Found this thing that claims it can take input from Alexa and send webhooks out, but it is a bit pricy. Sounds similar to what you were doing with IFTTT but you would need to setup a key word phrase for each command in Zapier from what it sounds like. Plans & Pricing | Zapier
Along those same lines... searching a little, a custom Alexa 'skill' might also do the trick. Something where you could setup a key word and then everything after that you send to a webhook. I believe thats what you were doing with Google? I have looked into making a custom skill before (to display a web site on a show in a certain way the built in browser was refusing to do) but it got overwhelming pretty quickly and I gave up
For those of us who want to stay totally local, the Mycroft will supposedly be available this fall for $300. But it may be the ugliest device on the market...1985 will soon be calling wanting their tech back...
The usage is so simple - even Google can translate it:
But if you have a concret question, just ask me!
P.S.: @Hubitat_Staff, @bobbyD
Maybe it's possible to create a general "Hubitat Maker API" skill for Alexa to be completly independent from a third party?
If it was legal, everyone would do it,. You cannot declare independence from Amazon when using Alexa. While custom skill is still neat today, you would have to reinvent the wheel in order to match what Amazon has already developed with their smart home skill. A few years ago, was fun, a group of us did it.
I was talking about replacing the above shown external Webhook skill with something optimized for Hubitat's Maker API, so getting from 3 parties (Alexa -> external Webhook page -> Hubitat) to only 2 (Alexa -> Hubitat).
BTW: Everyone (who knows node.js) can introduce legally new skills to the Alexa system.
Bobby and I wrote a little program a while ago back on ST called Echosistant. The native alexa has since done just about everything we had programmed into the app. But there are some things Alexa still can not do and that's where the app still shines. lol.
Will you give me an example of use? The app handles complexities that aren't in the native alexa. So, a complex use example would work please.
I simple would like to say "Alexa [Codeword] do this and that".
The text "do this and that" should be transfered (1) to Hubitat (e.g. by using Maker API).
Bonus: It would be nice to also get the name of the Alexa device.
(1) At the moment I transfer the information with the Help of an external Alexa skill, that webhooks the text to a php script on my web server, which calls a Hubitat Maker API URL of a device I've written (which has only a cmd parameter), e.g.:
cloud.hubitat .com/api/7a...60/apps/102/devices/262/cmd/[Text]?access_token=61...f1
Have you looked at Node Red and the node-red-contrib-alexa-remote2-applestrudel pallet? It can do a lot of things based on what you say to Alexa and can even know which Alexa you are speaking to. For example, in any of my rooms that I have a ceiling fan and an Alexa, I can say "It's hot in here" and it will turn on the fan in the room I am in without telling her which room.
In your example, it could listen for the Codeword you referenced and only continue the Node Red Flow if you say the code. If you know regex, you could probably get pretty complex. I don't.
If you keep reading in that thread, @Royski does some cool things w/ this method.
EDIT: As an example to solve this:
You could create a Node Red flow that listens for you to say "Alexa, [Codeword] give me security update". The flow would then go thru each device you specify and to see if it is open/closed/active/inactive and Alexa could respond with something like the following: "The following motion sensors are active. Front Door -> Back Door -> Garage Door......."
skill to call a minimal php script on my web server.
