Creating Groups with Alexa (Smart Home Series, Part 8)

Make Your Smart Devices Work Together
by Creating Alexa Groups

Control Devices Made by Different Manufacturers
with a Single Voice Command

  

This is Part 8 in a series about building an Alexa compatible Smart Home, and about learning to use the Alexa App.  Previous articles focused on setting up and using Alexa, as well as setting up a Smart Plug and a Smart Lighting System.  You can find Part 1 of this series here, as well as links to all 7 previous chapters in the Sidebar.

Today we're going to discuss something we've touched upon in previous articles: setting up Groups in Alexa. Setting up groups allows you to control various Smart Devices with a single Alexa command.

What is an Alexa Group?

 A Group is merely a collection of devices, gathered together, so you can control all at once.  We briefly touched on Groups in Part 1 of this series, in the section called "How Does the Echo Help with Your Smart Home?"  As noted then, each Smart Device comes with its own app that you typically need to use to set-up the device. Without the help of Alexa, you'd also need to use the app to control the device. This is all well and good when you have only Smart Devices from a single manufacturer, AND if you do not want to control things with your voice. But what if you have some Smart Light Bulbs, like a few Hue Lights, and other lights on Smart Outlets, like the WeMo? Do you really want to have to open a few different apps just to turn on your lights?  Setting up Alexa groups eliminates the need to do that.

A group is simply a set of devices and/or scenes, saved under a specified name. It is very similar to the concept of "rooms" used by the Hue Lighting System, except it's a thousand times more flexible. A group can consist of one or more device.  You may then activate the device or devices with a single command word.

For example, I have Hue Bulbs in both my bedroom and office. Both these rooms are on my top floor. I also have bedside lights controlled by a WeMo Smart Outlet.  I have all of these lights in a group called "Upstairs."  I can turn them all on by saying "Alexa, turn on Upstairs." Without this grouping, I'd have to say "Alexa, turn on Bedroom" to turn on the Hue Light in the bedroom, "Alexa, turn on Office," to turn on the Hue Light in the Office, and "Alexa, turn on Bedside," to turn on the bedside WeMo. Because I have all 3 lights in a group called "Upstairs," instead I can just say "Alexa, turn on Upstairs," and she turns on all 3 lights.

So Alexa allows me to place items from different rooms and  manufacturers into "groups" for easy control, as well as adding voice control capabilities to those devices.  It allows me to control sets of devices without having to open several apps. I can also add "Scenes" from the device's own app into an Alexa Group.  I can then access all those things at once, merely by commanding Alexa with the name of that group. Grouping can take a half dozen different commands, and unite them into a single word.

How Do I Set Up an Alexa Group?

You use the Alexa App to set up your Alexa Groups, of course. You can set up groups using either the ios (Apple) app, the android app, the Fire Tablet app, or the browser-based Alexa Web Portal. Before diving in, you need to make sure you have all of your apps and devices linked and prepared. So it's best to check those things first, and then you can go on and get grouping.

Preliminary Steps:

 

If you want to do anything "fancy," beyond simply turning something off and on, you'll need to create the appropriate "scene" in your Smart Device's app first.  (Scenes will be important when we talk about adding voice control to your TV.  We have only talked about "Scenes" in relation to the Hue System thus far; WeMo Outlets are not capable of creating "Scenes" at the time of this writing.  Only Gen 2 or later Hue Hubs are capable of creating Alexa Scenes. If you have a Gen 1 Hub, your Scenes will NOT appear in the Alexa app's menu.)  For now, just be aware that Scenes must be created in the device's app, rather than from within the Alexa app. Whenever you create a new scene, you must re-run device discovery to add that scene to the Alexa app. (Either ask Alexa to "Discover my devices," or press the "Discover" button at the bottom of the "Scenes" submenu within the Alexa app.)

To set up an Alexa Group, first tap on the Hamburger Menu, then tap "Smart Home." If you are using the Web Portal, click "Smart Home" in the left navigation panel.  This screen has 4 submenus: Groups, Devices, Scenes, and Configure Smart Home Skills.  Under the Configure Smart Home Skills heading is a submenu that will list the number of Smart Home skills you currently have enabled. If you tap on the arrow (>) character, you will be brought to a screen that lists those specific skills. 

