Amazon Alexa Support for Sonos announced!!!!!

I was notified that the beta was available and set it up immediately. Set up is quite easy.

It works. I wish Alexa supported Spotify, too...

Soon...

So this is my current scenario: 3 x Sonos 5 (normally in separate rooms except for special occasions), and a number of Dot Echos (currently 2 set up, idea was one for each room in the house, but I'm thinking of selling off some of them, which would be a good deed, since they don't trade in Denmark (yet)).

With HomeSeer I can move the devices freely around (WiFi connected), but, currently, HomeSeer is limited to the following commands for Sonos: Play, Stop, Pause, Prev*), Next*), Shuffle*), Repeat*), Volume Down, Volume Up, Mute, Loudness, Balance Left**), Balance Right**).
😉 = works only when Sonos is playing a playlist, which has to be initiated through the Sonos Controller App
**) = works only when stereo paired

So at the moment I cannot select "Play [playlist | tune | artist] from Spotify", nor "Play [radio station] from TuneIn", only through the Sonos Controller App. Bosnia is right - seems only doable when using an audio cable (bypassing HomeSeer), hence calling for a Echo Dot per Sonos device - plus you can only operate the Sonos via Alexa, if you are in the same room, i.e., using that specific Echo Dot.

Ideally, each Sonos device should have a name recognized by Alexa to enable Alexa commands from any Echo Dot device.

upstatemike is right, too - to trigger the Sonos from elsewhere (other than Echo Dot), you need some kind of controller like HomeSeer. Since I need that for a lot of other purposes, that's fine. The HomeSeer Skill set for Echo Dot/Alexa works just fine - it is actually because of a limitation in the HomeSeer control plug-in for Sonos that I can't do more.

Definitely exiting times to live in!

/Per

Echo Dot works very well with Play 5 ...you can tell play ???? on Spotify ...it works great . This guys just need to implement so it works on your local network so you dont have to hookup Echo to speaker with audio cable.

Even with direct integration between Sonos and Alexa you will still need Homeseer to control non-voice triggers in your setup like muting the music when the phone rings and things like that. Also it is not clear how much support there will be in the direct integration for playing things from your local library. It still might require something like Homeseer to do what you want with that.

The Press Conference stated that both new and previously purchased Sonos devices will work with the Alexa/Echo integration.

These new voice capabilities will be delivered in a software update that will work with new and previously purchased Sonos and Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV. The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017.

Well bridge isn't a player so that wouldn't apply. But it should work same for amp and connect just as stand alone speakers.

Im ready to test ...Yesterday I purchased the Amazon Echo Dot ...
Pick me , pick me.....

@jgatie

>Trying to help at what?

"improve our chances to get in on the private beta", which would help the software guys at Sonos make a better product.

R

Well, I know if I was picking beta candidates, the first guy I pick would the one asking why he should "stick with Sonos while the industry is leaving them behind." He's be the very first in line! :D

I think you might have a "slight misunderstanding" how this beta thing works.

@jgatie

>Bwahahahahaha! So they partner up with someone you previously called their competition and you call it "getting left behind"?
>Seems to me if you are in cahoots with the #1 Voice Control system in the world, you aren't getting left behind when it comes to voice control.

You may have a slight misunderstanding of what partnerships mean in a business context.

No, I assure you I understand. Sonos is leveraging the #1 Voice Control technology in the world instead of doing it in house. That saves them money, and keeps them in the forefront of a technology which is not their specialty. That is anything besides "left behind".

And by the way, Sonos has been a partner of Amazon AWS division for years and years. I suppose that was another case of the "industry leaving them behind" (except it happened way back when before you think they started being left behind)?

@jgatie

>Bwahahahahaha! So they partner up with someone you previously called their competition and you call it "getting left behind"?
>Seems to me if you are in cahoots with the #1 Voice Control system in the world, you aren't getting left behind when it comes to voice control.

You may have a slight misunderstanding of what partnerships mean in a business context.

Can't say I remember where, on here, I actually saw the post. But I thought it was a bad idea and suggested that they should consider partnering up with Amazon.

BTW, Chris.... I'm on YOUR side. ;-)

There was much speculation when the voice control announcement first happened, with some saying they were going to do it in house and others saying partnering up would be the best way. To be fair, a good portion of the former also thought partnering up was a good idea, and used their pre-determination that they were doing it in-house as a pre-emptive bash against Sonos.

In other words, pretty much the way every speculation thread goes.

Sonos never said they were doing their own voice service. If you saw that it was just a forum user speculating had nothing to do with Sonos.

Can't say I remember where, on here, I actually saw the post. But I thought it was a bad idea and suggested that they should consider partnering up with Amazon.

BTW, Chris.... I'm on YOUR side. 😉