Apex now speaks via Alexa and SmartThings

[JWGarber]

Previously I had integrated my apex with SmartThings and Alexa voice control. Now this lets me easily turn on and off items in my apex.

Alexa now supports running routines and when using a contact sensor it lets you do custom announcements and routines upon open or close. I always wanted my apex to speak through my echo/dot devices and this update made it possible.

So I integrated my BoB float switches and apex alarms into alexa this week.

So now if a alarm goes off alexa screams at us through every echo or dot device in the house and can also turn on/off devices on the apex.

Kind of nice to have an announcement when the ATO is filling or a high float, flood sensor, or alike is tripped.

As example. If my stand flood sensors detect water, the apex alarm goes off which makes apex shut off certain equipment then it tells alexa as well which triggers the announcement through the houses echo/dot devices that an alarm has tripped on the tank. This routine also sends its own commands to the apex to shutdown equipment. I also have zwave equipment it can control.

So all in all it's a pretty heavily automated system and now it has verbal announcements. It also turns on/off certain house items like lights and such to visually alert us to a tank issue.

Like we sleep with a bedroom fan running. If the tank hits an alarm, alexa not only screams at us via the bedroom echo, it also flips our fan off. If the echo doesn't wake me, you better believe my fan turning off will LOL

Just wanted to share my latest accomplishments with my home automation integration with my apex unit. I think it's a pretty cool setup.

 

[Scott07]

That's awesome!!! I thought about this too when we got our echo, but I stopped at: "hey Alexa, can you talk to my apex?"....... scilence........ guess not lol.

Seriously very cool.

 

[NikonN8]

Okay, I'm impressed. Talk about a nice, useful feature (pun intended)

 

[journeyman]

I found a smartphone handler for the Apex. It's really cool because everything connected to the Apex is integrated with Alexa. So I can just say, "Alexa turn on feed mode" for example.

Also, you can then link other smart plugs to the Apex via smart things. So I have a smart things leak sensor on the floor and it will turn off my pumps if it detects water.

I also made a $10 smart float switch by sticking a contact sensor in an empty water bottle in my sump. That was just fun to make and I use it as a redundant backup.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[smatter]

Alexa, play Turn Out the Lights by Willie Nelson... Tank goes dark.

 

[JWGarber]

I found a smartphone handler for the Apex. It's really cool because everything connected to the Apex is integrated with Alexa. So I can just say, "Alexa turn on feed mode" for example.

Also, you can then link other smart plugs to the Apex via smart things. So I have a smart things leak sensor on the floor and it will turn off my pumps if it detects water.

I also made a $10 smart float switch by sticking a contact sensor in an empty water bottle in my sump. That was just fun to make and I use it as a redundant backup.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I have a similar setup on mine with the water sensors...

I have a Fibaro Zwave sensor that is physically wired to the BoB but I also have a Zwave water sensor that is just connected to the SmartThings.

So in the event of water in the stand, something, somewhere is getting alerted. Either Apex directly via BoB or indirectly through SmartThings.

I custom designed/programmed my own SmartThings Device Handlers and App for my Apex integration. What smartphone app are you talking about? I am curious.

 

[journeyman]

I have a similar setup on mine with the water sensors...

I have a Fibaro Zwave sensor that is physically wired to the BoB but I also have a Zwave water sensor that is just connected to the SmartThings.

So in the event of water in the stand, something, somewhere is getting alerted. Either Apex directly via BoB or indirectly through SmartThings.

I custom designed/programmed my own SmartThings Device Handlers and App for my Apex integration. What smartphone app are you talking about? I am curious.

Sorry. Auto correct on my phone. It should have said smart things handler.

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[JWGarber]

Sorry. Auto correct on my phone. It should have said smart things handler.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Got ya, I saw some older handler on the SmartThings Forums and I have seen tons of posts on Neptune and SmartThings forums about integration.

I thought I read somewhere that Neptune Systems forbid third-party integrations in their TOS. So I never released my handlers/app. Didn't feel like dealing with them if they got angry at me.

 

[Wonton Soup]

I still know very little about the Echo or similar devices but can you change it so that you don't have to say "Alexa" or "okay Google"?

I just want to say "Computer, (say command)" That's all I want. Can I change the name to just "Computer"? It's the most SciFi way to call out to your smart home system and until I can change that setting I'm just not into it.

