@jabecker Presumably you're familiar with the use of Alexa Routines that would allow you to utter the shortcut "Alexa, turn on NBC" (or a number of different variations on that syntax) and have it translate to the command "Alexa, turn the TV to NBC"? I use that technique to disambiguate some commands that Alexa has trouble parsing correctly.
Yes but I don't really want to set up that many routines... i.e. one for each TV station. Sometimes Alexa will just turn to the channel, sometimes it gives me the device discovery spiel, and sometimes it turns on a radio channel or podcast. If it does the wrong thing I tell it to shut up and then to turn the tv to... that usually does it.
I had exactly same problem. Every single command through Alexa worked, except to turn on/off kitchen lights. Was getting the same message. Ended up getting around it with a voice routine and that works fine. But still strange.. something is definitely a thing with the terms kitchen lights and Alexa haha.
I experienced gotchas with Alexa - and learned the priority of Alexa is Alexa group name first. If you have an Alexa group with the name Kitchen... that could cause your issue.
Next, having more than one device picked up from Hubitat during Alexa Discover that has the word Kitchen in it will cause the problem as well. Open Alexa on your phone or browser, and edit the name(s) that Alexa picks up from the 'discover' and remove 'Kitchen' from the names. I use the location in my HE names but remove them in Alexa.
When you add a device IN ALEXA to a Alexa group - lets say 'kitchen' is the name of the Alexa group - the Alexa device name that is also in the Alexa group becomes important. Say you have a Dot in the kitchen. Add the Dot to the Alexa Kitchen group. Add, for example, an outlet in the kitchen to the Alexa Kitchen group. Now. when you speak to the Dot in the kitchen and say 'Turn off outlet' Alexa first tries the device in the same group as the Dot - so Outlet in kitchen would turn off. You can also now say 'turn off Kitchen Outlet' even tho the device isn't named that. Hope this is helpful ..
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That does make sense I suppose, I will try it, even though I got it working via voice routing, would still prefer to have it working normally. Thanks!
