Hi, I am currently trying to build smart applications to connect to my Amazon Echo. I am using an Arduino Uno with a ESP8266 -01 wifi module. I have succeeded in connecting the ESP8266 to my home wifi through the arduino serial monitor, however, I am unsure how to proceed. How do I make the Arduino Uno appear on the devices page of the Amazon Alexa app and how will I be able to receive commands from the Amazon Echo? I have already spent hours searching online, but to no avail. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks
You can put the ESP8266 in host mode as well, for a direct connection. Then, assuming the Echo uses regular http GET/POST requests for sending/receiving commands, run a web server on the ESP8266 to handle those requests.
What is the best way to create a web server and how can it be connected to the Amazon Echo?
Web server is built in to the ESP8266; just check out some of the many many tutorials out there on how it works.
I see several different ways to make the web server, but how can I connect the Amazon Echo to this web server?
Point it to the IP address of the ESP web server, and go from there.
Hopefully you can find documentation somewhere on the protocols it uses, otherwise you have to start reverse engineering this. Don't think you can get help on this forum for the Amazon part. Try an Amazon Echo forum, maybe the folk over there know more about how to talk to this device.
I think the Echo API description can be found in the Alexa Skills Kit.
It probably uses some RESTful HTTP API. You could also look into mDNS to advertise services on the local network.
You can find more information on web servers, HTTP and mDNS in my Beginner's guide to the ESP8266.
Pieter