Check Your "Skills"

If your Smart Device needs a skill for Alexa compatibility, you must enable it FIRST, BEFORE trying to include the device in a Group. So before configuring your Groups, open the Skills tab to ensure your device's Skill is listed there. If it is not, tap on the "Enable Skills" section to add it.  (This will take you to the "Skills Store," where you can search for your skill and enable it.)  If your device has its own app for configuration, and most do, you'll probably need to "link" that app to Alexa when you enable the skill.  This means Alexa will need you to log into that app through her interface. You'll need to have the appropriate username and password handy.

Also note that this section just lists the Smart Home Skills you have enabled. It does not list ALL enabled Alexa skills. You will not find your News, cooking, games, or other type of skills here. Fun and informative skills are listed in the "Your Skills" submenu of the "Skills" tab.   Chances are, you enabled the appropriate skill when you first linked your device to Alexa. You should not have to do it twice. However, if a Smart Home skill is missing from this Skills section, your scenes and devices will not appear in the associated submenus.

Remember to rerun Device Discovery any time you enable a new Smart Home Skill, as well as whenever you add a new device or scene. You will not be able to use a skill, device, or scene with Alexa until she has "discovered" it.  That step grants Alexa the permissions she needs to actually control your device.

Once you've ensured the appropriate skills are enabled, hit your back button. This will return you to the "Smart Home" screen.

Check your "Devices"

Likewise, you need to check to ensure the devices you want to group are listed on your "Devices" screen.  From the "Smart Home" screen, tap on "Devices" to open the submenu. You should see a list of ALL your Smart Devices here. The screenshot shows my "Devices" submenu on the Web Portal. (As you can see, I have 7 Alexa Compatible Smart Devices at the moment. ) The devices are listed by name. (You can use the "Sort" function in the upper right corner to sort devices by newest, oldest, or by name. Mine are sorted by name.)  Under the name, you'll see the device type listed. This should correspond exactly with the naming conventions you used during set-up. You'll notice that, other than in the caption, Alexa does not distinguish who makes a device. All devices can be found here, regardless of who makes them. Alexa cares about who you are, not where you're from.

If a configured device is missing from this list, tap (or click) the "Discover" button. Alexa will run device discovery, and you should see your device added to the list.  When you've ensured your devices are paired correctly, use your back button to return to the "Smart Home" tab.

If Alexa fails to connect to your device, ensure it is, in fact, Alexa compatible. Reboot your router, Alexa, your Echo, and the device, then run Discovery again.  Ensure "remote control" is enabled in the device's app.  If Alexa still fails to connect with your device, contact the device manufacturer for troubleshooting information.

Check your "Scenes"

Finally, we're going to check to ensure any "Scenes" we want to use with Alexa are available.  Again, you may or may not have a Smart Home Setup that utilizes "Scenes."   And if you DO have a device that uses scenes to simplify voice control, you'll probably have a very long list. If you have a Gen 2 or later Hue Hub, you will have a scene for EACH bulb and room you set up in the Hue App, as well as for every Hue scene you create.  If you have a Harmony Hub, you'll see it creates a scene for EACH component in your entertainment system, as well as for each favorite TV station. Thermostats will likewise create a ton of redundant scenes. 

Each scene is listed by its name, as well as the app or device with which the Scene is associated. So you can tell a "hue" scene from a "Harmony" scene from a "Kasa" scene easily.  (The Kasa App controls TP-Link Smart Devices; we'll talk about TP Link Devices and Kasa in a later post.)

If the list begins to get too unwieldy, you may want to disable scenes you do not use. You can do so by tapping the blue "forget" to the right of each scene description. Be aware that unless you delete the corresponding scene in the appropriate app, "forgotten" scenes will reappear the next time you run discovery.

Also be aware that redundancy can be good when it comes to Scenes and Groups. Alexa has a very limited vocabulary, and intelligent as she may seem, synonyms are not one of her strongest points. She might not know that, in your mind, DVD, DVR, VCR, and TV Recorder all refer to the same black box. Many apps set up redundant Scenes to make Alexa understand things like this.  If you delete the scene that allows  Alexa to control the same box when called by any of those names, a command may no longer work as expected.

