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Contributor II
Nov 24, 2017 11:00 AM UTC
Question

Alexa tells me cameras don't work on this device!

With my Sonos playing I say to Alexa, "Alexa, stop playing in Kitchen"
I almost always get the response "Sorry, cameras do not work on this device"
I then have to say "Alexa, stop kitchen"

Anyone else experiencing anything similar?
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    15 replies

    Contributor I
    Nov 27, 2017 1:13 AM UTC
    Do you have a camera named Kitchen? Had a similar problem in that I had the lights in the Living Room called "Living Room" and when I added Sonos my speakers in the Living Room had that same name. Alexa is easily confused. Couldn't custom name the speakers so I had to change the name of the lights.
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    Contributor II
    Nov 27, 2017 7:34 AM UTC
    I don't have any cameras at all! To avoid the clash I separated names so that the Dot in the Kitchen is called Kitchen Echo and Sonos is just called Kitchen, no cameras though!
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    UKMedia
    Nov 27, 2017 12:46 PM UTC
    I don't have any cameras at all! To avoid the clash I separated names so that the Dot in the Kitchen is called Kitchen Echo and Sonos is just called Kitchen, no cameras though!

    I would recommend that you call your devices 'Room Name + Device name' e.g. Kitchen Sonos, Kitchen Echo Dot, etc, This is so that if Alexa gets interference after it has heard Kitchen only it doesn't get confused. Remember you will need to select 'Discover in the Alexa App>Smart Home>Devices after you changed the device names.
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    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    Trending Lyricist I
    Dec 16, 2017 8:17 PM UTC
    I get the exact same problem when I try to say "Alexa, stop playing in the bedroom". My parents here it when they say "Alexa, stop playing in the kitchen". Sonos email support wasn't very receptive to this, claimed I was the first one they heard from about it.

    I did try to start saying "pause", which seems to work better, but I always get the "cameras" error message when I try to specifically stop playing in a particular room.
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    jgatie
    Dec 16, 2017 10:18 PM UTC
    These types of errors are usually due to two or more Alexa devices with the same name. Check your smart devices in the Alexa app and make sure each has a unique name.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    Dec 17, 2017 12:38 AM UTC
    No duplicate names on any devices in my house. Same at my parents. "Sorry, Cameras don't work on that device" is an error multiple people now have experienced trying to do the same exact thing on Sonos.
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    UKMedia
    Dec 17, 2017 11:36 AM UTC
    Can you check in the Alexa App>Settings>History and confirm that Alexa heard you correctly? Also can you confirm what command you are asking Alexa that gives this reply?

    Here is the supported command syntax:

    https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4343?_ga=2.109795205.1095743978.1506552577-1491669311.1488879254&_gac=1.253526523.1513438473.CjwKCAiApdPRBRAdEiwA84bo36CbdZtg66i3wMcDJKvFD7Xk_0O62ZmsCjpuschVjtghxDfD1ZepUhoC9IcQAvD_BwE
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    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    Trending Lyricist I
    Dec 17, 2017 2:59 PM UTC
    In both my case, and my parents case, the command is "Alexa, stop playing in the ".

    I'll have to see what the history says when I get that error.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    Dec 17, 2017 3:28 PM UTC
    OK, history shows Alexa heard "alexa stop playing in the bedroom". The response? "Sorry, cameras don't work on this device". Completely nonsensical. I have multiple sonos rooms grouped. When I ask to just "Stop", she'll always ask me if I mean "kitchen or television"? Even though the TV is off. It's like the group coordinator is changing each time I ask.
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    UKMedia
    Dec 17, 2017 3:33 PM UTC
    In both my case, and my parents case, the command is "Alexa, stop playing in the ".

    I'll have to see what the history says when I get that error.


    Is this on an Echo Dot or Sonos One?
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    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)