Sonos TTS to Alexa Echo (control devices never meant to be controlled with Hubitat)

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1

So this is a weird one. I was bored yesterday and decided
to see if I could trigger Alexa using my Sonos speaker integration. Lo and behold you can. Now I can control devices that work with Alexa that Alexa cannot build routines with/for using Hubitat.

2

Please elaborate. I'm a Sonos user and have plenty of Alexa devices.

EDIT:
Oh, you mean you have Hubitat send a command to Sonos, something like "Alexa, do this thing that I can't do with just Hubitat".. and she hears it and initiates the command?

Can you provide an example of a routine you have in mind?

3

Use TTS directed at the Sonos to run the desired Alexa command. For example, the TTS could be "Alexa, turn off lights".

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4

I haven't gotten it working yet but I bought a govee fan. I can't control it with Hubitat but Alexa can. It has 8 speeds a bunch of modes, on, off, and oscillate. Alexa can't do much with the fans using her routines but she can do most if not all of it with voice commands.

So basically I send a tts message to the sonos speaker. The speaker says it and alexa hears it and does it. The biggest problem is tracking the states of everything, but its better than nothing. Its also easier than virtual switches to and from Alexa and maintaining automations in Hubitat and routines in Alexa.

5

There is an option, within an Alexa Routine, where you can type in a 'Voice Command' to emulate you speaking to a physical Amazon Echo Device. This would allow an Alexa Routine to control your Govee fan as well as if you issued a spoken command.

You could use some Hubitat Virtual Contact Sensors as triggers for various Alexa Routines, to run these custom 'spoken commands'. On the Hubitat side, you could use Rule Machine to change the state of the Virtual Contact Sensors based on whatever triggers you'd like.

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6

This is exactly how I am using Alexa. No spoken commands, all commands are emulated.

7

I understand that but the point is that it gets soooo tedious keeping up the automations in both ecosystems.

Another perfect example is drone mobile. Which is remote car start. Alexa cannot and will not allow routines with it. With my method it would be no problem, just insert a delay for her response asking for the pin.