Alexa UPB Bridge

[pete_c]

Noticed an email this morning from PCS about the Alexa UPB Bridge
 
It is currently $565.00 until December 31, 2016.
 
Alexa UPB Bridge
 

Alexa, please turn on the outside lights...
 


Alexa, are you listening to me?
 

If you have UPB devices in your home then Alexa, the voice control agent for the Amazon Echo, couldn’t control any of them as there was no simple, easy to install, reliable method of connecting Alexa to your UPB devices. Until now.
 
The Alexa UPB Bridge is a hardware and software product that you can install in your home, configure with an easy to use application, and then voice control of your UPB devices and scenes can be done with Alexa. UPB switches and modules manufactured by Powerline Control Systems (PCS), Simply Automated (SAI), Web Mountain, and HAI-Leviton are all supported.
 

 

[Desert_AIP]

At that price I need to go back and finish my RPi project.
I got the WeMo emulation working, just need to port over the MisterHouse UPB module.
 
I might bite at this unit at half the price.

 

[pete_c]

Yeah its a bit high.
Probably not so though for the non technically inclined.
 
Playing with rsw686's HAI application / Amazon Echo and Homeseer / Alexa plugin / Amazon Echo integration here.
 
Recently here been testing Homeseer lite on the Pine64/2Gb machine and an Xi3/Xi5a / Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit.
 
Both though are larger than an RPi.I like it better than the RPi 1,2-3.
 

 

[Frunple]

That price is ridiculous for anyone, technical or not. Even half that would be overpriced.$200 would be the right range. 
I'm guessing it'll drop pretty quickly when they don't sell like PCS thought they would.

 

[AutomatedAvery]

I was actually checking the forums today to see if we had any cocooners that have purchased this. 
 
It's interesting, we've had a bit of inquiries about this bridge. Most of them ended with a complaint about the price (fair).
 
Personally, I don't mind 'fumbling with an app'. 

 

[StarTrekDoors]

That is simply a Quantum Byte pc running Home Control Assistant. You can save a few bucks in just buying the software without the pc.
 
http://www.hcatech.com/index.php?sid=features&pid=upb

 

[personalt]

for that price you could likely get a CQC license and small PC and control a lot more then those swtiches

 

[wdeertz]

That is simply a Quantum Byte pc running Home Control Assistant. You can save a few bucks in just buying the software without the pc.
 
http://www.hcatech.com/index.php?sid=features&pid=upb

Thanks for the lead, I've installed HCA and find it works pretty good. If I give repeated instructions in a row the commands get backed up but I guess that's to be expected given the cloud element of Alexa.

 

[pete_c]

You could if you wanted to is give Homeseer Zee-2 a spin.  It runs fine on the RPi and interfaces with UPB and Alexa just fine.
 
There is also a plugin today which connects to your OmniPro 2 panel such that you can use Alexa to control your devices that are plugged in to your OP2 panel.  You could fit the RPi2 inside of your OP2 can if you wanted to.
 
The Zee-2 is currently selling for $199.95. 
 
The Homeseer 3 lite software runs in any Linux just fine.  For the RPi it runs in Wheezy or Jessie-Lite.

 

[wdeertz]

You could if you wanted to is give Homeseer Zee-2 a spin.  It runs fine on the RPi and interfaces with UPB and Alexa just fine.
 
There is also a plugin today which connects to your OmniPro 2 panel such that you can use Alexa to control your devices that are plugged in to your OP2 panel.  You could fit the RPi2 inside of your OP2 can if you wanted to.
 
The Zee-2 is currently selling for $199.95. 
 
The Homeseer 3 lite software runs in any Linux just fine.  For the RPi it runs in Wheezy or Jessie-Lite.

Pete, I was trying out HSPro3 on my laptop but couldn't get the Alexa plug in working properly. I need to give it another try as Homeseer seems a bit more capable than HCA. Also I thought the HAI plug in for Homeseer only works on Windows hence I didn't consider the ZeeS2 as its Linux. Does the HAI plug in now work with Linux?

 

[pete_c]

Note that I am a bit biased about Homeseer as I have used it since 1998 and same with the OmniPro panel(s) having used them now since around 2003.
 
I have not heard any issues relating to the use of the Homeseer Amazon Alexa integration with the HAI Omni Pro 2 plugin to date.  Most of the testers of the OmniPro Plugin have Amazon Alexa devices.
 
Today Homeseer 3 runs on any flavor of Linux including the RPi1-2-3.  One of the new HS3 benefits is that you can run the plugin on another computer and have it connect to the HS3 mothership.  I do this today with plugins running in Windows 10, RPi2-Jessie-Lite and Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit boxes.  IE: running the Homeseer Z-Wave plugin, 1-Wire temperature network, X-10 and UPB plugin on an RPi2 (Jessie) POE connected in the attic.  The RPi2 works fine in the summer here with attic temperatures going to 140° or subzero temperatures in the winter.
 
Also testing running Spud's Microsoft Kinect / Alexa plugin on a mini Windows 10 computer with a multitouch screen.  Works fine talking to Homeseer 3 running in Linux.  Using the Kinect, VR and TTS is in house and not cloud based.  That said you can tell Kinect to shut off Alexa or vice versa.
 
I am also testing Spud's UPB Homeseer 3 plugin running in Linux.  I helped Spud relating to making it run in Linux.
 
