Google Nest Mini for notification sounds -- summary of methods and alternatives (Was: Rule that watches for idle status on a Google Mini speaker is not triggering as expected)

📐 Rule Machine®
21

Use echo speaks

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While I am going to continue to investigate alternatives I am happy to say my crude workaround of doing initialize() plus playTrack(silent mp3) every 4 minutes is working tolerably well. I may yet have a connectivity failure and Hub meltdown as @Jost has described but it has not happened yet. :crossed_fingers:

I have never heard bloop before playback starts.

A couple of times, days apart, I heard a bloop for no reason. I didn't check the logs but that must mean that somehow, the message didn't get through and the speaker fell asleep. Maybe the keep-alive needs a timing adjustment or added delay.

I'll also refine the rules so the keep-alive action plays at minimal volume in case a bloop gets through somehow, and explicitly set volume in notifications.

This is ridiculous, but at least it's working.

I also updated the title of this thread to reflect where it went, not how it started.

1 Like
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Following exactly the documentation (App Configuration - Echo Speaks Documentation),,,
Everytime I try "Step 7" of the "Server Configuration" I just get a "404" Page, :man_shrugging:

As I already said:
"Alexa TTS by Hubitat is very ... cumbersome"