Keep ha dashboard open on newer echo show 15 without sideloading anything

Since amazon has blocked the apps needed to accomplish this on newer firmwares I will tell you how i have gotten a newer echo show 15 to keep my ha dashboard open, mostly all the time. I think its easier as well.

  1. You need to create a virtual switch, input_boolean.silk for example that you can then discover in alexa. Either nabu casa or other worka arounds like emulated hue.

  2. Then you create an automation to turn it off and back on every 10 minutes or less.

  3. Then you can create a routine in Alexa that everytime the switch turns on it runs a custom action with the words “return to silk”.
    Or
    follow this Dashboard skill to create a skill then the routine should say “Open dashboard view.” (all credt to the author) More work but cleaner and always opens the right ip address.

  4. Load silk manually and navigate to your homepage, log in. Check stay logged in box. then start your automation. I’d imagine you could do the same thing with motion detection as a trigger.

Automation example:

alias: "Echo show dash "
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: time_pattern // or use motion if you want
    minutes: /10
condition:
  - condition: time
    after: "07:00:00"
    before: "20:00:00"
    weekday:
      - sat
      - fri
      - thu
      - wed
      - tue
      - mon
      - sun
action:
  - service: input_boolean.turn_off
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 2
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: input_boolean.turn_on
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
mode: single

Alexa routine example uploaded pic

my echo show 15 dash https://imgur.com/a/s0SnPr3

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Thanks for another solution :slight_smile:

Hey, just found this via google search after buying an Echo Show 15. Trying to permanently display my DAKboard on this thing…I can’t get rid of the nav bar in Silk, though. Any pointers?

As far as I know that nut hasn’t been cracked.

Got it, thanks. For now I just set up a routine to launch silk, open the DAK url using the “mypage” custom skill when I either A) ask to open my calendar or B) it detects motion. It isn’t great with B, but I was able to set the thing to only ever show Amazon photos when it switches out of Silk, and I gotta say a combination calendar dashboard / photo frame works for me :slight_smile:

That’s cool do share how you got it to do photos only.

I don’t care about motion because I have my ha dash on all the time except over night.

Excuse the mess but I’m not even it the same room and there it is.

@Littlejoe
I managed to setup the boolean, create the automation, discovered boolean it in Alexa, but get stuck in setting up the routine.
I’m not able to find in WHEN: “alexasilk opens”. I can only select from a predefined list that the routine wizard gives me.

Any thoughts?

Alexasiilk is just what I called it. Did you expose it in ha to skexa? Did alexa discover it.? The on routine when - smart home- choose alexasilk


1 Like

Yes I also called it alexasilk in HA. Alexa discovered the boolean and the toggle in Alexa interacts with the toggle of input_boolean.alexasilk, so that all seems to work fine. But then setting up the routine in Alexa, how did you do it?




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Thanks @Littlejoe so the problem is, I don’t see alexasilk as an option when selecting SMART HOMEm, like you do. Is there anything specific I need to select for the alexasilk HELPER in HA in order to make sure that Alexa discovers it in the right way?

Do you use naba casa? If not then you’ll have to use a workaround that more complex. They are mentioned here. Home assistant and Alexa without Nabu Casa (and AWS if possible) One uses node red and a 3rd party persons site. The other uses alexa skills. I just paid for nabu casa. For the voice assistant integration. Sorry

once silk is open on the Echo Show how did you start the automation?

The automation is set in ha and runs evey 10 minutes. It turns off input_boolean.alexaselk then back on

action:
  - service: input_boolean.turn_off
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 2
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: input_boolean.turn_on
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
mode: single

thank you, I think I may have got this to run

Thank you for the video, it helped

I’ve tried this method and it works, the only problem is the Echo Show makes a bit of a beeping noise every time the automation runs. Even if I set the volume to 0, it turns it back to 1 notch of volume when alexa needs to respond to the command. Anyone have a workaround for this?

Are you using the dashboard skill?

No, haven’t set that up yet. Currently just telling alexa to return to silk. Does using the dashboard skill fix this?

Yes. It’s better