Alexa won’t show live feeds

Services & Integrations
, , ,
83

I have no idea what the overall differences are between 1st gen and 2nd gen Echo Shows are. I just know they are currently behaving different. Your experience may vary from what I am describing but here it is anyway.

1st Gen Show
I like to hourly during daylight hours rotate several of my Wyze cameras up on the Show screen. Then I use the Custom action choice to fed the action. The Custom choice will only apply as the last action in the routine. It takes nearly a dozen routines between daylight and dark though the routines are only slightly different to get this to work. And I want to hear when the camera is changing, so I add a “send notification” action in the routine. In the routine, With the Send Notification action, we can select more than one Echo. I use one. But its a Dot, not the Show that’s showing the camera. I set the volume to 3, then Announce, which camera, then “show”. Looks like this.

Set volume to 3
Announce: Showing Street on Show8 (device choice is Echo dot, not Show8 )
Alexa, Show Street on Show8
Choose Device: Echo Dot (not Show8)

We know the Show action is used only in conjunction with a Show device.
Each of my cameras seems more likely to view successful, if I don’t use the Show to announce the voice and I don’t select the Show for the Choose Device at the bottom of the routine.
(That’s confusing to read. But I think makes more sense as you are setting up a routine.)

2nd Gen Show:
When I use a routine to direct “Show Street cam on Show8”, when the image (view) does not display in a Show8’s full screen. It comes up reduced or minimized into the upper left corner of the screen and its about 20% of the size of the screen. If I touch that small view, a temporary sub menu of choice appears. One is X to close it. Another is arrows hinting, open or enlarge. When I press the arrows, it expands the view to fill the screen. But I don’t want to do that each time.

I contacted the Echo team at Amazon (get this 3 times over two week time) each time to get a different tech. None understood what I was describing. I included pictures, but “we don’t have a camera to test with”, so I could not get help in ciphering how to stop this minimized view. Maybe its unique to Wyze cameras, don’t know. But they said, they had no vendor’s cameras to test what I was talking about. So, again, don’t know if its unique to Wyze.

84

I recently (a month ago) swapped an Echo Show 5 for a Show 8, and the same rule that before would (usually) show the live view of a specific camera on the Show 5, now shows as a small PIP in the upper left corner on the Show 8, and the “stop” command in the rule does not close that small PIP view (I said “usually” above, because it frequently comes back and says "unable to show xxxx - check its power supply or network connection).

I researched and searched, and can find no web pages anywhere that describe how to show it full screen vs a small PIP - everyone says that the PIP can be expanded by touching it and picking the option, and it can be closed by touching the “X”, but there is no way to show it full screen through a rule, and no way to close the small PIP view from a rule.

1 Like
85

I agree with all you said. Was the Show 5 a 1st gen and the Show 8 a 2nd gen?

86

It’s honestly HYSTERICAL to me that this facade that anyone here is going to help fix the myriad of problems with Wyze cams. Absolutely hysterical.

I went through this whole nonsense routine, round and round with them, and all they ever say is that they’ll put our reports/issues forward to the devs for consideration.

The devs aren’t listening, they don’t care, and these issues are only going to get worse as the devs get sloppier with every iteration.

We, the customers, shouldn’t be responsible for providing them with detailed repro case after detailed repro case for the same issues. We paid for the product, it’s not our job, and we’ve been more than gracious with them. The best, and possibly only solution is to stop purchasing or paying for Wyze services. If you’re still in a return period, return it and buy something else.

Wyze, as a company no longer has ANYONE competent working for them. Anyone with a brain clearly moved on, and and the rest here are those who aren’t skilled or intelligent enough to move to greener pastures. Are these harsh words? Sure, but they’re thoroughly earned.

87

View multiple live camera feeds on your Echo Show
Just say, “Alexa, show my cameras” to see your compatible connected cameras. For example, you can now view your nursery and see who is at the front door without switching between camera views.
Staying in the know has never been simpler
You can view up to four cameras at once on Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15. Tap a camera feed to zoom it to full screen and hear audio from that camera. Tap the on-screen Back button to return to the multiple feeds view.

