Amazon has managed to make echoes useless. They send everything to their cloud, which is fine, but the cloud sends back garbage which hubitat cannot handle. None of my over 30 light switches or other devices will work with voice command now. They all worked just fine until Amazon decided their AI was more important than providing good service. So I want to replace my echoes with something that will work with Habitat (which I really like). However, when I go online to decide what to replace the echoes with all I get is pictures of hubs and other things. I just want devices that will handle voice commands and send them to my hubitat. Can someone please tell me what to buy? I don't need a new hub and I am not really all that excited about speakers. Anyone????
I have been slowly replacing our Echos with HomePod minis. Need to be in the Apple ecosystem to do this though, and not a cheap alternative, but they work well.
I'm not seeing that issue. I can still control all the devices by voice that are selected in the Amazon Echo App.
I'm still on 2.4.1.177 so I can't say if it was a Hubitat update that might have caused your issue, but it does not seem to be an issue on the Alexa side.
I don't have this issue. I can issue commands and my Echo devices control my Hubitat devices without issue. Did you update to Alexa +? If so, remove that from your account if possible. I have yet to upgrade. Don't see a reason to for now.
Coincidentally, I just did the Alexa upgrade yesterday, so the AI stuff is not what is causing the issues you are seeing, as everything still works for me.
Not to sidetrack, but do you use Echo Speaks? Reports are that Alexa+ screws that up.
I've been using Echo speaks for years, going back to SmartThings. I just tested a speak command it is working still. Are there specific commands in Echo Speaks that have issue with the update?
Nothing that I am aware of. I'm pretty sure I read in the ES thread that someone began having issues once Alexa+ was enabled.
Iām using ES and Alexa+ and not having any issues with that or with lighting control from Alexa. Iām just moving to HomePod minis because my whole family has iPhones, and perhaps better privacy.
I'm using the amazon echo skill and have been using Alexa + since it was 1st available. It has worked fine with HE, just slower since the AI upgrade. Have 3 dots and 3 screens.
I'm on the latest (2.4.3.155) and I can still control my Hubitat devices with my Echos. I tested with my Echo Show 5 and my Ecobee Cam. I'm using the built-in Amazon Echo Skill app and the Hubitat skill on the Alexa side.
I don't use their AI.
Same here, but I am also using Alexa+ as well. No issues whatsoever with control of our Hubitat devices.
Alexa+ was initially much slower than the previous Alexa. However, I have noticed recently that Alexa+ appears to be a little snappier. YMMV, of course!
I dropped echo's for Homepod minis (and one homepod) Haven't looked back since.
After getting tired of having Alexa repeatedly suggest things we don't want, and increasingly uneasy that our conversations were being listened to by who knows who, we unplugged all our echo devices. I've been dabbling with Home Assistant and its Nabu voice assistant but haven't spent much time with it yet. You can have all local processing or use their cloud, both of which offer more privacy, it seems. But it's still in early days, and it shows. Still, might be worth checking out.
As others have said, Alexa+ works well with Echo Speaks and in controlling my HE devices. It is indeed slower, hoping that it speeds up eventually. Alexa plus has a a few weird issues, but I'm sure it will get better.
I would LOVE to do this myself. It's the inability to resume playing music that holds me back. We frequently use our Echos to play whole-house music.
"Alexa, please 70s on 7 on Sirius XM on the Everywhere Group."
Then all it takes is one "Alexa turn on the living room lights" and and it just keeps on playing. Siri stops the music and you have to restart it. Just sucks.
That must be new! I tried this HomePod feature when it was released and it killed music. This might be a game changer. Is this on the HomePod device itself?
Yeah, needs to be turned on for each homepod on it's device page.
