Echo & Alexa Forums

General Category => Smart Devices and Gadgets => Topic started by: mrhaugland on October 09, 2018, 12:47:05 pm

Title: Alexa groups
Post by: mrhaugland on October 09, 2018, 12:47:05 pm
I am trying to create groups for my home.

So far I have:

In each group I have included all my smarthome devices, meaning switches (for lights), switches (for appliances) and sensors.

The Alexa app is almost able to tell the differance. She correctly figures out how to group them between lights, switches and others" within the group. But if I tell Alexa "turn on kitchen lights" she turns everything on, even the switches (which is my coffee machine, I don`t want this on!).

Picture:
https://imgur.com/a/X8dwps7 (https://imgur.com/a/X8dwps7)

Is it something I`m doing wrong, or should I only include lights in the groups, and make a separate group for switches. I could create a group called "coffee machine", and I reckon it should work with "Alexa, turn on coffee machine".

Any tips?
Title: Re: Alexa groups
Post by: jwlv on October 09, 2018, 01:47:30 pm
I'm guessing Alexa is confused so it made its best guess. You named your group kitchen and you have several lights that are named kitchen xxxx and also switches named kitchen xxxx. So when you tell Alexa to turn on or off kitchen anything, it probably thinks you're talking about the entire group.
Title: Re: Alexa groups
Post by: mrhaugland on October 09, 2018, 01:50:59 pm
Well, actually thats almost what I am trying. I want to say "Alexa, turn on kitchen lights", meaning all lights, not switches. Not sure if possible.

Also in regards to my lights and switches; when adding devices to the group, say three lights, Alexa adds three lights and three switches. Perhaps lights because of the naming and perhaps switches because they are switches (actually dimmers).
Title: Re: Alexa groups
Post by: renegade600 on October 09, 2018, 05:30:32 pm
your problems is naming.  you cannot have two devices named exactly the same thing.  also make the names simple.  for example, Instead of Kitchen Countertop light, just name it countertop.   
Title: Re: Alexa groups
Post by: mrhaugland on October 10, 2018, 12:43:45 pm
So I tried renaming my Devices in ST IDE.
I deleted the group and created a new one. Alexa still adds one and the same light as both light and switch.
This is to be fair no problem.

Picture:
https://imgur.com/a/sNU5a0v (https://imgur.com/a/sNU5a0v)

To clarify, there is only four actual devices in this group.

The problem is with the devices that are only switches like coffee machine.
If I say "Alexa, turn on kitchen lights" she turns on everything in the "kitchen" group.

Any more ideas?