If you have created Smart Home Groups for your cameras, you can ask Alexa to show your Groups. For example, “Alexa, show my [backyard] cameras” for a Group called “backyard.”

And that’s just the start
All things Alexa

1x1

2 Likes
88

Spineless shilling.

89

Oops, sorry about this. Short answer: it was not a Show 5 after all, and the new Show 8 is 2nd Gen.

I made a mistake in my post, and my old device was not a Show 5 - it was one of the old (early 2019) just plain “Show” models - it does not say which generation. It started to just shutdown without warning. It would boot up when power was removed and restored, and then it would run for an hour or two, and then later it looked like it was powered down - no display, no lights, no verbal or touch response, just dead.

We also have a plain old Echo (the tall cylinder style) from way back (early 2019), and its power supply is compatible with the Show (same voltage and amperage specs, and same connector shape), so we swapped power supplies between these two devices. The Show power supply works on the Echo with no issues (we let the Echo run on the Show’s power supply for days), and the Echo power supply works on the Show, but the Show would do the same thing with the Echo power supply - boot up fine, and then be powered off several hours later.

We thought it was toast, so we bought a new Show 8 (2nd gen) to replace it.

Then with the old Show, we “reset” the device, installed a software update, plugged it into the original power supply, and it has been running without any problem since then. But I have not tried any Alexa routines to show the cameras on the old Show that is now alive again. We’ve just moved it to another place in the house.

For the past 5-6 months at least, the old Show would try to show the camera as part of a routine, and frequently it would work and show the camera view full screen on the old Show. But more frequently it would just give up and say “the camera is not responding, check its power supply or network connection”.

But when I asked Alexa to show the cameras (on the old Show), it would generally show each camera full screen with no problem. The problem just seems to be when showing the cameras from routines, that it would usually fail, and very rarely would work.

The new Show 8 has that same hit or miss behavior now. Sometimes it will show the camera from the routine (but in small PIP mode), and sometimes it will give up. But like the old Show, if I ask Alexa to show a camera, it generally works on the new Show 8, AND it shows in full screen

90

Forgive my ignorance. I guess that was directed to me. But I don’t know what it means, so it does not help. Live long and prosper.

91

@B57, That’s useful info. Thanks. Yes, I know which device you mean by old show. Those seem to do well for a long time. And that was a cool trick, resetting it and adding it back so it would poll for a software update.

FYI, the Show 15 is on sale right now. It had a better discount a couple of days ago (26%) but now its 23% discounted. The cool part, is you can trade in just about any Alexa device and get an additional 25% off and it makes the device a true baragin. That’s about 50% off over all.

Some of us, have added a WiFi on/off adapter to our Wyze cameras. I have all mine set to off/on at 03:00-03:20 each day. This gives them a fresh WiFi connection and its made a difference in responsiveness. On a couple that I have setup to display at a scheduled time on a Show, I have added the off, then back on routine, and wait 3-4 minutes in the routine, then display. This helps. Some of this is about solely seeing what works and doesn’t work.

92

@Sam_Bam Thanks for the tips.

Tell me about the “WiFi on/off adapter”. Do you mean a physical device, like a smart plug (Wyze brand or other brand), that you turn off and then back on a few minutes later to cycle the power to the connected camera, through a Wyze rule (for a Wyze smart plug) or an Alexa routine (for some other brand smart plug)?

Or you you mean a Wyze rule, to turn the camera off and then back on after a few minutes (as in your 3:00-3:20 example), just using the software off/on setting of the camera itself that is available in the Wyze app camera settings?

I have smart plugs (of various brands) on a few cameras/devices for when I am away from home for extended periods, but so far I have not had to use those to power down and back on any connected device yet.

Just a bit off topic (but still related), is that in the last week or two, my Alexa routine to make an announcement when the Wyze contact sensor (in my mailbox) is opened, no longer runs or at least no longer announces anything, but the Wyze sensor hub still “dings”, so the contact sensor is still working.

Is there a routine history log in the Alexa app someplace, like the rule history in the Wyze app, that shows when routines run and what the results were of each action, that we can check to confirm if the actions in the Alexa routines are still running, and what the status is?