Yup; here was involved in the beginning of HS3 / OmniPro 2 plugin and having switched over to Linux in the early days of Homeseer 3 I wanted to make sure that the HAI plugin worked in Linux HS3 and talked to a mySQL DB.  It does just fine.  It is still being worked on and improved.  We recently asked Rob to add the OmniPro audio functions to the plugin.  Rob is using / testing the HAI plugin on a RPi2.
 
You can also try out rsw686 Smarthings integration with the OmniPro2 and then integrate the Amazon Alexa to Smarthings.
 
Been testing rsw686's Smarthings integration here too in the last few months.  Works great. (along with the Homeseer HAI plugin connection to the OmniPro2).
 
Read about it here on the forum ==> Samsung SmartThings Integration  (works on Microsoft, Android or Apple smartphones).
 
I would also give Charmed Quark Systems (CQC) automation software a spin as it also has Alexa, Cortana and OmniPro integration.  I am sure that Dean Roddey will answer any questions you have relating to the software.
 
Have a look here:
 
CQC 'quick start' tutorials

 

[canuckpaisa]

New to the forum and home automation - but in IT so hopefully can follow.
 
I have a home controlled by Control 4 but also has 46 lights controlled by UPB.  I have my CIM and was able to create the project seeing my devices.  
 
In control4 - I see several UPB devices but not all and some respond to the control4 intructions and others not.  
 
I don't care about controlling the UPB from control4 but do want to control by Alexa
 
Any tips the easiest path to either connect my UPB devices to Alexa for voice control or some other way Alexa can control them
 
thank you

 

[wdeertz]

Note that I am a bit biased about Homeseer as I have used it since 1998 and same with the OmniPro panel(s) having used them now since around 2003.
 
I have not heard any issues relating to the use of the Homeseer Amazon Alexa integration with the HAI Omni Pro 2 plugin to date.  Most of the testers of the OmniPro Plugin have Amazon Alexa devices.
 
Today Homeseer 3 runs on any flavor of Linux including the RPi1-2-3.  One of the new HS3 benefits is that you can run the plugin on another computer and have it connect to the HS3 mothership.  I do this today with plugins running in Windows 10, RPi2-Jessie-Lite and Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit boxes.  IE: running the Homeseer Z-Wave plugin, 1-Wire temperature network, X-10 and UPB plugin on an RPi2 (Jessie) POE connected in the attic.  The RPi2 works fine in the summer here with attic temperatures going to 140° or subzero temperatures in the winter.
 
Also testing running Spud's Microsoft Kinect / Alexa plugin on a mini Windows 10 computer with a multitouch screen.  Works fine talking to Homeseer 3 running in Linux.  Using the Kinect, VR and TTS is in house and not cloud based.  That said you can tell Kinect to shut off Alexa or vice versa.
 
I am also testing Spud's UPB Homeseer 3 plugin running in Linux.  I helped Spud relating to making it run in Linux.
 
Yup; here was involved in the beginning of HS3 / OmniPro 2 plugin and having switched over to Linux in the early days of Homeseer 3 I wanted to make sure that the HAI plugin worked in Linux HS3 and talked to a mySQL DB.  It does just fine.  It is still being worked on and improved.  We recently asked Rob to add the OmniPro audio functions to the plugin.  Rob is using / testing the HAI plugin on a RPi2.
 
You can also try out rsw686 Smarthings integration with the OmniPro2 and then integrate the Amazon Alexa to Smarthings.
 
Been testing rsw686's Smarthings integration here too in the last few months.  Works great. (along with the Homeseer HAI plugin connection to the OmniPro2).
 
Read about it here on the forum ==> Samsung SmartThings Integration  (works on Microsoft, Android or Apple smartphones).
 
I would also give Charmed Quark Systems (CQC) automation software a spin as it also has Alexa, Cortana and OmniPro integration.  I am sure that Dean Roddey will answer any questions you have relating to the software.
 
Have a look here:
 
CQC 'quick start' tutorials

 
Pete, no luck with HomeSeer, nothing but headaches.  I had the trial version installed and working but then it updated to a newer version and everything went upside down.  Given the successor software to Space seems to be imminent (lets hope) and Lupindale has promised great things I may wait to see what he delivers.  The Home Control Assistant works good for controlling the UPB devices with Echo but I've found the novelty wears off pretty quickly.  

 

[wdeertz]

New to the forum and home automation - but in IT so hopefully can follow.
 
I have a home controlled by Control 4 but also has 46 lights controlled by UPB.  I have my CIM and was able to create the project seeing my devices.  
 
In control4 - I see several UPB devices but not all and some respond to the control4 intructions and others not.  
 
I don't care about controlling the UPB from control4 but do want to control by Alexa
 
Any tips the easiest path to either connect my UPB devices to Alexa for voice control or some other way Alexa can control them
 
thank you

 
Been evaluating Home Control Assistant (http://www.hcatech.com) and find that it easily controls all my UPB devices.  Still having some configuration issues with scenes and links.  Install the trial version and connect a PIM to your computer and you can easily try out this software.  It works good but I've found the novelty of turning on and off the lights with Echo wears thin pretty quickly.

 

[pete_c]

@wdeertz
 
I would have hoped you had a better experience.
 
Here I have not updated my two HS3 boxes since mid summer 2016 as all is working fine for me.