Create a virtual Dimmer or light template for Alexa

Configuration
10

Hi I’m looking at doing something similar but for exposure to Nodered instead of Alexa.

The above works fine, it gives me a lightbulb in the GUI and the toggle switch and when switching on and off it changes colour in the GUI and NodeRed gets the values. So on/off works perfect.

What I was actually hoping to achieve was getting a dummy light in the GUI that I can also dim. So it’s not just on/off but also a slider to set value between 0-255 or 0-100.

Can anyone help in how I turn the below which gives a light bulb passing on on/off into a light that passes on on/off and %

I expected the set_level line to take care of that but for some reason it doesn’t.

My config is

# Test light
light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      hallway_lights:
        friendly_name: "Licht gang"
        turn_on:
          #
        turn_off:
          #
        set_level:
11

I have no issue, passing dim levels from Alexa.

in HA GUI can you change the dummy switch dim levels ?

12

No it just shows up as a light bulb in the GUI with a toggle switch next to it. So currently can’t enter the level in the GUI.

So I would like this dummy switch to show up as a slider in the GUI, so I can enter the % or brightness in the GUI.

13

Strange here is my entry

image
image1375×1080 82.1 KB

Using a config very similar to yours

14

@lonebaggie thanks my mistake. It indeed works. I was looking for the slider in the front end

15

Ok @lonebaggie , I already had the virtual light template as I mentioned in the other thread. But I had limited the emulated_hue to just scripts like this:

emulated_hue:
  type: alexa
  expose_by_default: true
  exposed_domains:
    - script
  entities:
    light.alexa_virtual:
      name: "Alexa Virtual Light"

I saw only 2 of my scripts which worked fine from Alexa. It did not find the Alexa Virtual light.

I then tried using the emulated_hue as above with just the one entity listed and Alexa found every HA device I had plus scripts and automations - 43 new devices! All of them were emulated hue lights and contained duplicates of devices I had already plus the Alexa Virtual Light. So I had to delete them all from Alexa App and change my config to:

emulated_hue:
  exposed_domains:
    - script
  entities:
    light.alexa_virtual:
      name: "Alexa Virtual Light"

and only the scripts are exposed again.

So after looking at the emulated hue thread here I found that I had to explicitly declare hidden: false, like this:

emulated_hue:
  expose_by_default: false
  entities:
    light.alexa_virtual:
      name: "Alexa Virtual Light"
      hidden: false

to finally get just the light to be seen by Alexa.

Thanks for all the help and I hope this helps others find their way.

1 Like
16

Trouble with HUE Emulated Lights in Hassio 98.5 anyone?

My Emulated hue was working great as mentioned above until I had to rebuild my system. I used the latest version at the time 2.12 (Hassio 98.5). Funny thing is that

  1. my Alexa app now says “device doesn’t support requested data”
  2. I can see the brightness value change in HA using the “States” page. But,…
  3. when Alexa sets it to 1% brightness, HA States show it to be 4
  4. Alexa shows a status of “device malfunction”

My Configuration.yaml looks like this (used to work):

mulated_hue:
 # type: alexa
  host_ip: 192.168.0.xxx
  listen_port: 80
  expose_by_default: false
  exposed_domains:
 #  - light
  entities:
    light.alexa_virtual:
      name: "Alexa Virtual Light"
      hidden: false

I don’t know why it broke and I hope someone can help me get it going again.

Thanks for any help.

17

Hi there,

I’m thinking about doing the opposite of what the OP did. I have a ton of input_booleans in HA that I use to trigger infrared transmissions in Node-RED using node-red-contrib-broadlink-control.

Does anyone know a way to encode these input_booleans in groups of 16 inside words (or 8/byte) and expose those words/bytes to Node-RED for later decoding?

Thanks.

18

Maybe input_number with set_value service?

19

Hi all,

Following the steps that you all said here, I created this:

light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      theater_lights:
        friendly_name: "Alexa Lux Sim Entrada"
        turn_on:
          service: script.theater_lights_on
        turn_off:
          service: script.theater_lights_off
        


emulated_hue:
  entities:
    light.alexa_virtual:
      name: "Alexa Lux Sim Entrada"

HO assistant finds it, but Alexa is not finding it. Can you help me?

Also, when trying to turn it on I find the following error “Failed to call service light/turn_on. Unable to find service script/theater_lights_on”

Thanks in advance!