Some people have reported that removing and adding the Wyze device from the Alexa app seems to restore the functionality, but so far these issues are not important enough for me to try any of these more dramatic actions yet.

But don’t stop posting tips and suggestions, just because I’m not ready to take more dramatic steps - these are all extremely useful, and appreciated, suggestions. Thank you.

93

@B57,
Yes, exactly, a smart plug. Many (most) of us now using a smart plug, have migrated away from Wyze for that utility. (Please don’t ask me to say more.) I, for instance, use a couple of different devices, one is the Sonoff S31, and the other is the Sonoff RFR2 or RFR3. This device doesn’t look like a smart plug, but is. You cut a cord such as lamp, but usually a short extension cord, and use its ends on each end of the RFR2 or RFR3. I really like these because they have all the features of most smart plugs, but also a RF capability. RF capability allows me to use a RF 433 MHz generic remote control to turn them off and back on. I don;t simply use these for Wyze cams. I use them for everything; coffee pot, TVs, lights, lamps, Stereo Amp, LED light strips on stairs (controlled by Wyze V1 sensors). They can do everything else a smart plug can do but also off/on with a push of a button. I like the Sonoff’s for their firmware, with features such as scheduling, energy consumption measures, timers, loop timers, Last state, push notifications, offline alerts, LAN control, inching, and logs, and all the usual actions and controls inside Alexa routines.

I don’t use Wyze rules. I like to expend my rules/scene building in Alexa routines. And I didn’t mean, 03:00 off and not back on until 03:20. I turn if off for 3 minutes, and back on. But I spread my (more than just Wyze cameras) off and back on 30+ devices across a span of 20 minutes to avoid a surge of any kind. Most of us figured out long ago, the Camera’s off/on/restart/whatever, is not sufficient.

We’ve learned through our experiences that turning Wyze cameras off and back on, improves the success when later we want to bring up a view. Someone is going to disagree. They are welcome to. But some of us know, and they don’t manage our IoT stuff, so doesn’t matter if they agree.

Not off topic. We’ve encouraged people to unlink Wyze from Alexa wait a few minutes and relink. Why? Precaution, fixing what’s not broke, I don’t know, but we have speculated that Alexa folks or Wyze folks may from time to time be updating the Alexa>Wyze skill when ever they wish. Notice there’s no date/time posted on any skills? So how are we to know they have enriched existing features or added interfaces for new products? Answer: We don’t. No one tells us to unlink/relink, so we figured out we might as well, before it breaks and everyone is trying at the same time. That’s a long mouthful to suggest your mailbox notifications (oops,) lack of is likely a Skill issue.

BTW, I don’t use Wyze in my mailbox. I use a Yolink motion sensor. Range is 1,000 feet and battery life is 2 years. Think on that a while.

Routine history? yes, look under Routines. far right side - Activity.

Some people have also reported removing a Wyze device from the Wyze app seems to restore the functionality. AND if you reset or re-add a Wyze device to the Wyze app, you bet ya pants you better do it in Alexa. Matter of fact, you likely will wind up with an Wyze device ghost in the Alexa app that screws up your routines and connection. You SHOULD remove the Wyze device in the Alexa app, BEFORE you remove it from Wyze and add it back. Let the Alexa>Wyze skill restore it for you, to avoid a ghost.

Thanks. But don’t just look at something I post. There are much more knowledgeable & far more skilled people here laying down tips, tricks, solutions and talking to Wyze for you all day long.

94

Thanks for clarifying the smart plug usage. I’ve already done that for some of my more critical devices/cameras, but even being gone for 6 weeks at a time, I’ve never had a device or camera go silent/offline and had to use them to reboot/reconnect those devices (yet). My Wyze devices so far have remained connected and solid pretty much for a year or more, but from other’s experiences here (yours included), I have my connection recovery plan in place on certain devices.

I’ve found and looked at the Alexa Routine Activity for my mailbox routine, and it shows that it has not run since May 5 (although the wyze hub continues to “ding” every day when the mail is delivered, and when we pick it up), which aligns with when I noticed that it stopped working. I played the routine manually, and that works, so the issue is in the triggering, where the sensor trigger event is not picked up by Alexa.

