Alexa Device

The »Alexa Device« logic element allows you to connect devices in your building automation with Amazon Alexa. A configured connection to Alexa via the BAB Technologie Service is a prerequisite (c.f. "System > Settings").

Contents

Inputs and Outputs

Except for the GATE input, the inputs and outputs of this logic element vary, based on which features you enable in the configuration of this element (see "Configuration"). You can optionally connect inputs, to the same data point as its corresponding output, so that status changes can be sent to Alexa.

Important: only connected outputs will be advertised to Alexa as supported features of the device during device discovery. 

Binary Switch

Inputs

• STATE
  sends the switching state to Alexa

Outputs

• STATE
  receives switch commands from Alexa (Boolean).

Dimmer

Inputs

• DIM
  sends the current dimming value to Alexa.

Outputs

• DIM
  receives dimming values from Alexa as absolute percentages. If the user says "Alexa make it brighter", the logic element will determine the new percentage before sending it to this output, if either a brightness level exists at the corresponding input or the user had set an absolute brightness via Alexa some time before.

Motion Sensor

Note: This Feature is only supported when proactive sending of status changes is enabled.

Inputs

• SENS

  sends the sensor state to Alexa.

Window Contact

Note: This Feature is only supported when proactive sending of status changes is enabled.

Inputs

• CONT

  sends the contact state to Alexa.

Color

Using the logic element »Data Converter«, you can convert values between your color model or value format and the data type Color which is used here.

Inputs

• COLOR
  sends the current color to Alexa.

Outputs

• COLOR
  receives new colors from Alexa.

Color Temperature

The specifications allow for integer values between 1000 and 10000K. Of course, not every lamp will support the full range.

Inputs

• CTEMP
  sends the current color temperature to Alexa.

Outputs

• CTEMP
  receives new color temperatures from Alexa. If the user says "Alexa make the light warmer", the logic element will determine the next step out of the steps Amazon has predefined (2200, 2700, 4000, 5500, 7000), if either a color temperature exists at the corresponding input or the user had set an absolute color temperature via Alexa some time before.

Volume Control

Inputs

• VOL
  sends the current volume to Alexa

• MUTE
  sends the current mute state to Alexa

Outputs

• VOL
  receives volume commands from Alexa as absolute percentages. If the user says "Alexa increase the volume", the logic element will determine the new percentage before sending it to this output, if either a volume level exists at the corresponding input or the user had set an absolute volume level via Alexa some time before.

• MUTE
  receives mute/unmute commands from Alexa (Boolean)

Media Control

Amazon currently does not support sending status updates for media control. Thus, this feature does only have outputs for now.

Outputs

• PLAY
  receives play commands from Alexa (Boolean true)

• PAUSE
  receives pause commands from Alexa (Boolean true)

• STOP
  receives stop commands from Alexa (Boolean true)

• NEXT
  receives skip to next commands from Alexa (Boolean true)

• PREV
  receives skip to previous commands from Alexa (Boolean true)

Temperature Control

Inputs

• SETP
  sends the current setpoint to Alexa. Will be interpreted as a value representing degrees Celsius.

• MODE
  sends the current thermostat mode to Alexa (Integer 1 = Heating, 2 = Auto, 3 = Eco, 4 = Off, 5 = Cooling)

• TEMP
  sends the current temperature to Alexa. Will be interpreted as a value representing degrees Celsius.

Outputs

• SETP
  receives setpoints from Alexa in degrees Celsius (Float). If the user says "Alexa make it warmer", the logic element will determine the new setpoint before sending it to this output, if either a temperature value exists at the corresponding input or the user had set an absolute temperature via Alexa some time before.

• MODE
  receives commands to switch the thermostat mode from Alexa (Integer 1 = Heating, 2 = Auto, 3 = Eco, 4 = Off, 5 = Cooling)

Configuration

Category

Choose the category which the device belongs to. At the time of the last update of this documentation (July 2021) Amazon used this information solely to assign a corresponding icon to the device in its own Alexa App. E.g. a light bulb for category lamp, etc.

Features

Alexa will discover one device per logic element »Alexa Device«. This device can support multiple of the features which Amazon defined at the same time, e.g. Binary switch, dimmer, color and color temperature. Select the features here accordingly.
You can specify a dimmer type for the dimmer feature. This does currently in parts influence the voice commands supported for the dimmer (type Brightness for instance). Further differentiations by Amazon might occur in the future.
Media control is only supported for English at the time of the last update of this documentation (July 2021). This might have changed over time.

Options

If you select both "Binary Switch" and "Dimmer", or either "Binary Switch" or "Dimmer" in combination with "Color" or "Color Temperature", you can enable "Smart Switching". This option will automatically operate the switch if deemed necessary, e.g. setting off when receiving dimming value 0, or on if a color command was received while the switch was still off.

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