20

You have created a different light template . For Emulated Hue to see that light you need to expose

emulated_hue:
  entities:
    light.theater_lights:
      name: "theater_lights"

edit your service to call the script is wrong, you need an entity id

service: script.turn_on
data:
  entity_id: script.theater_lights_on
21

Hi,

Sorry, I’m very new on this and trying to understand this codes.

so in configuration.yaml I have to do:

light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      alexa_virtual:
        friendly_name: "Dummy light"
        turn_on:
            service: script.turn_on
            data:
            entity_id: script.dummy_ligh_on  
        turn_off:
            service: script.turn_off
            data:
            entity_id: script.dummy_ligh_off
        


emulated_hue:
  entities:
    light.dummy_light:
      name: "Dummy light"

If not, I don’t understand in what file the first part of the code has to go.

The part from emulated_hue I imagine that is inside configuration.yaml

The edit the call scrip, I imagine that other than to add this ligts, I have to create a script that has to turn on the device on, correct?

Sorry again, too new and never coded a lot.

Thanks in advance!

22

Baby steps :slight_smile:

What are you trying to do ?

23

hahahha, yes, thanks and sorry.

So as said in the other post, I have 2 Tuya door sensor that they are not accessed in Smart Life app from HA, and I’m unable to find their IP, as they connect only for 1 second when door opens and closes, so manual IP configuration for them it’s imposible. The workaround that I found is, as Alexa recognize it, is to have a smartplug to be turned on when the door is open. The issue of this system is that I have to have a smart plug (well, two as they are two sensors) only used of this.

The idea, to solve this issue, is to have a virtual small plug/light/other device that Alexa con turn on and so HA will recognize it. This is usefull for a Home Made alarm system.

So following yout steps, I created a light, but of course I’m doing something bad, because the virtua light is not turning on and off and neither Alexa finds it. The current configuration is the one that I added in the previous post.
I have several Alexa, a Nest Mini and a Hue Bridge with some lights.

Thanks in advance for your help.

24

OK . small steps .First you have to get Emulated hue , or Nabu Casa working. see

You must able to get a device from HA to be recognised by Alexa , otherwise you have nothing to trigger.

Once you have a device from HA in Alexa . You can create a routine in Alexa that when the motion detector is activated you get alexa to trigger that HA device (switch, bulb , script , etc). That’s the idea for the virtual bulb its just a trigger for HA to react too.

Your trying to do everything in one step

25

Hi,

Thanks for this links. I managed to create following the instructions the virtual light, but I have 2 problems now with it.

Problem 1: It duplicated all the lights, don’t know if you know a way to undo this and only to have the new lights.
Problem 2: HA and Alexa are unable to turn on and off the light created that I named “Alexa Luz Sim Entrada”. Here I think the issue is #Luz Falsa# that script “script.theater_lights_on” doesn’t exist in my HA, but when creating it, I don’t know what to do with or activate.

If you can help, (another time) I really apreciate it a lot.

This is the code that I used:

#### Fake Hue ###

emulated_hue:
  listen_port: 80
  off_maps_to_on_domains:
    - script
    - scene
  expose_by_default: true
  exposed_domains:
    - light
  entities:
    light.sensor_entrada_light:
      name: "Alexa Luz Sim Entrada"

#### En Fake Hue ####

#Luz Falsa#

light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      theater_lights:
        friendly_name: "Alexa Luz Sim Entrada"
        turn_on:
          service: script.theater_lights_on
        turn_off:
          service: script.theater_lights_off
        
#End Luz Falsa
26

I think you have exposed all the lights to Alexa.

Remove

expose_by_default: true
exposed_domains:
- light

Then login into Alexa via the web and forget all and redicover

If the light scripts are not working In HA, then you will need to raise another thread , I dont think you need a virtual bulb :slight_smile:

27

Hi,

Thanks again for the reply. So I’ll remove that and manually delete it.

The script " script.theater_lights_on" I have not created anything, only added that commanad. You think that a script inside HA with the same name has to be created?

If not, I’ll raise a thread with it. Thanks again (a 1000) for your help!

Regards,

28

Hi solved!

If I removed the "expose_by_default: true" it will cause that all the devices are detected. So I keep it. Manually I can remove the other devices, but they do not disturb right now, also if they are duplicated. The expose to false maybe I can do it once I want to add more lights or things to HUE, or if removing the rest and doing a future manual check.

To solve the issue with the light on/off I removed the script part and is working, so I left it as:

light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      theater_lights:
        friendly_name: "Alexa Sensor Sim Entrada"
        turn_on:
        turn_off:

With the Alexa automatio now what I wanted is working perfectly (other that the 20 extra devices :smiley: )

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Regards,

1 Like
29

Hi all,

Just had another issue after one of the last updates, and the turn_on and turn_off gives an error “Inccorct type. Expected “object””. But I’m unable how to solve it.

light:
  - platform: template
    lights:
      theater_lights:
        friendly_name: "Alexa Sensor Sim Entrada"
        turn_on: *Here is the error code*
        turn_off: *Here is the error code*

Any ideas?