 

[hkgar]

I still know very little about the Echo or similar devices but can you change it so that you don't have to say "Alexa" or "okay Google"?

I just want to say "Computer, (say command)" That's all I want. Can I change the name to just "Computer"? It's the most SciFi way to call out to your smart home system and until I can change that setting I'm just not into it.

Yes you can.

https://www.rd.com/culture/how-to-change-alexas-name/

 

[JWGarber]

Yes you can.

https://www.rd.com/culture/how-to-change-alexas-name/

I had set some of mine to "Computer" like Star Trek lol but the TV kept triggering it.

You know how often Picard says "Computer" on TNG!!

I ended up setting all of ours back to "Alexa"

 

[homer1475]

I just bought an Alexa(echo dot) on sale for 19.99$. I had read about alexa being able to record test measurements in apex, but had no idea it could do other things.



Is this a skill it can learn, or do I need "other things" for it to be able to do for example, "Alexa turn on feed mode A"?

 

[journeyman]

I just bought an Alexa(echo dot) on sale for 19.99$. I had read about alexa being able to record test measurements in apex, but had no idea it could do other things.



Is this a skill it can learn, or do I need "other things" for it to be able to do for example, "Alexa turn on feed mode A"?

So I have mine linked to a smart things hub, which is then linked to Alexa. So I can say"Alexa turn on feed mode a" and it will work.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[JWGarber]

I just bought an Alexa(echo dot) on sale for 19.99$. I had read about alexa being able to record test measurements in apex, but had no idea it could do other things.



Is this a skill it can learn, or do I need "other things" for it to be able to do for example, "Alexa turn on feed mode A"?

I think what you read is part of Neptunes integration to Alexa with the new edition of Apex controllers. So if you have a new controller and Alexa I think you can download their skill.

The Apex Classic like I have requires custom work.

So my integration flows as follows

Apex --> SmartThings --> Alexa
Apex is tied to SmartThings using custom device handler and smart app
SmartThings devices are controllable via Alexa already.

So essentially I made SmartThings view Apex outlets, probes, switches etc. as Smart Devices. Thus giving Alexa full control as well.

 

[JWGarber]

Looks like Journeyman got his reply in before me... Same exact setup. Apex --> SmartThings --> Alexa

 

[JWGarber]

Funnily enough today as I am sitting at work my cell-phone and email exploded with alerts from Apex that the alarm was going off.

I immediately called the wife and she said Alexa just yelled at me through every device upstairs that there is an alarm at the tank, run check it right now.

I was already checking remotely and could see the DT sensor tripped. Meaning water got too high in my DT.

She said, yea there is a turbo snail hanging from the white float sensor.
Removed snail, reset alarms, the tank went right back to normal functions.

So the system worked like a charm. If the DT had really been too high, this would have saved me from flooding the floor. The sump also shuts down ATO functions so water drainage back to sump would hold as well. No flood from DT, no flood from sump. Internal DT pumps still moving and backup heater in DT to keep heat. So if I was not home or out of town and this tripped, the tank would still live without issues. Sump is just disconnected.

Wife was home, so she was able to easily confirm nothing major this time.

 

[FullBoreReefer]

Great, now I’ll have 6 more women(Alexa) yelling at me. I’ll stick to my text alerts and display module/tablet.

 

[homer1475]

I have the option for voice in my older apex, so I think it might work with either apex.



When my Alexa shows up today, I'll find out.



Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[JWGarber]

Great, now I'll have 6 more women(Alexa) yelling at me. I'll stick to my text alerts and display module/tablet.

The biggest advantage of it is when you're asleep. Makes it easier to be darn sure you wake up LOL.

I have the option for voice in my older apex, so I think it might work with either apex.



When my Alexa shows up today, I'll find out.



Thanks. :thumbsup:

Where do you see a "Voice" option in your Apex Classic? What Firmware is yours on?

 

[JWGarber]

I have the option for voice in my older apex, so I think it might work with either apex.



When my Alexa shows up today, I'll find out.



Thanks. :thumbsup:

I found it here...

https://forum.neptunesystems.com/showthread.php?24464-Amazon-Alexa-Integration-with-APEX-Fusion-FAQ

I will read more into it today. I am curious to see what else it supports.