Echo & Alexa Forums

General Category => Echo Technical Support => Topic started by: Sllimauro on November 29, 2016, 10:46:18 am

Title: Two homes each with Smartthings hub and echo/dots
Post by: Sllimauro on November 29, 2016, 10:46:18 am
I have two homes each with a Smartthings hub and multiple devices. Each hoe has an echo and multiple dots.
When I shift between homes the only way I can find to get Echo to recognize the local hub and devices is to disconnect from Smartthings skill, erase all devices, sign out of Alexa then start from scratch.
Any way to have Alexa automatically recognize which network, hub and devices are local?
Title: Re: Two homes each with Smartthings hub and echo/dots
Post by: DParker on November 29, 2016, 01:15:47 pm
I have two homes each with a Smartthings hub and multiple devices. Each hoe has an echo and multiple dots.
When I shift between homes the only way I can find to get Echo to recognize the local hub and devices is to disconnect from Smartthings skill, erase all devices, sign out of Alexa then start from scratch.
Any way to have Alexa automatically recognize which network, hub and devices are local?

I presume you're referring to having multiple devices with the same name in both locations (ie, you have lights named "kitchen light" in both homes), and you're trying to get your Echo + SmartThings ecosystem to differentiate between them.  I further assume that both of your SmartThings hubs are configured under the same ST account, and that all of your Alexa devices (Echos and Dots) are tied to a single Amazon account...is that correct?
Title: Re: Two homes each with Smartthings hub and echo/dots
Post by: Sllimauro on November 29, 2016, 05:34:06 pm
That is correct on both accounts. But note that my Smartthings account recognizes the two different homes and within Smartthings you can switch between homes
Title: Re: Two homes each with Smartthings hub and echo/dots
Post by: Sllimauro on November 29, 2016, 05:37:00 pm
I considered having my wife leave my amazon/Alexa account and setting up one of the home on her amazon account but then we lose access to prime etc. then thought perhaps a child's account but it is not allowed to set up an Alexa account under a child's account
Title: Re: Two homes each with Smartthings hub and echo/dots
Post by: DParker on November 29, 2016, 06:34:31 pm
OK, so then limiting factor is going to be with the fact that all of your Alexa devices are tied to the same Amazon account.  Since Alexa's integration with SmartThings (and pretty much all other services as well) is account-based rather than Alexa device-based there is no way to have different Echos/Dots refer to different ST-controlled devices using the same name(s).  So the "Kitchen Light" controlled by ST Hub #1 is known to all of your Alexa devices as "Kitchen Light" on a basis that is global to both your Amazon and ST accounts, with no association with individual hubs being known to Alexa.  If the Echos/Dots in your two homes were tied to different Amazon accounts then you could have each know only about the ST devices in their respective locations.  But using a single account makes everything global, so there's really no way to do what you want without giving your devices unamiguous names.