The more you customize a Smart Device, the longer that Scene List will be.  When the list gets too long, the Web Portal can be handy. It can be easier to manage long lists of scenes from a larger screen. 

Get to Grouping

Now you've ensured everything is paired to Alexa, you're ready to start creating your Groups.  We will get to the "How Tos" in a moment. First, let's talk a little about Grouping itself.

Understanding "Grouping"

Since I can already control all the devices on my Device Tab by name, as well as all of the scenes on my scene tab, why would I need to set up Groups? I can already control the light in my office by saying "Alexa, turn on office," or "Alexa, turn off Cassidy." What does a group give me that I don't already have?

In our last article, we learned how to group our Hue Lights by room, so we could turn on ALL the lights in the Living Room with a "Living Room on" command.  But what if I want to turn on BOTH the Living Room and the Bedroom lights? What if I want to turn on BOTH a Hue Bulb and a WeMo switch with one command? Here is where setting up a group comes in handy.

The Hue App does not allow me to place a bulb in two different rooms. I put Cassidy in "Office" and Seagull in "Bedroom" within the Hue App. However, there is no way within the Hue App itself to create a room (or zone) called "Upstairs" and place BOTH Seagull and Cassidy in it. When I create a third room called "Upstairs" within the Hue App, and I try to place either Seagull or Cassidy there, Hue tells me a bulb cannot be in 2 rooms at once. Alexa Groups do not have this limitation. I can put Cassidy in 17 different groups, should I so choose, and Alexa will not grumble.

I can also call a device by several different names, just by putting it in a group. My TP-Link Smart Outlet controls a penguin-shaped bedside fan, so I named that outlet "Penguin" during set-up.  I love being able to turn that fan on or off in a half-asleep state. However, I discovered Alexa has trouble understanding the way I say "Penguin" when I mumble. She understands "Turn Fan on" much better.  So did I rename my outlet? Nope! I set up a group called "Fan" within the Alexa app.  Now, I can say "Alexa, turn Fan on," and she turns on Penguin. I can also say "Alexa, turn on Penguin." It accomplishes the exact same thing.

Likewise, the Harmony App sets up scenes with some convoluted names.  I have two different ABC affiliates locally, one in Sarasota, and one in Tampa. If I tell Alexa I want to "Watch ABC," the name of the Harmony Scene, she sometimes gets confused and tries to open the ABC app on my Fire TV.  If I say "Alexa, tell Harmony to watch ABC," it's a lot of words, and if it works, it will tune the TV to the Tampa affiliate. So I set up a harmony scene for Channel 7, and dumped that scene into a group, named 7abc. Now, all I have to say is "Alexa, turn on 7abc," and she turns the TV on to the CORRECT ABC affiliate.

I have a Seagull Lamp on my bedroom dresser.  Of course, I named its Hue Bulb "Seagull." I let a friend stay in my house, and she could not get used to calling that light "Seagull." To help her out, I logged into the Web Portal and created a new Group. I put just seagull in and named it "Dresser."   Then, she either could say "Alexa, turn on Dresser," OR "Alexa, turn on seagull," and it would have the same effect.

So, if I want to call up a "scene" by "friendlier" words, all I need to do is create a group that contains my scene. Then I can invoke it with that Group's name. Likewise, if I want to call a lamp by several different names, I can set up a group with that name, containing only that one device.

Finally, I like a certain light to come on when I'm watching movies on my DVD player.  I created a Harmony scene to turn on my TV, switch it to the DVD player, and cue up the disk menu.  I then created a Group (movie-watch,) that contains both my DVD scene and turning on my light. Now, all I need to do is say "Alexa, turn on Movie-Watch," and she cues up my DVD AND turns on my preferred lamp. "Alexa, turn off Movie-Watch" turns off the DVD player, the TV, and the Star Lamp.

I have many different groups for my upstairs Smart Devices. One group, Upstairs, controls ALL Smart Lights on the top level of my house. Hue Up turns on the 2 upstairs Hue Lights only. Bedroom turns on the Smart Lights in the Bedroom, as well as the fan. Bedside controls the bedside Smart Light only. Fan controls the Smart Outlet attached Fan. Sleepy controls the bedside light and the fan only. And of course, Dresser controls only the Hue Light on the bedroom dresser.

