Just making sure, there is the external hosted app
Hubitat Hub with Web Portal access
During the setup process, you will be required to create a free HerokuApp account (Existing accounts will work as well)
but that should be simple - but I just didnt want to deal with that integration (lazy). I went with a google mini. It was super simple after creating the google account and pairing it all in the hubitat
There is a very simple way to use an Amazon Echo device to perform an audible notification. Just expose a Hubitat Virtual Contact sensor to Alexa using the Hubitat Skill. Then use that contact sensor as a Trigger to an Alexa Routine. Rule Machine can very easily manipulate the state of a virtual device, based on whatever logic one desires.
Obviously, real contact sensors can be used, as well as motion sensors and door lock devices. Unfortunately, a SWITCH device cannot be used as an Alexa Routine trigger.
This solution has the advantage of no custom code on Hubitat, is easy to set up, and is reliable. The one disadvantage of this approach is that the text, when using a spoken phrase action in the Alexa Routine, is static and defined within the Alexa Routine.
Lots of alexa routines .... Ive had to reset my alexa account a few times, sometimes me, sometimes something else -- so I do try to keep the level of integrations on here side lower, and more on the hubitat side .. but def. do able
If you just need simple chimes and alerts for doors open, motion etc, the Hubitat Dashboard app for Android by @jpage4500 can be used for that. For devices on the dashboard you can assign a custom sound such as Door chime, 2 tone doorbell or speak custom text through your tablet.
The above won't do everything that the Sonos integrations and others detailed will do. However for being alerted locally when something is opened/closed, turned on/off, goes active/inactive etc it's really handy.
Edit: Oh and I forgot to say, that comes for the princely sum of zero (though it's nice if people get Joe a few coffees 
)
That is what I have done. I am very happy with them. I use Alexa routines for all kinds of notifications, amoung other things. I also use Webcore for lots of text to speakers and Echos, but probably overkill for your needs.
Running fully right now but hey, thanks :). I'll take a look into this as well!
A couple points:
@jtmpush18 and @erktrek - please correct any inaccuracies in what I've written.
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.
Although many people seem to love echo speaks, I'm not a fan of needing to potentially 'maintain' something when amazon changes a bit of code etc.
Maybe I have the wrong end of the stick but I've never bothered with it for that reason.
My solution? 20 quid basic android box with Kiosk Browser and a cheap speaker.
I use them all over the house. Cheap and utterly faultless.
I don’t have any idea what this even means. But I think I like it.
Or when Heroku starts charging a minimum of $7USD a month for what was free before to enable Echo Speaks.
I went with Alexa and it has been awesome, then this.
I'm going to take a look how to run Echo speaks server locally / going for alternative I suppose. What a shame.
Basically, pick up a cheap-■■■ 2gb android
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0B2D5D5B3?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Install fully Kiosk Browser on it, and set a fixed ip.
Install the hubitat control driver and follow the awesome instructions
This is my hubitat device:
Simple webcore piston:
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.
Works lush.
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.
Google mini... There's a speaker for 24 quid in argos.
Will this allow webcore to send speach commands, cloudless, with the hubitat integration?
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.
Ah, I'll sack off the idea then, and stick with android. Ta.
Exactly.
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.
Yup. @jtmpush18 @erktrek - this is an interesting idea.
I did get one thing to work as is. Use it to push a wav file (converted to mp3) to a BT-connected speaker.
Download the Hubitat app
