Amazon Alexa

So has anyone made any progress with a bridge or interface between c bus and Amazon Alexa?

 

Take a look at SmartVoice

Schneider hosted courses on this recently in many state capitals. It talks/interfaces to a Wiser 2 or Push Controls and is an Alexa Skill.

eg. Alexa, tell SmartVoice It's Dinner Time or Alexa, tell SmartVoice Living Blinds Down

SmartVoice also interfaces Google Assistant (Google Home).

Have Fun!

Brad

 

Thanks brad

I've been trying to contact the smart voice people but no luck yet.
I'm not sure exactly what smart voice is - is it a piece of hardware?

I currently have a Wiser 1 and am a C-Bus self installed so if I get a Wiser 2 is there any other hardware I need?

Any other wisdom would be appreciated

Thanks Matt

 

nodejs solution

I have a solution built in nodejs that talks to c-gate server. Happy to share code if you are able to use it.

 

Hi

Yeah, I'd. Wen keen to take a look.
I'm currently using a Wiser 1 so, I guess I would have to get c-gate up and running on a raspberry Pi, which would mean losing my Wiser.

But, still keen to take a look.

Thanks

 

Sorry, not much documentation but have a look at the readme files for the alexa service and the cbus service. db schemas in the .sql files.

Also note perl script to load cbus db from piced wiser project under tools.

 

Hello Occam
That looks really interesting.
Do you have any other links to the project?
Is it based on some existing work I can read about.

 

I don't have any other project links.

I wrote the cbus service to use the telnet command interface to a cgate server and provide a REST api.

The alexa service translates the Smart Home Skills API to these rest commands (it also calls a different service for controlling all my audio visual equipment).

The Smart Home Skill is documented here : https://developer.amazon.com/public...kills-kit/docs/smart-home-skill-api-reference

The lambda code (in the lambda directory of the alexa service) just forwards the the api calls from alexa to the alexa service.

 

I got a brief response from a Smart Voice integrator.
Sounds like it is basically all code


"We can certainly help you out regarding the Smartvoice/C-Bus integration,

Essentially we would need to get a copy of you C-Bus project files both Toolkit and PICED and
from there we would compile the phrases and commands based on your requirements and ship
to you a pre-setup Amazon Alexa unit. "

 

Hi Matt,

It looks like you've done your own research while I was 'working hard' at the snow.

You're correct, SmartVoice is a software cloud based platform that talks to either a CNI or Push Controls box through your external Internet router and installs as an Alexa Skill allowing control of many devices or the triggering of scenes etc on your C-Bus network through voiced phrases. It has an easy to use web based interface to set up phrases and configure the other parameters (GAs, items under control, scenes etc) of your C-Bus network that will be available to control by voice). eg. 'Tell SmartVoice Kitchen Blinds Down' .

Assumedly the Smart Voice system doesn't differ too much at the back end from the solution Occam is suggesting, but SmartVoice is a commercially purchasable, more turn-key solution for setting up a voice control smart home easily and with minimal fuss that works without the need for any additional hardware on your site. It is however sold through trained approved installers (like us ;-P).

Smartvoice touts in its brochure that it works with Amazon Echo & Echo Dot hardware, Google Home hardware running Google assistant, SIRI on iPhone/iPad/AppletV3 and notes other emerging smart speakers.

I understand that SmartVoice was the product behind a recent Schneider Electric / Clipsal demo of voice control home automation at the Clipsal 500 and also that it featured in the 'technology demonstrator' apartment on Last Year's 'The Block' TV show.

If you need more details, PM me. Cheers,

Brad

 

Hello Brad
I just realised there is going to be three major players in the voice control market.
For me I have Apple Home and CGate working nicely on raspberry pi.
The Smart Voice platform should be a good thing for CBus though.

 

Hi Brad

PM sent

Thanks
Matt

 

and don't forget Microsoft Cortana

Like most things in HA, there's 100 ways to do the same thing, the SmartVoice system is quite polished and functional compared with some other vendors 'skills', is well integrated with the voice assistant APIs and is suitable to leave with your client without it feeling like an experiment. It is however a purchasable system with support from people who have done most of all the hard back end work for you to talk to your assistant choice.

DIY options will always be available at nix to do the same/similar things, but requiring far more effort from the installer or owner, and more difficult to support from an integrator's perspective.

I must admit to having lots of Apple stuff and it being my favourite phone / tablet environment, but Siri seemingly can't understand what I'm saying quite often. My Amazon's Echo understands what I'm saying almost every time so I feel a lot more comfortable with using it at home. It is probably just the array of 7 noise cancelling microphones in the Echo/Echo Dot that gives it the better chance of understanding my mutterings.

To all those who think Voice Controlled Smart Homes are an amazing new concept and market segment, you'll be blown away knowing that Clipsal had C-Bus home automation voice control covered back in 2003 with the Clipsal HomeSpeak Product. Today we obviously don't feel as dorky as we did back then by talking to our homes

'Computer, initiate auto destruct sequence on my mark'........

Brad

 

I'd be in a small group but observing latest Windows phones I am impressed.
That is not really even an option to consider right now.
I've heard people say the same about siri.
Maybe it has got to know me better than most but I can rattle things off fast as I like and it blows me away how well it works.

 

Hey Brad
You should try to rattle things off fast to siri.
I think it learns and should keep getting better.
For me it's insane how well it works.

 

As much as I liked Windows Phone I think it is finished now

 

Yes, I might need a good dose of voice rec elocution lessons. I see voice rec being like Ski Boots, all brands have the same size but one fits you better than another, different algorithms look for different markers, cadence, keyword order, timing and gaps. I suspect my case may also be getting in the way of perfect sound reception by the iPhone mics.

 

Cbus and Alexa integration

Is anyone done cbus and alexa integration. Need help if anyone can. Thanks

 

Cbus and alexa integration

Ok do u have any procedure so I can follow up. Thanks