So basically, you create Groups to make your life easier. Groups help devices from different manufacturers play together nicely. They divorce a device from its manufacturer app, and bring it into Alexa's world, allowing her to control it exactly how you want. Groups let you set up alternate names for the same function, and allow you to control multiple devices with a single command. They help extend all of Alexa's functionality to a disparate mishmash of different Smart Things.

Create Your First Alexa Group

In this example, I am going to create a group to turn on ALL of the Hue Lights on the top level of my house.  This will consist of BOTH "Seagull," located in the Bedroom, and "Cassidy," located in the office.

First, we're going to open the Alexa App to the "Smart Home" tab. Then, we're going to tap on "Groups" to bring up the "Groups" submenu. Next, scroll to the bottom of that screen and tap "Create Group."

This will open up the "Create Group Menu."  At the top is a text field, in which you'll type the name of your new Group. Remember, this name is what you will use to invoke an Alexa command. Name it something appropriate to the task you are trying to create.

Under the "Name" field, you will see a list of your Devices, each with its own checkbox. This list should include ALL the devices listed on your Devices Tab.  Check the box next to each device you want included in your new Group.  (Tap/click on the box next to the name to check or uncheck.)  You may include different types of devices in a single group, as well as devices from different manufacturers.

In this example, we're creating a Group called "Hue Up," that will contain 2 Devices: Seagull, my Bedroom Hue Light, and Cassidy, the Hue Light in my Office.

On the same tab, under your Device List, you'll find the Scene Section.  If you want to include any scenes in your Group, tap the appropriate box to check them. (We're not adding any Scenes to our Hue Up Group, so we'll just keep scrolling.)

When you've included all the Devices and Scenes you want in your New Group, scroll to the bottom and hit the "Save" button. Do NOT forget to save your New Group.  The Save Button is located under your list of Scenes.  (If you only have a few devices and scenes, you may not need to scroll to see the Save button.)  After you hit "Save," the app will return to the "Groups" submenu, and you will see your New Group in the list. (New Groups appear at the bottom of the list.)

Once you have finished creating your new Group, you can begin using it immediately.  To invoke your Group, just say "Alexa, turn on [name of group.]"

Editing an Existing Group

From time to time, you may want to edit an existing group, especially as you keep adding Smart Devices to your home.  To edit a group, go to the Smart Home Tab, then tap on Groups.  This will bring up a list of your existing groups. To edit one, tap on the group name. This will bring up the same "Create Group" submenu we used earlier. To add an item or scene to the group, tap on the box next to its name to check it. Uncheck any items you want to remove from that group. To edit the Group's name, tap on it to bring up your keyboard. Delete the old name and replace it with the new one. Then scroll down and hit the "Save" button.   Rerun discovery when you are finished editing Groups.

Deleting a Group

To delete a group, go to Smart Home...Groups. Tap on the name of the group you want to delete. This will bring up the "Create Group" submenu. Scroll all the way down to the bottom. Underneath the "Save" button, you'll see "Delete this Group." Tap on that.

This will pop-up a Confirmation Screen. Tap on "Delete" to delete the group, or Cancel if you've changed your mind and want to keep the group.

Once you've deleted your Group, it will of course disappear from your Groups List.

Naming Considerations

You can name your Group anything you'd like. However, the name should relate somehow to the function it creates. Furthermore, Group Names need to be distinct from one another. If a Group Name is too close to a Scene name, Alexa may get confused and do the wrong thing. Likewise, if Alexa has trouble understanding the way you say a group name, you're better off changing it to something she does than trying to train her.  

A group and a scene cannot share a name. If you have a scene called "Blue Lights," you cannot also have a Group named Blue Lights. You can, however, include a scene named "Blue Lights" in a Group called "Blue Lamps."  If you do have a scene called "Blue Light" and a group called "Blue Lamp," be wary of creating a group or a scene called merely "Blue." If you do, Alexa may start to invoke the "Blue" group before you can finish your sentence.  In fact, avoid creating Groups that start with the same first word. Sharing the second word is fine.  If you are repeating a first word, like in the example above, say them like they are one, ("Alexa, turn on bluelights.")  Also beware of creating groups that sound too much alike. If I had a group named "Blue Lights," I would NOT want a second called "Hue Lights."

