Hi, I am a HA newbie and have only just installed my first HA instance. Up to now I have been using Smartthings with some success but certain devices either have no integration or edge drivers or they use complicated fudges to make them work. I am hoping HA will have better integration for certain hardware.
My home is an Amazon Alexa environment with Amazon devices in every room to enable voice control. I have set up certain automations in either the Alexa app or Smartthings for things like irrigation systems and lights so they come on at a set time, however the majority of usage is to turn on lights, tv’s, extract fans etc by voice control. For example if i’m in the bathroom I can ask Alexa to turn on the Hot Water immersion if the water is starting to run cool. Similarly I can send out my lawnmower robot by voice control.
What is the best way to use Alexa with Home Assistant preferably without a subscription, (although the alternative appears to be a very complicated configuration). I read in this 2016 forum post that Alexa Local was available from a script written by Bruce Locke but this was a long time ago and has possibly been superceded or discontinued due to changes made by HA or Amazon.
Ideally I want to use Alexa to make announcements when certain things happen. For example I have configured Alexa and Smartthings to announce a warning on all devices when a smoke alarm is activated. However to do this I have to create virtual switches to expose the Heiman smoke alarms to Alexa.
Similarly I have modified some Aqara door/window sensors with external contacts to detect if a mortice lock is unlocked and would like a routine that announces that “the garden door is unlocked” as a nighttime routine.
Any advice greatly appreciated
I am assuming for the moment I can carry on with the Smartthings integration handling Alexa but I would eventually like to move the devices over to HA
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