Help with TTS to Alexa

I'm using Alexa speaks but I'm trying to use virtual devices to trigger TTS using Alexa. I can't seem to get it.
This is the ES (echo speaks) rule

This is the Alexa routine

What Alexa "Action" are you using for "Alexa, viretual washer finished up" ? You should use the "Alexa Says" action in the routine if you want her to speak a custom phrase.

1 Like

Thanks I'll change it and try again. But I thought I tried that. Made so many changes I can't remember.

1 Like

Change to Alexa says, but no cigar. Still no announcement

In the Alexa app, please click RUN Routine to see if she talks. This will help to determine where the issue is. Is it the trigger from Hubitat? Or the Action in the routine.

Also, please make sure the volume on your Echo is not turned all the way down. :wink:

Makes announcement when Alexa routine is run

Okay, so the issue is with the Alexa trigger coming from Hubitat. I have seen this type of issue before... Please try a Hubitat Motion sensor or Contact sensor as a trigger instead of the lock, just as a test to see if any Hubitat devices are working as triggers for Alexa Routines.

If not, the only solution I know of, unfortunately, is to disable the Hubitat Skill within the Alexa mobile phone app. Then, on the Hubitat hub, remove the Amazon Echo Skill app. At this point, you should clean up any and all leftover "Smart Home Devices" from Hubitat that are lingering in the Alexa system. Once done, simply Enable the Hubitat Skill from within the Alexa mobile app. It will prompt you to log into Hubitat and select your hub (if you have multiple.) This will cause the Amazon Echo Skill app to automagically be installed on your Hubitat hub, where you can then select the devices you'd like to expose to Alexa.

This was the process I had to go through a few years ago when Hubitat originally added support for contact and motion sensors. Mine refused to trigger Alexa Routines until I went through the process above. Hopefully you won't have to do this, but I thought I'd share my experience just in case it might help.

Well the contract has no effect.
When you say "remove the Alexa app from Hubitat" what happens to all the other devices installed? Will they have to be reinstalled?

They will all need to be readded to Amazon Alexa, added to their respective Alexa Groups, Routines, etc... It is like starting over completely with the Hubitat Alexa Skill. It is a painful solution, but it was the only one that worked for me.

To remove them all from Alexa, after disabling the Hubitat Skill in the Alexa mobile phone app AND removing the Amazon Echo Skill app on the Hubitat hub, I used the https://alexa.amazon.com/ website as it was much quicker to remove Smart Home devices versus using the mobile phone Alexa app. YMMV, of course.

Hopefully another Hubitat user will chime in with a simpler solution versus my 'nuclear' option. :wink:

Not sure if it's worth the trouble.

1 Like

Just a thought here...
Would this work, or just mess things up:

  1. create a backup of the hub
  2. perform the steps here ^^
  3. restore the backup to restore all the devices to the Echo speaks.

This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.