Amazon Alexa voice control FAQ
This topic is also available in German (deutsche).
Q: How do I connect an Amazon Alexa device to my Control4 Smart Home?
A: Read the setup instructions here or watch the "Connecting Amazon Echo to Control4" video to learn how to connect your Amazon Alexa device to your Control4 Smart Home.
Q: What Amazon Alexa devices will work with my Control4 Smart Home?
A: The Echo Dot (including 3rd Gen), Echo (including 2nd Gen), Echo Plus (including 2nd Gen), Echo Spot, Echo Show (including 2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Cube.
Q: Do all Control4 systems work with Alexa devices?
A: You need a 4Sight subscription for your Control4 system to work with Alexa. Also, the system must be running Control4 OS 2.8.2 or greater.
Q: In what countries can I use the Control4 Smart Home Skill?
A: You can use the Control4 Smart Home Skill in Australia, Austria, Canada (English and French), England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, and the US.
Q: If I don’t already have an Amazon account, where do I go to create one?
A: Create an Amazon account at your region-specific Amazon site, listed below. Or, if you have an account already, you can change your country settings in your Amazon account settings.
| Country | Website |
| Australia | alexa.amazon.com.au |
| Austria | alexa.amazon.de |
| Canada | alexa.amazon.ca |
| England | alexa.amazon.co.uk |
| France | alexa.amazon.fr |
| Germany | alexa.amazon.de |
| India | alexa.amazon.in |
| Ireland | alexa.amazon.co.uk |
| Italy | alexa.amazon.it |
| Mexico | alexa.amazon.com.mx |
| New Zealand | alexa.amazon.com.au |
| Scotland | alexa.amazon.co.uk |
| Spain | alexa.amazon.es |
| US | alexa.amazon.com |
Q: What devices in my Control4 Smart Home will I be able to control using voice commands?
A: Initially, you can use voice commands for all your lights, lighting scenes, thermostats, locks, ceiling fans, room volume, and video devices. You can control more items in your house by contacting your Smart Home Pro to set up whole-home scenes for you.
Q: Can I change the name of my device or scene for easier voice control?
A: Yes. Log in to customer.control4.com and select Amazon Alexa under Automation. Here you can edit the device name for voice control. This will change the name for only voice control—all your touch screens, TV on-screen interfaces, and Control4 apps for your mobile devices will display the original name. Details on this process can be found here. Note: Devices with a possible duplicate name are marked with a warning Icon.
Q: What voice commands can I use with my Control4 Smart Home?
A: To get a personalized list of commands you can use with your system, log in to customer.control4.com and select View Voice Commands in the Amazon Alexa section. Below is a sample of the general commands you can use:
| Lights |
|
Alexa, turn on Kitchen Lights
|
| Thermostats |
| Alexa, set Upstairs Thermostat to 72 degrees
Alexa, increase Upstairs Thermostat by 3 degrees Alexa, decrease Upstairs Thermostat by 2 degrees |
| Scenes |
| Alexa, turn on House
Alexa, turn off House |
| Video devices |
| Alexa, turn on Living DVD
Alexa, turn off Living DVD Alexa, play on Living DVD Alexa, pause on Living DVD Alexa, play next on Living DVD Alexa, play previous on Living DVD |
Q: Why are the changes I made on customer.control4.com not showing up in the Alexa app?
A: After saving the changes on customer.control4.com, you need to ask Alexa to discover devices for them to be available in your Alexa app.
Q: I disabled a device on customer.control4.com and asked Alexa to discover devices, but the disabled device is still showing in the Alexa app as offline. How do I get this removed from the Alexa app?
A: Go into the Alexa app, disable the device, and ask Alexa to discover devices again.
Q: Are there any tips on naming devices or scenes?
A: It is best to use simple one- or two-word descriptions using house and room names where appropriate. For example: Dining Light, Office Lamps, All Lights, House, Upstairs Thermostat, Accent Lights, and Master Lights.
Q: What names of devices or scenes should I not use?
A: Do not use numbers in device names like Kitchen 1 Light. Make sure each device and scene name is unique to your system and all names are spelled correctly. Avoid using On or Off as part of the device or scene name.
Q: Can I use more than one Alexa device with my Control4 System?
A: Yes, they will all be able to accept the same voice commands, but it is preferable to have them separated so that they do not hear the same voice commands.
Q: How does auto mode on the Control4 thermostat work with Alexa?
A: The Control4 thermostat has both a heat and a cool set point. When you ask Alexa to increase the temperature by two degrees or set the temperature to 72 degrees while in Auto mode, the Control4 thermostat will do the following:
- If it is currently cooling the house, it will change the cool set point and check the heat set point to see if it needs to be adjusted.
- If it is currently heating the house, it will change the heat set point and check the cool set point to see if it needs to be adjusted.
Q: I created a lighting scene on my touch screen and everything worked. I then added another device to the lighting scene. Now, when I turn on the scene the added device turns on, but when I turn off the scene the added device does not turn off. How do I fix this?
A: If you add a device after you create a lighting scene, you will also need to add the device to the toggle lighting scene to have it turn off.
Go back to Control4 interface basics.
