I would like to use the Lutron Pico Audio devices to control Echo speakers rather than Sonos speakers. Wondering if anyone knows whether this is possible. Thanks!
Amazon Echo Speakers? There is not much of an official API available to control Amazon Echo speakers, is there?
the audio Pick is no different than other pico's in hubitat, its a button controller just like the others, I use it to control my sonus, but not using the Lutron - sonos intigration, but via button controller and media devices...
Unfortunately, voice or physical control at the Echo speaker seems to be the only way at this time. Even the Google Assistant Relay doesn't adjust the volume of the Google Home Speakers themselves at this time, which is a huge bummer.
You could buy a Google Mini and set it right next to your Alexa speaker, and use Google Assistant Relay. Then when you push the button for down on the Pico, it could say "Alexa, lower" and when you push the up button, it could say "Alexa, louder"
I'm joking, but it would actually work. The only bummer with Google Home is it emits a tone before each TTS output and there's no way to turn it off. You could also use VLC player with a RPi or an old computer to do TTS from Hubitat, and then put a bluetooth speaker next to your Echo to do the same thing. I'm being silly here, but it is a workable, albeit ridiculous solution.
I'm pretty sure you can set the volume on one echo from another by including the Echo name in a command. I've used pause and stop on my Echo upstairs when I'm downstairs and vise versa, so volume control should work too. If you have Alexa audio groups, I believe it works by including the group name at the end of your verbal command too.
You could buy an Echo dot and put it and a speaker in a sound proofed box, then connect the speaker to a computer or RPi running VLC Player and use VLC Thing in Hubitat to send verbal commands to your speakers when you press the volume up or volume down button on the Pico. It's crazy, but it would work!
[Edit] Researches have shown that ultrasonic speakers work to command Echo. That's another possibility that might not be so half-baked.
In all seriousness, @ogiewon, @cwwilson08 and hopefully @mike.maxwell are working on a way do TTS with Alexa. I'm hoping that they get that going, because so many of us are longing for that capability from Echo. I bought a Google Home Mini and used @ogiewon 's port of Google Assistant Relay to send TTS to it. Works great and although I don't have a need for the added ability to send silent commands to it, I am looking forward to having that at the ready when it's needed to control a device that Hubitat and IFTTT don't support yet, and for which a cloud connection is acceptable.
I'm hoping this silent command capability might also come from their research into the Echo TTS capability. There was one such capability with Echo at one time, but Amazon shut that down.
The script we are using has many other useful commands. You can trigger Alexa routines. Start rune in and prime radio stations. Trigger weather reports among some other things. Lots of potential.
Super excited about this one!
Have you tried the cast-web-api for google? It allows you to set volume and send messages to your google home devices. I do not think it supports the silent commands though.
I believe @jp0550 posted a port for it somewhere on the forums here...