Alexa Integration

Already implemented and working. I have been intercepting Alexa commands for several years now, used with my Home Automation system (Homeseer). Most Homeseer users seem to utilize Node-red for their broker between Homeseer and Alexa, but at that time I did not want to have yet another computer to worry about. Since I have wall mounted Android Tablets for my HA, I just added the ability to one of them to intercept Alexa commands using the Android Tasker application. Tasker also intercepts the communication from my weather station, and sends that onto my HA. It was a very simple thing, once I had the appropriate command, to add Allonis to that mix.

That Voice button is interesting, and I will look into that at some point. But I wanted something that could mute the TV when I am on the other side of the house (among other things).

How does Tasker intercept your Alexa commands? Do they produce an Android notification on the tablet and Tasker captures the notification? Or some other mechanism?

That would be a great way to do it, if I could figure out how to get Alexa to post a notification to my phone. But I actually do use that method to have my Android Memento Database program send commands to Tasker.

The way I do it is more convoluted than that. The Tasker plugin "AutoVoice" can access a virtual dimmer that Alexa can also access. So I have an Alexa routine, triggered by a phrase (like "Alexa, mute television") that sets that virtual dimmer switch to a specific dimmer value. A Tasker profile is watching that dimmer switch, and when it changes value, extracts the new value and then has very long "case" statement that will do different things based on that value (Tasker will also then reset the dimmer switch back to 0 to start over). Say the dimmer switch is set to 65%, then case 65 will then run the "RunAllonisMacro" Tasker task with the Allonis macro name as a parameter. Other case statements invoke other types of tasks, such as "RunHomeseerEvent" with the Homeseer event name as a parameter. You can have up to 100 special Alexa spoken commands per virtual dimmer switch (1% to 100%, plus the reset value of 0).

I developed this method many years ago, and it has been rock solid. There may be a better way to implement it in todays world, but I have not found it yet.

Aha, thanks. Something very similar to that is documented on the AutoVoice forum: forum.joaoapps.com/index.php?resources/u...any-tasker-task.329/

I've had Alexa going to my HomeAssistant for years now so it was pretty straight forward to have it then send commands to MyServer. I really only use it for turning the system on/off so I have a switch template for my different sources in HomeAssisant which Alexa can then turn on and off. Once those switches are turned on/off I send the corresponding MyServer macro just as if someone had clicked the button on the remote. Works great and the kids love it.

How does HomeAssistant actually receive Alexa commands? Is there a Home Assistant Alexa plug in?