Wyze HMS and Alexa

Services & Integrations
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Is Wyze still planning on integrating HMS with the Alexa app?

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Everyone is still waiting on Alexa…it’s not just Wyze either. There are several companies that setup to integrate with Alexa Guard Plus, but Alexa went through major downsizing recently, so between the pandemic delays and now their downsizing, the Alexa team still haven’t gotten around to it, but they still show on their Alexa Guard Plus website that they intend to incorporate it:

Guard Plus will work with alarm systems from Abode, Resideo, A3 Smart Home, and Wyze.

Everyone is still just waiting on Alexa to do their side of it.

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Another $50 annual subscription for the privilege of it working with Alexa Voice Commands. I’m just waiting for the annual “IoT Integration” Alexa subscription that places all IoT device Skill integrations behind an Alexa Pay Wall.

But, no worries here. I’m not paying them a dime extra beyond Prime and I have been arming and disarming my HMS with Alexa Voice Commands for well over a year.

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It does. You can have it do routines based on when sensors open/close, etc. I have all my Echo devices announce whenever someone opens the gates to my swimming pool, for example. And it announces on my office speaker when my garage opens. So, Alexa does work with the hub and sensors already.

What I was talking about above is the ability for Alexa to control the Armed/Disarmed status of the HMS itself. Wyze and Alexa worked out a partnership for this, but it seems Alexa has been slow to add it because most of the other companies are also still waiting for Guard Plus support. Alexa won’t allow Security system control natively for free unless you’re a tinkerer like @SlabSlayer and do ingenious workarounds. There are ways to do it…at least for sure there are ways to do it with Android. I am not sure about iOS because they are not as friendly when it comes to personalization type of apps similar to Tasker, MacroDroid, etc. But you might be able to set something up in a similar way, such as have Alexa set off their own sirens if a contact sensor is open during a certain schedule. Or SlabSlayer showed me a really smart way to create virtual switches that show up in Alexa, so I bet you could set up a virtual switch that turns on or off based on when your HMS is armed or disarmed, and then Tell Alexa to do something based on that status.

There are all sorts of options…but the direct integration Wyze was talking about with Alexa Guard Plus is currently in limbo until Alexa finally turns it on. You can use some things with the free Alexa Guard stuff without the plus, but it’s fairly limited.

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Yeah, that’s always been a “coming soon”…and updated to “coming eventually”…and is now in a status of “coming if Alexa gets around to it” status :joy: Alexa has gone through some struggles lately and huge downsizing…but I think they’re crazy not to prioritize it. If they’re losing money, you’d think they’d prioritize things that would add subscription income for them so they start earning money. :man_shrugging:

I mean, I won’t pay a subscription for it, but I know a lot of people who would.

Come to think of it, you could actually do it all right now with Alexa through Home Assistant. Home Assistant can control the Wyze HMS service, and you can integrate Alexa with Home Assistant, so it would certainly be possible to set it up to have Alexa control the HMS for free right now with the right programming. :thinking: I wonder if we can convince someone to do a walkthrough on that. I know BSAT on Discord does some things like that.

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how are you doing it?

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It requires a couple things:

  1. Android Phone running MacroDroid App.
  2. 3 Wyze Plugs.
  3. 3 Wyze Cams subscribed to Cam Plus.

Each mode uses a different plug and cam combo. The plugs have nothing plugged into them. They are merely acting as relay smart switches since Alexa and Wyze can both use them for triggers and actions.

To achieve any given mode: Home, Away or Disarmed… The following is needed for each mode:

  1. Alexa Routine with custom verbal trigger phrase "Alexa, HMS to XYZ Mode. (I use a very special phrase only known by me that someone else wouldn’t be able to replicate). Routine actions Wyze plug A to turn on. (*See Note)
  2. Wyze Rule: When Plug A Turns on, Cam A uploads a short video to the cloud.
  3. MacroDroid Macro monitors all incoming notifications. When it matches the specific text “Smart Alert Detected on Cam A”, it executes a macro that: wakes up my phone, locks screen in portrait, enters my unlock code, opens Wyze App, opens Monitoring Tab, presses appropriate Home, Away, or Disarm button, closes App, locks phone. (This is the hard bit to program as phones all act different. Timing is everything)
  4. Wyze Rule: HMS state change to XYZ Mode turns off Plug A.
  5. Alexa Routine: When Plug A is turned Off, Announce on all devices “HMS Has been set to XYZ Mode”

NOTE: The Wyze Rule to upload a video from a cam when the plug turns on is only to get the Wyze Smart Alert Push Notification to trigger MacroDroid. I tried using Alexa Notifications in routines triggered by the Wyze Plug turning on, however I found Alexa Push Notifications to be extremely unreliable and late. Wyze Push Notifications are much more reliable and much quicker.

Also, the sequence above is a general outline. Each routine and rule I have has other actions it executes within my Smart Home environment with lights, cam notifications, thermostat, etc. I also have rules and macros set to alarm on my phone if any of the HMS Mode Plugs is not turned off within two minutes. This means that something failed to arm or disarm the HMS and it never changed modes and turned off the plug.

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