up to Alexa randomly choosing from 2 directive responses and only understanding 1, based on what you said earlier.

For info: My devices are either GE Fan Controllers, or Virtual Fan Controllers.

22

This is why I'm still using the old Alexa integration and still have my shades setup as dimmers with custom routines for "open" and "close" :frowning:

23

Is the integration (and Alexa) capable of room awareness for the "window blinds" device type yet?

For example if I have two rooms with four blinds a piece, I can just say "Alexa open the blinds" and the blinds in the room that hears me opens.

I can't seem to get that set up but trying to rule out user error.

24

It doesn’t work for me, but I think the limitation is on Alexa’s side. It doesn’t seem to understand “the blinds in my current room” the same way it understands “turn off the lights”.

25

You have to create the rooms and assign them to rooms inside the alexa app on your phone

26

I’ve done that, just the same as with the lights. For example, I created a group/room in the Alexa app for my office, and assigned all the lights and both smart blinds to that room, as well as the echo device.

If I go in the office and just say “turn off the lights”, she correctly turns off 3 smart switches.

But if I go in there and say “close the blinds”, she says I don’t have a device named that and I need to be more specific. So I end up having to say “close the left office blinds” and then “close the right office blinds” as separate commands. (I named them for the left and right window.)

27

Interesting.. Ok.. I’ll check it out

2 Likes
28

I just tested it so I could give you a good example:

I said "Alexa, close the blinds".

Alexa says "A few things share the name blinds. Which one do you want?"

It's possible she would figure it out if my blinds didn't have "blinds" in their names? But she does just fine with lights that have "lights" in the names, so idk.

1 Like
29

@bcopeland did any work on this make it into 2.2.4? No worries if not. Not an emergency.

30

I'm running into some issues with controlling my shades via Alexa that I didn't run into with SmartThings. If I set my shades into a group, and ask Alexa to "set SHADE GROUP to 50%", she responds with "SHADE GROUP doesn't support that." Single shade control is fine, but I really don't want to have to have to issue multiple commands.

I have not found any way to successfully group shades within Alexa, whether it be on the Hubitat side or the Alexa side. Tried a user app called "Shade Control," but it doesn't respect level or position (it's either completely open or completely closed). Groups and Dimmers didn't work for me. Banging my head here and could really use a hand.

31

@AdamV, @bcopeland
Is this fixed?
I just added a qubino shutter module and it's recognised as a thermostat

32

I'm not sure if the shades support is now working fine in general.
I can control my shades through Alexa.
But I have a problem:

I am using the Somfy ZRTSI package for my Somfy shades.
However, most of the time (more than 50%) even though the shade gets the command, I get a "I'm not quite sure what went wrong" message from Alexa after my command.

Nothing is reported in the logs.

I tried setting on/off following Alexa Skill setting. But nothing has changed:

"respond immediately without waiting for device"

I don't have such Alexa issue with other devices. But this device is also a very simple zwave device.

FOr example, the off() command is like:

void off() {
	logDebug "off()"	
	sendToDevice(zwave.basicV1.basicSet(value: 0x00))
	sendOpeningClosingEvent(0)
	runIn(travelDuration, 'sendEvents', [data: [level:0]]);
}
private void sendOpeningClosingEvent(level) {
	if (level == 0) { 
		sendEvent(name: "windowShade", value: "closing") 
	}
	else { 
		sendEvent(name: "windowShade", value: "opening")
	}
}

is this a device problem , or a general problem with Hubitat Alexa Skill ?

thanks.

1 Like
33

Seeing the same problem with Zemismart z-wave blinds driver. The shade is added fine and shows as Hubitat connected device with type Window blinds. All command work fine, but for whatever reason, Alexa report "I'm not quite sure what went wrong" when setting to a particular position. The open/close commands do not have this trouble, only setting a position. It's quite annoying to hear, but I just deal with it. Was hoping the last update 2.2.6.130 would of addressed the problem.

If anyone knows a fix, it would great to have it working without the error feedback.

Thanks.

34

Any chance any progress was made on this?

Room awareness works great for lights. And the device type on the generic z wave shade device handler comes through as a "window blinds" device type. But Alexa doesn't seem to do room awareness for that device type. If I say "Alexa, open the window blinds" I get "sorry, I didn't find a device named window blinds" but when I call them out by name individually it works.

35

I have not seen any reports of Alexa being able to do room awareness other than if you group your lights in a particular room as you are already doing. To get true room awareness today with anything other than lights, it's probably going to require the added complication of running Node Red.

I currently have it running to control lights, ceiling fans, & Rokus of the room I am in. @Royski did similar and controls his curtains also.

1 Like
36

Correct. This has been a requested feature for years. I have TV's in each room and it would be nice to say "alexa, turn on the tv" but insteady I just have them labelled so I say "alexa turn on the master bedroom tv".

I always find requested features for alexa take a long time to get implemented.

37

Agree this seems long overdue from Amazon.

No one wants to have to remind their robot butler which room one’s in with every single voice command for TV, shades and other devices.

I wonder why the delay, since lights and thermostats have had context-awareness for a while now.

38

So, has blind control been made part of the official alexa integration?