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Alexa Routine Volume control

  • January 4, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 2745 views
J
Hi,

Good to know Alexa routines can now interact with preferred speakers in sonos groups, great work Sonos.

However rather than using Music in the Alexa routine to play music via Sonos I’d like to control the volume (and other things) - however Sonos isn’t available as a device in Alexa routines, is this being planned?

For now I’ve got a Yonomi routine which Alexa can call in its routine (via the Yonomi scene) however as Yonomi Sonos integration requires a local device running the Yonomi app it’s a bit flakey. Any suggestions on how to make this work better? Stringify doesn’t work in the UK to do this, and I don’t think IFTTT can be triggered from an Alexa routine?

Thanks!

Best answer by UKMedia

Hi

The only way I've managed to get something like this to work is but setting an Activity in a Harmony Hub with the following steps:

1/ Open the Harmony Hub App>Harmony Setup;
2/ Add your Sonos players as devices;
2/ Next create an Activity - Named 'Group Sonos';
3/ Add your required Devices to the Activity;
4/ Disable the Harmony skill in the Alexa App and then Re-Enable. During this process you have the ability to define 'Friendly Names' - there doesn't seem to be a way of doing this any other way. I created 'Group Sonos' and 'Sonos Everywhere' as friendly names;
5/ Save the Activity in the Harmony Hub App;
6/ Ask 'Alexa, Discover devices'.

You also have the ability to set the volume of Sonos devices.
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    4 replies

    UKMedia
    • UKMedia
    • Answer
    • January 4, 2019
    Hi

    The only way I've managed to get something like this to work is but setting an Activity in a Harmony Hub with the following steps:

    1/ Open the Harmony Hub App>Harmony Setup;
    2/ Add your Sonos players as devices;
    2/ Next create an Activity - Named 'Group Sonos';
    3/ Add your required Devices to the Activity;
    4/ Disable the Harmony skill in the Alexa App and then Re-Enable. During this process you have the ability to define 'Friendly Names' - there doesn't seem to be a way of doing this any other way. I created 'Group Sonos' and 'Sonos Everywhere' as friendly names;
    5/ Save the Activity in the Harmony Hub App;
    6/ Ask 'Alexa, Discover devices'.

    You also have the ability to set the volume of Sonos devices.
    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    J
    Thanks, does this method need a harmony hub or can the harmony app work without a hub?
    UKMedia
    • UKMedia
    • January 4, 2019
    Good question, I'm not sure to be honest.
    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    HvLee
    Forum|alt.badge.img+1
    • HvLee
    • Collaborator I
    • January 4, 2019

    For now I’ve got a Yonomi routine which Alexa can call in its routine (via the Yonomi scene) however as Yonomi Sonos integration requires a local device running the Yonomi app it’s a bit flakey.

    Thanks for reminding me about Yonomi, I had the same question (volume control through Alexa routine) and Yonomi fixed this for me. With the skill enabled I only need the app to create the scene, it does need to be running, double checked to be sure.

    Note; before Yonomi I could set the volume of the preferred Sonos speaker with the device setting volume, as long as they are combined in one group with the Echo. But that will also lower Alexa's voice. Anyway, Yonomi did the trick for me.
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