How diffcult is it to interface Arduino with Alexa?

Projects & Topics Home Automation and Networked Objects
#1

Anyone tried connecting an Arduino to Alexa?

I have a couple of gates in my yard and I would like to be notified if they were left open. If I mount a switch on the gate and have an Arduino chick the state of the switch I can know if it was left open of if it’s closed.

If the gate is left opne at the end of the day, (at say 7:00) I’m wondeing if the gate left open can be sent to Alexa? Or if Alexa has a way of polling Arduino at a specified time, (say 7:00pm).

If the gate is open I want Alexa to yell at me to let me know one of the gate or even better specifically which gate was left open.

Is this possible?

#2

It can be done but with difficulty. You would first have to write an Alexa Skill utilising Alexa Alert Event then integrate it to WiFi for intenet connection, say using a NodeMCU module.

You can get feedback from a switch via Alexa at the moment using the NodeMCU but this is a one event item.

i.e. 'Gates Open' when gates are opened and vice versa

I do similar one time events plus other things using Sinric service. Not a beginners project though.

#3

I haven't done it yet but Alexa gadgets look like another possibility; local hardware can connect to your Alexa hardware via bluetooth.

#4

Thanks.

Let me see if I can solve this another/simpler way. What if the I had the Arduino read a switch state at a specific time and send an email or text. Does Alexa have the ability to respond do actions in response to an email or text message? Or would all of this be involved/ advanced project?

#5

Is it just the voice announcement you are after?

If so then consider using a recording module. You can record your alert once to setup. Then that alert can be played at say 7pm if the state of the gate is open. Times etc available from RTC.

Needs Arduino. a RTC module, ISD1820 Record /Playback Module

Probably intermediate beginner level.

#6

That’s an interesting approach, never thought of that. Issue I see is the gates are attached a to Mega that’s in my basement. I would want the notification to be in the kitchen and bedroom.

Was hoping to integrate with Alexa to have one less thing.

The more I think about this I think the email to SMS notification would be best. I almost always have have my iPhone or an iPad with me, and both receive SMS messages and email.

Havent’ reasearched it, but isn’t getting an Arduino to send an email fairly easy to do?

The more I think about using email to SMS messaging there are many more applications I can think of.

This was really helpful, thank you.

#7

I didn't find "the perfect" page when I went looking, but I would bet that there's a way to use IFTTT with your Alexa...

You'd use an Arduino to "talk to" the IFTTT computer, and then that would, as a result of the "gate open" message from the Arduino, to get Alexa do Do Something.

For the first part...

http://sheepdogguides.com/arduino/art4ifttt.htm

#8

tkbyd: I didn't find "the perfect" page when I went looking, but I would bet that there's a way to use IFTTT with your Alexa...

You'd use an Arduino to "talk to" the IFTTT computer, and then that would, as a result of the "gate open" message from the Arduino, to get Alexa do Do Something.

For the first part...

http://sheepdogguides.com/arduino/art4ifttt.htm

Brilliant! Going to give this a look.

#9

I did it using a third party web service called sinric. Sinric gives you a uid for a device with a label which you use to call the devices attention, then a while loop checks to see if that device got triggered. You have to have an api key but the whole thing is free. Not good if you dont like dependencies but it's very reliable.