You also need to be careful of using a "reserved Alexa command" for a group name.  If you have a Paw shaped lamp, I would not recommend calling it "Paws." Alexa will most likely hear that as "pause," which is a reserved media control name. Likewise, do not collect your audio devices into a group called "Play," as that is an Alexa Command Word.  I had to dump my Harmony-created "Watch Recorded TV" scene into a group called DVR, as the scene name matches an Alexa Fire TV command, and Alexa never responded the way I wanted when I invoked the scene by name.  It was MUCH easier to dump the Harmony scene into its own group than to re-program or rename the Harmony scene. (And I also learned to create "custom" Harmony scenes, rather than programming the standard ones, as so many "standard" scene names seem to be misinterpreted by Alexa.)

Avoid using pet names, family names, etc. as Group Names. If I name my bedroom lights "Fido," Alexa may turn them on or off every time I call the dog.  Worse, Fido may come running every time I try to turn on the light. Even though you need to use a "wake word" with Alexa, it is still best to avoid Group Names that echo your most frequently used words.

As some might have noticed, two of my Smart Lights share names with songs.  I have confused Alexa by asking her to play "Bertha" more than once.  One afternoon, while listening to music through my Echo, I asked Alexa to play Bertha, and instead, she switched on my lamp (which is also named Bertha.)  Adding the song "Bertha" to my Amazon library seemed to help, as well as "training" her by responding to the "Did Alexa do what you wanted" cards on the Home Page of the app.  Ironically, that lamp's original name was "Your Lovelight," in homage to the song.  However, without exception, whenever I said "Alexa, play turn on your lovelight," she ignored the play command, and just turned on the lamp.   

Finally, do not name a device, group, or scene anything you do not want to say in mixed company. If your teenage son wants to name his Smart Bulb "Fart," tell him his male friends may think it's funny, but how will a potential Girlfriend react to "Alexa, turn on Fart?"

The "Everything" Group

If you only create a single group, THIS is the group I suggest you create: The "Everything" Group.  This is simply a Group with ALL of your Smart Devices in it.  To create it, name the Group "Everything," then check EVERY box in the "Devices" list. You do not need to worry about checking anything under "Scenes."  That way, if you are in a rush, you can just say "Alexa, turn Everything off" as you leave the house.

Remember, Alexa offers Smart Control. That means she does more than merely toggle something's state. If your "Everything" Group consists of 7 devices, and you only have 3 turned on, Alexa will only turn off those three when you issue the command. If it is off, it will stay off until either you or its programming turn it back on again.

Of course, you'll need to update this Group every time you add a new Smart Device to your household. I've gotten in the habit of editing the "Everything" Group as a part of pairing a new device to Alexa.  

It is wonderful to be able to turn off everything with a single command, either as I'm leaving home, or if I'm across town. If I'm having one of those "Did I remember to turn X off?" type moments, I can just whip out my Smartphone or Tablet and tell Alexa to "Turn Everything off." As long as that something is on a Smart Outlet, my worries are over. If you have a housemate prone to leaving a curling iron or coffee pot on, just put that appliance on a WeMo or TP-Link, and you can ensure it's turned off from across town.

Remote Control with Alexa

One of the biggest advantages to Smart Devices is the ability to control them remotely. Groups may be handy inside of the house, but what about when you want to control your lights from across the country, or while sitting in your car?   Sure, I can group my WeMos and my Hues into a group called "Downstairs," but how do I invoke that from my car? Do I still need to open up 2 separate apps to control these lights? Of course not. You can still control everything via Alexa, so long as you have an android or apple phone or a tablet.  You just need to download the Amazon Shopping App.

Amazon has recently integrated Alexa into the Amazon Shopping App for both Android and ios (Apple,) meaning you can issue Alexa commands from your phone. And of course, if you have an Alexa-enabled Fire Tablet, you can control your devices using that.

To use Alexa remotely, open up the Amazon Shopping App. It is represented by the "Amazon" Logo and a shopping cart.  At the top of the screen, you'll see a search box. To the right of that, there is a microphone icon. Tap the microphone icon to use Alexa on the go. You can issue the same commands you'd use with your Echo.