By “unlink” the Wyze skill, do you mean delete/remove/uninstall the wyze skill from Alexa, and then add it back in? If/when I do, will I lose all of my Wyze devices in Alexa, and then will they all come back when I relink the skill? I have renamed all these wyze devices in Alexa to make them easier to find and identify as Wyze devices, amidst the full list of ll devices in Alexa, so I assume that they will all come back in with their names from the Wyze app, and I will need to rename them again?

Will all the Alexa routines that reference Wyze devices disappear, or will they still be there but broken because the Wyze devices they reference all disappeared when unlinking the skill, so I assume I will need to recreate all the routines over again?

95

Unlink? Yes.
Will you lose all of my Wyze devices? No. None.
Will they all come back? Yes, but they didn’t leave.
Yes, they will retain their names same as the Wyze app.
Unlinking the account is nearly nothing.
The “devasatation” regarding losing devices would occur if you deleted your Wyze account. Unlinking is not that.
Will all the Alexa routines that reference Wyze devices disappear. No.
Only routines will lose the reference to a device you are using as a trigger IF you delete or reset the device adding it back/again to Wyze. After a deleted or re-added device is added to the Wyze app/your account, Alexa will treat it like a new device. In a routine, you will need to select device again to establish it as a trigger.

This one, in your mailbox, I encourage you to delete it from Alexa, (Not Wyze app) first, Wait about five minutes and perform a “Alexa, Discover Devices”, Alexa will likely find it, EVEN THOUGH she will likely also report, NOT finding any new devices, but it will be there in the device list, with the name from Wyze app, with a little green dot. You do not need to recreate the routines again.

I often rename devices from the parent app Wyze, Sonoff, Third Reality, Flic, several. And usually before I can get over to the Alexa Device list, Alexa has recognized the change and changed its name there too. This usually holds true (one free automatic rename) every few days shows up in Alexa. Another rename soon after the first rename usually simply doesn’t occur. I would rate the name changes in Alexa from whatever app, 80% of the time.

Not that anyone cares, but I have 140+ IoT device in Alexa and bump against the 200 routine limit weekly, having to delete something to create a new one.

96

I went to unlink and relink the Wyze skill within the Alexa app, but could not find it in the list of installed skills.

So I searched for it to install it, and when I found it, it said “The link between accounts has expired. To continue using Wyze with Alexa, click Enable to Use and link your accounts again”.

So Alexa had unlinked it, probably when it stopped working.

Once I enabled the Wyze skill again, then the sensor announcement started working, without having to do anything else.

My camera motion announcement routines are working again too. Some time ago, I removed the action to show the camera from these routines, so I don’t know if they would start showing again after re-enabling the Wyze skill.

If anyone else is having issues, then the first thing to look for is if the Wyze skill has “expired” and been unlinked without you knowing it.

1 Like
97

That’s good news. Sort of what we thought would help, eh? In another thread a few months ago, we discussed how sometimes the certificate between the linking had expired. And had to be enabled again via a link.

During that thread discussion, we asked if an note or indicator could be added in our profile or on the main forum page to remind us to unlink and relink to insure the skill continues to work. I’ve seen nothing on this request since we asked for it. Wonder what happened about that?

98

I have an update. My Shows are holding the Wyze camera image/view longer now than they were before. (If I don’t use this little trick, the Show goes to its home screen in about 10 minutes.) What did I do make this work?

I’ve noticed just recently that if I touch the Show’s screen to “zoom” in, even just a smidgen - even just ever so slightly, that the view will hold longer. Let me try explaining that again. 1) Camera view comes up. 2) using thumb and finger, zoom in/expand the closeup view even barely. 3) The camera’s view is staying up for 60 minutes until my next hourly routine or I send a action command to move to another camera.

In case you are not going back and reading all the posts in this thread, just let me summarize. I am using the Echo Show 5 and 8 1st gen. I can not consistently get the Show 2nd gen bring up a camera view in full screen. This update above applies to (in my experience) 1st gen only.

I don’t know if this has been the behavior all long or recently. I think because the firmware on the camera and the Show’s software update from Amazon are beyond our control to even track the changes, we simply are lucky if this stays the same way. But its working right now.