Ladies and Gentlemen: I have an issue regarding the Third Reality 3RCB01057Z bulbs not turning off when commanded to do so via an Alexa command. I am using a Hubitat C-8 (non-pro).
Setting the Table: I have several floor lamps, each with three bulbs of the type cited above. I installed them by selecting Zigbe Device and letting Hubitat do the rest. Device information displays "Type (currently system)" as "Third Reality ZigBee RGBW Bulb".
Using the Groups and Scenes app, each three bulbs are combined into a Group with a name like "Floor Lamp by Corridor".
I generally "talk" to my system via Alexa.
What is Happening: Using the bedroom as an example, i have three of these three-bulb floor lamps set up. If I give the command "lights off" all three floor lamps will start to shut off, but about half the time at least one bulb will "hang", that is, remain on. If I repeat the command "lights off", that / those last lamp(s) will go off.
I have two of these lamps in my home office; same thing happens with Alexa, but I also have a physical button. I have not yet had any lamp hang when I use that button. it is configured through two simple rules. Press to turn on, two presses to turn off.
Most of the various toggles I see on the configuration pages may as well be in Urdu, so if there is some simple setting I've overlooked I don't know what it is.
Your thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
maybe try popcorning? I create groups as needed then add devices to the group. then at the bottom I set 'Enable Metering'. set a delay to the group so each device waits a tiny bit before the next device is commanded. This was a fairly old issue and hasn't been talked about much in a long while, but it still seems to solve a problem for me here and there. It can be applied to switches, to bulbs etc. I tend to not enable optimization. Alexa can respond that 'device is not responding' even when it does.
Once you've built a group, you add the group to your amazon echo skill, and alexa will discover it - then make it available for you to voice command the group. There can be some trickiness to getting unique names for groups and devices - but if your alexa rooms have an alexa device, you can skip saying the room name portion - so 'turn off bedroom light' can be just 'turn off light' if spoken in that room. GL!
In Alexa do you have the lamps set up in rooms? If so is each individual bulb listed as a device along with the group listed as a device? If so try disabling the individual bulbs and only leave the groups for each lamp enabled. I had the same problem and this solved my issue. The enable and disable is in Alexa not Hubitat. Don't change Hubitat.
In Alexa, I have it call things set up in Groups and Scenes.
I am a bit lost with Hubitat terminology. Why would Enable Metering do anything? Another question: You show "Show group state in group device" turned on? What does that do?
Thanks in advance...
The docs have an explanation of both options:
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So do I. However Alexa can/will put your groups you created in Hubitat in the same room in Alexa as your individual devices making up your Hubitat groups.
Below is a screenshot of my Alexa. The Living Room Light at the top is my Hubitat group. Then the individual bulbs below it is bulbs that make up that Hubitat group.
Notice I have my Hubitat Group "Living Room Light" enabled in my Living Group in Alexa and the individual bulbs disabled. When all them were enabled in Alexa in the same Alexa Living Room Group I had the exact same issue you are having.
sounds wierd but if you make 'Living Room Light' 'LivingRoomLight' it becomes unique to Alexa.
That is weird. I guess changing the name makes it unique. Never tried that.
I'm a secret Alexa user that also uses HE. I've got my environment working darn near perfect.
some of my hard won lessons:
Don't hang up on getting Alexa names to match HE.
USE ROOMS! (in Alexa) - I don't get much on value on the HE side, but the Alexa side is powerful. For example. Lets say you have 2 lights, and 2 switches in your bedroom. And lastly, lets assume you have an Echo Dot in the Bedroom as well.
In Alexa, make a 'Group' called 'Bedroom'. Then, in Alexa (after the devices are correctly brought in via the Amazon Echo Skill in HE, add the devices to this 'group'.
Rename the devices. In my HE, I called a light 'Bedroom Nightstand Lamp'. So when it comes into Alexa via the skill it is also called "Bedroom Nightstand Lamp'. Change that name. After you add it to the group called Bedroom in Alexa, name it 'Nightstand' or 'Nightstand Lamp'. Do the same with the other devices in that room including the Echo Dot.
The benefit is nice - if you say 'Alexa, turn off the Bedroom'. All devices in that room go off. That seems obvious right? Now, while you are in the bedroom, if you say 'turn off the light', Alexa hears you on the local device, assumes the room and turns off only the light IN THAT ROOM.
You can say stuff like set bedroom light to 50%' (or even simpler - 'Alexa, set light to 50%'. Notice no room name needed!) All lights in that room are affected IF they are capable.
In cases where two devices are similar, things get hairy. I for example, have 2 ambiance lights behind my TV. a Left and a right. I made a decision, that they are a pair, and IN MY HE, I created a group called Living Room Ambiance Lights.
In the Alexa via the skill, I do NOT bring both lights. I just bring the HE Group. Now I treat it as a single device in Alexa. It works flawlessly.
Alexa's power is basically the fact it is really a separate environment. I feel the problem is the human desire to make both environments fully meshed.
Alexa device now does more than just lights and switches. Thermostats, Bluetooth connected devices, and Whole Home Audio (Called WHA) is extremely powerful. I love the stereo of two Echo Gen 5 Dots. I love a lot more too. (My favorite being Echo Hub and Echo Widgets! Make your own dashboard!)
Yes. you have to have the internet for it to work, but features like Guard, the new AI rule maker, the ability to bridge into external apps, car integration, Shopping list integration, lets not even mention Magic Mirror - all of this power is valuable! Hope this helps anyone who's read this far.
I use rooms in Alexa to basically just group lights so if I am in the bedroom I say Alexa turn off the lights they go off without having to specify the room. I don't really worry if my HE and Alexa necessarily match. I was able to make that work by how I set up in my screenshot.
Also, to basically set bed time requirements. Tell Alexa goodnight and it goes down a check list.
Finally to make voice announcements.
Other than that I little to no voice controls. Everything else is driven off of time or other sensor triggers.
I do not have the individual bulbs in Alexa. I have the floor lamp "Groups".
Examples, where the following names are the group names in Hubitat.
"Bedroom Floor Lamp: Dresser"
"Bedroom Floor Lamp: Left"
"Bedroom Floor Lamp: Right"
IN ALEXA, those names are simplified so I can call out "Dresser lamp off", not "Berdoom Floor Lamp: Dresser off".
I have Alexa set up with Groups like Bedroom, but also have built groups to use within rooms. Example: Bedroom has a separate one for lights, called, fittingly enough, Bedroom Lights. Living Room has one called Livring Room Lights. and so on.
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Then check and make sure Hunches has not gotten turned on and it hasn't created something you don't realize is there. I had that problem as well.
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