Hi, I have linked my Alexa account with my Hubitat account for my first C7 hub for couple years. It has been working great. Adding new devices in the "Alexa Echo Skill" will show up in Alexa almost instantly without issue. However, I recently purchased the 2nd Hubitat hub for my cottage (at different location), This 2nd Hubitat is also under the same Hubitat account. So, all my new devices are setup the same way in my 2nd hub and they all included in the "Alexa Echo Skill". But none of these devices in the 2nd hub show up at Alexa. Can someone please help and let me if there is any additional steps I need to do to include the 2nd Hub into Alexa? Since the linkage is from Alexa account to Hubitat account, and both Hubs are under the same Hubitat account, so I could find any place I need to add the 2nd hub. I am hesitate to try disable and then re-enable the account link in Alex again? Doing so will need to re-setup all my routines that ties to my first Hub devices. Hopefully, I don't need to do that step. Any one has any experience on this?
I'd recommend setting up your second hub with a separate Alexa account.
Hi aaiyar, that is my last option. If I use separate Alexa account, then I won't be able to ask Alexa to show me my cameras I have associated with my first location, or control any devices in my first location, like lock the door, lower the heat because I am away. etc... Also, can't ask Alexa "Where is my purchase?". I sure don't want to pay Amazon Prime twice.
Your other option is to share devices from your cottage Hubitat to your home Hubitat using HubConnect.
Then expose them to Alexa from your home Hubitat.
But that can cause other issues - especially if you have similarly named devices at both locations.
Ok, I never use HubConnect, I need to explore more on that and give it a try. But these are workarounds. Do we know for sure that Alexa account link to Hubitat account only worked for the 1st hub? It will just ignore the 2nd hub? Not sure if this is hub specific or account specific for the connection.
Yes, we do.
Ok, thanks for confirming that only the 1st hub will work. I wish this can be added to future enhancement list. I will explore the HubConnect or 2nd Alexa account options then. Thanks for your advice!
As @aaiyar mentioned, having 2 hubs on the same Alexa account causes issues with similarly named devices. If you have a living room at both locations, saying "Alexa, turn on the living room lights" will turn on the lights in both living rooms. Worse is that it won't be apparent this happened at the remote location. Similarly, "Alexa, turn off all lights" causes the action to be executed at both locations. Again, it won't be apparent this has happened at the remote location. Additionally, Alexa has the ability to create an "Everywhere" group that includes multiple Alexa devices. This conveniently allows you to play music on all Alexa devices in the group. Creating an "Everywhere" group that includes Alexa devices from both location seems innocent enough until you freak out family members using the vacation property when you decide to play music on the "Everywhere" group at 10PM.
I have two properties, both with Hubitat hubs with the Alexa Hubitat app installed Keeping the two locations isolated from one another in the Amazon Alexa app has been a nightmare. I finally created a separate Alexa account and installed the Amazon Alexa app on another Android device. I use the Alexa app installed on my phone to manage devices at my primary residence and the second Alexa account on a tablet to manage devices at my vacation property. This makes it so much easier to partition both locations without resorting to crazy device naming conventions such as "Vacation House Living Room Lights" and "Main House Living Room Lights".
@SteveV Thanks for the tips Steve. Yes, I thought about that too. I therefore decided to name every device, every group or Alexa routines for my cottage start with the street name like King Living Room, King Kitchen Light, King Everywhere, etc... Does this address your problem? Or there is any other concerns I haven't think of? I guess it is ok to use 2 separate Alexa accounts, just a bit inconvenience to ask Alexa to control my z-wave devices remotely. like turn up/down the heat/AC before I get there. Another issue I have is that I only can install one instant of the Hubitat app in my cellphone. So, I can't get all the alerts from both properties (like water leak sensors). Only one at a time by switching hub in setting. If I setup the HubConnect, would I able to setup alerts on the remote hub from the server hub? If so, HubConnect may be a better options for me as I can get all alerts from the server hub. And I can have one Alexa to control both properties' devices because devices on 2nd hub prefixed with street names.
That works fine for me. I have three hubs I can cycle between in the app but it doesn’t matter which one I currently have active, I will still receive notifications on my phone from all three of them. However, if you go to Notifications in the app, it will only show you the notifications from the active hub.
How do you setup to receive notification on your phone from all three of them? do you get the notification from the app? Or using the Sendmail and text notification? I tried that too, but my email gateway require SSL which does not work for me.
There are possible solutions to these that might be a little more technically involved.. things like running an MQTT broker and VPNs to communicate between networks and/or control systems like Node-RED.
For my systems I usually employ a companion server running Node-RED, WireGuard VPN and sometimes Homebridge (allows non-apple devices to communicate with Apple Home) etc. Node-RED has a secure email capability along with some other cool stuff. I use it for my rules engine to free up resources on my HE hubs.
IMHO, the simplest way to receive push notifications from multiple hubs is to simply use Pushover. There is a built-in Hubitat driver for Pushover, which makes it simple to add to each hub. Just fill in the required Pushover data fields from your Pushover account for each Pushover Device on each hub, and you're good to go. Use the Pushover Device, instead of the Hubitat Mobile App device, in all of your automations.
Just from the app. I don’t use pushover or any other services. I use the iOS app. I don’t know if this functionality differs between the android and iOS apps.
Explicit naming should work but I found it too unnatural to be practical. I think that global commands such as "Alexa all lights on[/off]" are still a potential problem.
With the exception of heat and AC control I use Hubitat dashboards to control devices at the remote location. I have Ecobee thermostats at both locations and use those to adjust heating/cooling setpoints before we arrive. I only use the Hubitat app for the convenience of switching between hub dashboards--I use Pushover for notifications.
This setup has worked well us but I agree that multiple Alexa accounts and devices is far from ideal and wish there was a cleaner way to deal with Alexa. The fact that Amazon, with all of it's resources, still hasn't added multiple location support is maddening.
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