At one time I was using Echo Speaks, but my account got messed up and I have not been able to get it back. Besides, using Echo, at least as this time requires Internet access. If you are relying on your Echo to tell you whether an intruder is in the house, or someone is at the front door, or there is a leak in the basement, you will miss the alert if the Internet is down or even if Amazon Web Services is off line.
The other day, I tried logging into Amazon during a AWS outage. They locked me out of my Amazon account and none of my Amazon devices or services were available. I had to contact Customer Service. It took them about 24 hours to get things working again. Some people say it has taken them weeks to recover from a lockout. Thus, I just do not trust Echo devices to work when I need them most.
Note that for some reason, on my cheap box, there's a short pause and it can miss a beat. So I just start a phrase with an additional "ah...", to work around it. Not the end of the world.
I use the Aeotec Siren 6 for simple door chimes and such. Then a few google mini speakers for anything TTS related. They integrate directly with HE so need for external servers, cloud services, or a rasperry pi.
At one point a used a Raspberry Pi with attached speaker using VLC Thing device driver to send TTS to it. It worked pretty reliably, but was just more complicated.
All of these options depend on HE to do what it needs to for the TTS comversion though.
I don't think that will be cloudless. The chormecast integration will turn the speakers into native HE devices that can process text to speach from HE. With that said if HE uses a cloud service for it's TTS then that would still apply with this method.
As far as webcore goes it would just use the Google Mini device in HE to send the text to speak i would expect. Then it is up to HE to get the TTS done for the Google Mini to say it.
I just like the simplicity of using the Google Mini with chromecast integration for TTS. It is super simple and no need for external servers or services if you don't want to. I do all of my TTS thorugh HE with RM or native apps.
I have one echo dot and as soon as i saw the need for the external Herok server i was done with it. I just don't like the idea of it.
I used VLC Thing for a time to do TTS and play audio from a speaker attached to a Raspberry Pi. It actually worked pretty well, and probably better if i had attached a speaker with a wire instead of what i was trying. In theory you could use something like that to play prep'd audio files when events occur. Basically you would create files that represent each of your TTS outputs local to the pi. Then when a given condition occurs just play that audio file locally. Depending on how complex your TTS is that may be a very viable option.
I messed up my Heroku account so Echo Speeks no longer works for me. Although I am no longer using Heroku, I get a message every month indicating that I have used all my free hours during the month and need to upgrade to a paid account to prevent it from timing out at the end of the month. I have no intention of upgrading my account. There are less expensive ways of accomplishing notifications. I have no idea how to cancel my Heroku account that I no longer use so I won't keep getting the persistent upgrade notifications.
@aaiyar
What would be interesting is if they can use that with lets say something like VLCThing to send the mp3/wave file or whatever is created by the tts software to VLC Devices. Then that would allow you to have one espeak server system. and it simply serve the TTS to all of the audio devices on the local network.
Yea when I came from ST i was using a Raspberry Pi zero W with VLC to connect to a google Nest Mini via BT and send audio with the VLCThing driver pretty much anything i wanted to. The problem is that it didn't take much to break the solution.
That was mostly a issue with BT to the Google Home Mini. I am sure a regular speaker using a wire wouldn't of had the issues. VLCThing and on a using a PI is amazingly powerful for audio tasks. this espeaks software could make it a extreamly complete package if possible.
@mavrick58
Actually, I found just the opposite - I tried VLCThing on a PI, and found a number of issues with it. I found that espeak (while certainly not as powerful as VLC), was much simpler - set it up, and then forget about it.
Each to their own!
Well I really can't speak for how hard or easy espeak is to use. VLC thing was a pain to get working, but once i did it seems pretty stable. Most of the problems i saw were related to speaker connections to the pi.
I dont disagree it could be a pain to get workong though. Getting VLC setup properly and then getting it to autostart were annoying.
I have just spent a week or so playing around with the best audio notification system. I did not want to spend $400 for a pair of Sonos.
I tried Echo Speaks. I did not like the idea of having to run a server to monitor cookie changes and authentication services. Also, I did not want Heroku knowing every command I send.
I tried Google Nest speakers. I liked these. I used one for a couple days and it worked great. Then, I learned about making Nest speaker groups. So, I ran out and bought a second Nest, grouped them from the Google app, and that is when all hell broke loose. Nothing would work consistently. One speaker kept dropping out and had to be manually initialized. The Google app would keep losing the group. It just became an unmanageable mess. Returned both Nests!
I use a tablet for my dashboard mounted on the wall next to the main door. It runs the Fully Dashboard. I found a driver, Fully Kiosk Browser Controller, which allowed the tablet to be recognized as a TTS device from hubitat. Awesome! But.... it just was not loud enough. It worked great; no delays; no drops; immediate responses... just not loud enough. Sigh...
I read about raspberry pi's; home brewed software and mods; arduino boards and the like. Knowing I could handle the task; I did not want to reinvent the wheel. Certainly there had to be something...
Two days ago, I broke down and went to Best Buy to get a Sonos One. $200. Ouch. I came home, plugged it in, downloaded the Sonos app, and it was recognized immediately. I linked my Spotify from the app to play a song, and WOW. The sound is absolutely stunning. Deep, immersive and simply outstanding. Next, I went to Hubitat dashboard and installed the native Sonos app. Once again, device was recognized immediately.
Now, I am SUPER happy with audio notifications. It is loud, clear and crisp. There is hardly ever a delay (if there is, it's barely noticeable). I will be going to Best Buy again today to purchase another; and see how it works with different zones; paired; etc.
I have no plug with Sonos. I would be in the front of the line complaining about the price. But... at the end of the day... the Sonos integration was by far the best choice for me.
Yes, I did look at the Symfonisk. I live in Louisville, KY. There is an IKEA in Cincinnati, Ohio (about an hour away). But, with Best Buy the return policy is super easy and they are local, so I knew I could easily return if disappointed. I have read quite a few people on here say the Symfonisk are just as easy to incorporate with Hubitat; at a much better price point.
I have been a musician for 30+ years. Not professionally, but as a hobbyist (albeit an expensive hobby). Anyways, I have an ear for sound. The Sonos just blew me away when I heard it. When I was a kid, we needed speakers at least 5 feet tall, about 2 feet wide, and a 1000watt amplifier (with an eq) driving them to match the sound quality. I was not expecting to use the Sonos as a primary speaker system; but after hearing them, I may have to reconsider.
I will probably buy a set of the Symfonisk to use as additional sources throughout the house (kids rooms, garage). But in my main room where we spend the majority of our time; I'm going with a set of Sonos.