The first time you tap this icon, you'll be given the chance to set-up Alexa on the app. Tap "Try it" or "Turn on Microphone to try Alexa," (depending on your app version) to activate Alexa on your mobile device.

After accepting the terms, from now on, tapping on the microphone icon will activate Alexa.  Tap the microphone then speak your command.  You do NOT need a "wake word."  You can use this app to activate your Groups and Scenes remotely.  You can tell Alexa is listening by the blue squiggly line running across the bottom of your screen.

I walk a lot, often without my phone, and I live in a multi-level house. My Dash Wand tends to live by my front door. The light by my front door has been replaced with a Hue Bulb that runs on the Dusk to Dawn scene we set up in the last article, so I never come home to a dark entry. I'll often grab my Dash Wand to turn on lights upstairs, rather than shouting at my Echo.  The Dash Wand is another great way to bring Alexa control to a corner of the house where you don't need a fully functioning, always on device. I can shout at my Echo from my kitchen; I find the Dash Wand is a handy remote to leave by the door for folks to use when coming home. It's an especially good solution for households with children who do not carry smartphones. Consider grabbing a Dash Wand while they're virtually free if you need a Smart Device Remote for a porch, entry way, or garage that is on the same WiFi network as your devices. (The Dash Wand currently can only control devices on the same network as the Wand itself.)  If you're lucky enough to have a cleaning person, you can leave him or her the Dash Wand so that s/he doesn't forget and turn light switches off by hand.

Again, a Fire Tablet makes a very good Alexa Remote as well.  They can be moved around, as necessary, and can act as adjuncts to your Echos and Dots. It is another good solution for controlling your Alexa groups remotely.

Summary

This week, we took a break from looking at products, and we turned our attention back to the Alexa app. We looked a little closer at the concept of "Alexa Groups," something we've brushed upon in previous sections of this series. We talked about why and how to use Groups, as well as naming considerations. And we finally learned how to put our Smart Devices into Alexa Groups, for easier and more effective voice control. We learned how to integrate various app "Scenes" into our Alexa Groups.  We even set Hue Bulbs that are physically located in separate rooms into one virtual one, so that we can control both using a single voice command. We also looked at how to control devices from different manufacturers with one voice command, by collecting them into various Alexa Groups. We saw how Alexa Groups can be a much easier way to control your devices, rather than needing to open 3 different apps to turn on the lights in a single room. We also learned to create an "Everything" Group, so we could shut down all our Smart Devices with a single command word.  We learned how to access Alexa through an Amazon app on a mobile device, so we can use Alexa to remotely control devices.

Next week, we'll go back to looking at products that work well with Alexa.  In future posts, we'll look at the TP-Link family of Smart Devices and review their Smart Outlet, a plug that supports creating "Scenes." We'll also look at the Harmony Hub, an easy way to extend Alexa voice control to your existing entertainment devices, including your  TV, DVD Player, Game Console, and even your old VCR. And we'll look at using Alexa with your Fire TV. Additionally, we still need to look at Calling and Messaging, and any other new features Amazon rolls out. Then, we need to talk about ensuring your equipment can handle it all.

Remember, these are all products we've personally purchased and are using in our own homes.   We only cover things with which we have personally interacted. We've either used it ourselves, or we've helped someone else to set up and use it.  None of our devices were provided to us for review. (If you are considering purchasing any of the devices we discuss, we would appreciate you purchasing through the links on this site. As noted in the footer, links contained within articles may be affiliate links, meaning Techlaurels earns a few pennies every time someone clicks through.

We're busy learning the TV stuff right now, and we'd love to hear any feedback or tips from current Fire TV and/or Harmony Hub users. (The Harmony Hub and Remote were a Birthday Gift. Thanks, Dad!)  Please contact us through Social Media, using our Online Form (linked in the sidebar,) through email (techlaurels at gmail,) or through the Comments section on this page.  We'd also love to hear any feedback about this article, or about the series thus far.

We hope you'll join us for the rest of this series. By the end of this course, you'll know more about Alexa and your Echo than the Amazon reps.  And as always, thanks for reading.