Hey everyone! I’m really excited to share my recent project with you. I’ve been diving into OpenHAB and wanted to create a cozy “chill out” routine using my IKEA lights and Spotify. The goal was simple: say “Alexa, chill out time” and have the lights dim to 30% while playing my favorite playlist. Let me walk you through how I made it happen!
First, I knew I needed to connect my Alexa to OpenHAB. I stumbled upon the Alexa Skill for OpenHAB, which was a game-changer. It allowed me to send voice commands to my OpenHAB setup seamlessly. I set up the skill with my OpenHAB instance and tested it with a basic command to turn on a light—success!
Next, I focused on the lighting. My IKEA lights were already integrated into OpenHAB, so I just needed to create a rule that dims them to 30%. I used the OpenHAB rule editor and wrote a simple rule that triggers when the Alexa command is received. It was a bit tricky figuring out the exact syntax, but the OpenHAB community forums were super helpful.
For the music part, I chose Spotify since it’s my go-to music service. I installed the Spotify binding in OpenHAB and configured it with my account details. I created an item in my items file to represent the Spotify player and set up a command to play my predefined “Chill Out” playlist. Testing this was a breeze—Alexa’s voice command now seamlessly transitions my living room into a relaxing oasis.
I also wanted to make sure everything worked smoothly together. I set up a scene in OpenHAB that combines the lighting and music commands into one action. Now, saying “Alexa, chill out time” does it all automatically!
This project was a fantastic way to get more comfortable with OpenHAB and explore its integration capabilities. It’s amazing how much you can automate with the right tools and a bit of patience. If anyone has questions or wants to share their own projects, I’d love to hear about them!
Happy automating! 
