Voice Monkey (VM) is a free web service that allows you to execute Alexa routines and make announcements on Alexa devices. I’m now using it as an alternative to the Homey Alexa app because it became too unreliable for me. I’m a regular Homey user, no affiliation to VM.
Run an Alexa routine from a Homey flow
- Create an account at https:voicemonkey.io using your Alexa login (the VM developer is at pains to explain the site never gets to see those details)
- Install the Voice Monkey skill in your Alexa account
- Login to VM and use the console to create a ‘Routine trigger’ - this automatically creates a device in your Alexa app with your given name (I prefix all my names with “monkey” to separate them from ‘real’ devices)
- In the Alexa app, find your new device and turn off ‘Doorbell Press Announcements’ - VM devices appear to Alexa as doorbells; it triggers an announcement automatically when your device is ‘pressed’ - which you probably don’t want
- Add an Alexa routine that runs when your new device is pressed
- Test the routine by using the device URL provided in the VM API playground - if you’ve set it up right it will trigger your routine
To invoke your routine from a flow, add a ‘Logic Then’ card that makes a Get request to the device URL like this:
I’ve scrambled the URL so don’t bother trying to use it.
The paranoid might be concerned that the full request is visible on the internet. You can put the authentication code into a request header so it is protected by https.
You can use the above to do anything that an Alexa routine can do - including operating devices that are supported by Alexa but not Homey.
You cannot, however, use VM to get information from Alexa or Alexa-attached devices.
Using Alexa as a speaker or display
I’ve not bothered with this because I can do everything I want to do - including announcements - using an Alexa routine. There is a different VM ‘Announcement’ API that allows you to:
- Use dynamic text
- Use a different voice
- Provide a language code
- Send a video
More details here.
Note to moderators: Jamie Peake suggested I create a separate topic for Voice Monkey rather than use the Alexa App forum.
