Good morning everyone! I’ve recently joined the ranks of Amazon Echo owners and I’m absolutely thrilled with the potential it holds for integrating with my existing Vera devices. I’ve noticed that my Echo and Vera are on the same network, which makes me hopeful that I can achieve some level of local control without relying on the cloud.
Here’s what I’m curious about: Is it possible to create a custom Skill for Alexa that allows me to send commands directly to my Vera devices via a local URL? For example, I’d love to say, ‘Alexa, turn on the giant floor lamp,’ and have the Echo trigger a specific URL that controls the device. I’ve tested this with a simple URL in my browser, and it works perfectly, but I want to make it seamless with Alexa.
I’m trying to avoid adding extra hardware like a Raspberry Pi, so I’d prefer a solution that keeps things simple. I’d also like to understand how Alexa handles these commands internally—does it still rely on the cloud, or can it process everything locally? I’m really excited about the possibilities here, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has experience with similar setups or has successfully created a custom Skill for local device control.
If anyone has tips, tutorials, or even just general advice, I’d be grateful! Let’s explore the potential of Alexa’s local control together. 