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Thread: Change the opening name

  1. #1
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    Change the opening name

    So for me, saying " Alexa, Ask Apex Fusion" is a tongue twister, is there a way to edit this part. Like "Alexa Ask Apex",

  2. #2
    Frequent Visitor rkpetersen's Avatar
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    Nope. Amazon currently imposes restrictions on what you can and can't use, and Apex Fusion was the designated phrase. However, you can say 'tell' instead of 'ask'. Actually there are many commands that Alexa will accept that aren't in the standard format. For example, I have a couple of tanks, and the given words to change systems just don't stick in my head. But I can say, 'Alexa, ask Apex Fusion to change tanks' and she understands. It's easiest to just try out different things and stick with what works best.

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    I do a lot with home automation and have for well over a decade. There is a lot in home automation that I just find unreasonable and impractical in matching natural patterns of everyday use. I have been slow to move to Alexa until it made "natural" sense. I made this move 4 months ago as I was excited about the Apex possibilities. I agree, the tongue twist of Alexa Ask Apex Fusion only works for me 1 out of 4 attempts. It is not natural. After 2 weeks of frustratingly trying, its just easier to pull out my phone and use the app! I think this is a cool feature but question if its a practical feature this early in development. I would disagree with those that this is an amazon imposed restriction. For example, I use an ISY home automation controller which has worked with Alexa now for several years to manage my home lighting. I use an ELK home security system controlled by the ISY. To turn on my lights I do not have to say " Alexa ask ISY to turn on the lamps". I simply say, "Alexa turn on the lamps". Additionally I simply Ask Alexa to turn on Security. This is very natural. Now, all this being said, I am just a user. I am not a developer. My hopes is that over time Apex can integrate more naturally to Alexa. It is possible... ISY made it more natural over time as I seem to recall in the earlier days you had Ask Alexa to tell ISY to then do something else!

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    Alexa Guru Joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bkpky View Post
    I would disagree with those that this is an amazon imposed restriction. For example, I use an ISY home automation controller which has worked with Alexa now for several years to manage my home lighting. I use an ELK home security system controlled by the ISY. To turn on my lights I do not have to say " Alexa ask ISY to turn on the lamps". I simply say, "Alexa turn on the lamps". Additionally I simply Ask Alexa to turn on Security.
    In our case, the limitation is with IoT in general. IoT supports switches and outlets, however the concept of "Auto" isn't supported. As soon as you get outside the typical On/Off scenario, we start limiting the capabilities of voice control.

    We wouldn't be able to log test results, give status reports, give reports on individual items like PAR or FLO, and our voice control would be limited by the expansion of supported IoT devices. I'm keeping an eye on IoT and hoping to see some more generic device support added in the future. Until then, this is only other option. Alexa, Google Assistant, and now SiriKit all work like this; a unique invocation name is always required.

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    Good explanation Joe! I had not considered the auto complexity! Using tell instead of ask gets a bit better results. I just wish it were a more simple invocation name like Apex instead of Apex Fusion. I get this might make people think they then do not need the fusion element to make it happen, so maybe "Alexa tell Fusion to turn skimmer to Auto".

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    Alexa Guru Joe's Avatar
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    We can't use "Apex" or "Fusion" because single-word invocation names are not allowed unless it's our own intellectual property. We're stuck with Apex Fusion unless Amazon relaxes the restrictions:

    https://developer.amazon.com/docs/cu...tom-skill.html

    I am waiting for Amazon to release a newer feature from their beta program that supposedly removes the need to say the invocation name. I can't say how the feature will work, or guarantee that it will work at all since I've not seen it in action. If we get lucky and that feature works nicely, either myself or Russ will post an update letting everyone know

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    Alexa Guru Joe's Avatar
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    You can find the types of supported IoT devices at this link under the "What Kinds of Devices are Supported?" section: https://developer.amazon.com/docs/sm...skill-api.html

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    Thanks Joe for what you do! This is ground breaking work in regards to our hobby and I hope my comments did not come across as critical feedback.

  9. #9
    Alexa Guru Joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bkpky View Post
    Thanks Joe for what you do! This is ground breaking work in regards to our hobby and I hope my comments did not come across as critical feedback.
    Of course not! I want this to be as natural as possible just as much as everyone else does. If there are better options in the future, I'll definitely experiment with them. Voice control is still pretty young in the grand scheme of things.

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    I actually got an Alexa the day I saw the Neptune video. Got it all setup and I do love it. It is way quicker to turn on off outlets by the app but if my hands are wet it is very nice to say Alex Tell Apex Fusion to turn off return pump. Did my first set of test logs and I had 1410 Mag and it logged as 10 same with Cal it was 410 and it logged as 10. And it is again easier to pull out the app but there are some very cool things that i see being done with Alexa. Biggest thing would be naming each tank. Alexa Tell me status of Display Tank

  11. #11
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    What may help you is to do what I did and go into the Alexia app and change the wake word to something else that is acceptable . In my case I changed it to Echo as I feel it's a lot easier to say then Alexia. Also before when I had it as Alexia I sometimes would accidentally say Alexis and would become frustrated with it that it wasn't responding til I realized that I was using the wrong name!!

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