Recently I bought the Remotec zxt-600. After a hard struggle trying to make it work with Alexa, I gave up.
The stock driver isn't working well with Alexa mainly because it doesn't have an "on" switch.
I tried using the following community driver which is perfect, but unfortunatly couldn't connect it to Alexa.
So I thought maybe working on some rules with virtual thermostat so I can change the AC setting by voice command.
Is it even possible? I tried searching in the trigger event for virtual thermostat/switch so I could trigger the AC by voice command but didn't find any.
What is the correct way or is it even possible to make it work?
I would like to be able to control the off, on, fan low/medium/high and the temperature.
Here is a screenshot from the driver.
I would appreciate your help because I run out of ideas.
if I understand your question correctly - it's the same one I tripped over. Virtual switches shared to Alexa via the Amazon Echo Skill don't actually work. However, Contacts do. so the trick is to use a virtual switch that has contacts as well.
I wrote my own switch/contact based on another users work
I have a few virtual switches in play - for snapshot a camera, ring my doorbell and flash my lights - all items that don't connect to Alexa but do connect to HE, but I can still control their on/off state with voice. Hope that helps!
Actually everything works fine.
I have plugs, switches, contact sensors etc' that I can control with Alexa.
My main issue is controling the AC with the community driver. I just don't know how to get it done because Alexa doesn't support it natively.
I want to be able to control different commands from that driver (please refer to screen shot) - on, off, fan low, fan medium, fan high and temperature.
I thought making rules for each commad, thus making six different rules for each one but I'm not sure how to do it, what is the correct way and of it's even possible.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the virtual device thing, I am not sure you are to the point where you need to use that method. Please disregard I mentioned that, I think that is just adding confusion for now. Again, that virtual device "hack" is helpful if you want more complexity than Alexa can offer. Something like turn on fan, and cooling mode, and maybe even a temperature at the same time with one unique voice command.
So can you describe what comes over to Alexa if you add the ZXT device? Did you click the option to "use all thermostat setpoints" in the Hubitat options for Alexa?
Again, there is no ON command, most thermostats don't work that way. Cooling, Heat, Auto are the equivalent to ON if you select one of those modes. Or at least it should work that way. Didn't you say in the other thread that these modes did turn on the unit when you select them?
When using the stock driver i did try to set all the option on the amazon skill but still with no change.
I did say that it was working but it wasn't consistant and couldn't control the AC with voice command.
Have you looked at using Echo Speaks and the Voice Cmd As Text to control thermostat with Hubitat via Alexa? Anything you can say to Alexa, you can send as a voice command with Echo Speaks. I'm about to move into a house that has three Wi-Fi Alexa compatible thermostats and I'm going to try to do what it sounds like you're trying to do instead of buying three new thermostats. It shouldn't require any Hubitat virtual devices in Alexa to do so but I obviously haven't been able to set it up and test the concept since I'm not in the house yet.
I tried reading about Echo speaks but at the moment it's too complicated for me. There is a server too install and not much documentaion etc'. I understand that is a community app and of course I don't expect more than there already is.
To be honest, I am new user in Hubitat and disapointed from the device.
It seems thay nothing actually run smooth and I'm thinking of switching back to Smart things which is much easier for the average user.
