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Alexa-Enabled Groups now work with Insteon

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    Alexa-Enabled Groups now work with Insteon

    This should probably go in announcements or a specific Alexa sub-forum but since I can't post to announcements and there isn't an Alexa specific sub-forum, I'm posting it here.

    Amazon recently enabled functionality to change the device type of an Insteon switch in the Alexa app.

    What does this mean? Insteon switches are given the device type of "Switch". This is fine except that there is a feature called Alexa-enabled groups that would allow you turn lights on and off simply by saying "Alexa, turn on the lights" and Alexa would turn on all the lights in the Alexa-enabled group that contains the Echo you are speaking to. Unfortunately, this didn't work with Insteon switches because their device type was switch and it only works with devices that are designated as "Light". With this new update, you can change the device type from switch to light and now Alexa-enabled groups work!

    If you'd like a few more details, I blogged about it here.
    Proud tinkerer with Insteon Hub, Switches, Dimmers, Fanlincs, etc. Plus some Amazon Echos to make things more fun!
    I blog about smart home stuff too!

    #2
    "It's the little things that make a big difference."

    The closing line to your blog post is spot on! I'm glad things are working well.

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      #3
      This is a nice addition. I also noticed that Insteon scenes finally show up in the Alexa app under Scenes. I don't know when this happened, but it may have been part of the latest Insteon update. I use scenes heavily to keep switches and keypads in sync. I have very few lights that don't "require" a scene to keep in sync. Unfortunately, it's not possible to include those scenes in these room-centric commands. Well, I have them in the same group, but they don't get triggered the way that lights do when you say "turn on the lights" or "turn on the office."

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        #4
        This is really nice. Combine the Insteon skill with Alexa to experience the ultimate convenience of voice controlled lighting across your home. You can turn on/off lights, set a specific brightness level, and activate scenes using voice commands .Insteon hub is must to control Insteon devices.

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          #5
          Cannot get Echo Show to detect my Hub or Insteon devices; do can’t know if I am experiencing any of the command difficulties posted here. Any advice?
          HUB II 2245-222
          HouseLink V. 2.10.35
          Devices: iPad, iPhone 8, 43 Insteon Devices installed
          Comcast Internet
          Windows 10

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