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Why do I have to specify the room name when using Alexa?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
December 29, 2023
36 replies
1119 views

I found this post from years ago saying that “the room name requirement will go away at some point.” I still need to specify the room name just to turn off the lights in the same room which gets old fast. Is there a solution to this? I got bounced around between Sonos and Amazon support today with no real answer on what the issue is.

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Ken_Griffiths

It’s probably a case that you not only have to setup the Sonos Skill, but also need to set your Sonos speakers to work with Amazon Alexa ‘enabled’ groups and set the group playback options to ‘Always’. See attached Example ‘Kitchen’ group from my own setup.

If you then say "Alexa, play music” to an enabling/controlling device in the first section of the Alexa ‘enabled’ group, any Sonos device in the first & second sections of the group will ‘duck’ their audio to listen to the instruction and Alexa will auto-group the Sonos speakers listed in the third section.. that third section of a Group has playback options, which you need to set to ‘Always’ (see other screenshot attached) and the requested music then plays on the chosen speakers without having to mention the room/group name.

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charlespickAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

How were you able to select it under Alexa enabled devices? When I edit my room/group, only my Echo Pop shows up as an option. The Sonos is just a speaker lower in the list.

Ken_Griffiths

It appears that you’re in the wrong area of the Alexa App - instead of editing the group, select the ‘change’ option next to the speakers section (last section in the group) and scroll past the speaker list until you see the ‘playback options’.

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charlespickAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

I have that already, when I ask alexa to play music on either my echo pop or era 100, it plays on both at the same time. But I can’t use short phrases to control lights on the era. On my Sonos Era 100, I need to specify the room’s name to control lights in the same room. I don’t need to do that on my Echo. This seems to be because the echo is selected under “alexa enabled devices”, which is a specific section of the list when editing a group’s members. You didn’t post a screenshot of your group edit page but from how you have your sonos devices listed under alexa, I’d assume they’d show up under alexa enabled devices on the edit page. My sonos is in the same group as my north bedroom lights, but it shows up lower down and isn’t considered an “Alexa enabled device” for some reason.

Ken_Griffiths

I have that already, when I ask alexa to play music on either my echo pop or era 100, it plays on both at the same time. But I can’t use short phrases to control lights on the era. On my Sonos Era 100, I need to specify the room’s name to control lights in the same room. I don’t need to do that on my Echo. This seems to be because the echo is selected under “alexa enabled devices”, which is a specific section of the list when editing a group’s members. You didn’t post a screenshot of your group edit page but from how you have your sonos devices listed under alexa, I’d assume they’d show up under alexa enabled devices on the edit page. My sonos is in the same group as my north bedroom lights, but it shows up lower down and isn’t considered an “Alexa enabled device” for some reason.

It’s working here for lights or Sonos speakers - here’s another group for example called Lounge (see attached)

“Alexa, switch on the lights” - if said to either the echo dot, Arc, or Move Alexa assistant will switch on the two Hue lights (Jane’s Light/Ken’s Light).

”Alexa, play music” - if said to either the echo dot, Arc, or Move Alexa assistant will group the Sonos speakers I have listed in the third ‘speaker’ section and begin playback.

I don’t need to use the room name in the instruction… Alexa knows I’m using a Lounge (enabling) ‘controlling’ device so the instruction for lights etc. applies to that group only.

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charlespickAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

Yeah, something must be messed up with my Alexa account. I called Sonos support and we totally removed Alexa from Sonos and Sonos from Alexa. Readded them but my Sonos speakers with Alexa still don’t show up under Alexa Devices, only as speakers. Alexa can play music to them but I can’t tell Alexa where it is. Amazon support opened a “ticket” for me but warned me it’ll be a while because engineers are away on vacation. Nice to know it isn’t a fundamental inability of Sonos and I don’t need to return them. I like the ability to add a sub compared to my old HomePod which just died, the new HomePod sucks, and the audio quality on Sonos is much nicer than any of the “native” Echo devices.

Ken_Griffiths

@charlespick

Ah okay, sorry to hear that you have an issue with your Amazon setup. Hope it gets sorted for you soon.

Maybe let us know when it gets sorted.

Happy New Year. 👍

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charlespickAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

Really annoying, Amazon is saying that this is just not how Alexa enabled devices work. Seems dumb because that’s how it works for everyone else I know who has Sonos and Alexa. Really frustrating.

Ken_Griffiths

Really annoying, Amazon is saying that this is just not how Alexa enabled devices work. Seems dumb because that’s how it works for everyone else I know who has Sonos and Alexa. Really frustrating.

Whatever you were told, it isn’t true. It works for me without having to mention the room name and it actually explains that in the App itself under each Alexa group there are the two playback options and next to the options is an explanation. See attached.

Ken_Griffiths

It also explains it here, (see attached) - albeit the example given on this occasion is in relation to smart-lighting, but the same applies to Sonos and presumably Bose speakers too, which are also mentioned alongside Sonos.

As I say, it most certainly works for me … I just say to any group ‘enabling’ Alexa device “Alexa, play some music” and Alexa replies something along the lines of … “Here’s a hand curated playlist - Dance Hits, playing on Sonos”. Alexa immediately auto-groups the speakers in the group and then begins playback on the grouped speakers. I do not have to mention the names of any devices, rooms, or group, as the enabled groups "Playback Options” are set to ‘Always’.

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