Audio trigger question - switch back to previous source

[zaphod]

I have an Echo Dot connected to a C4 4 zone amp in my pool cabana.  I currently use an audio trigger to automatically change to the Echo Dot's input when audio is sensed.  This allows me to start playing music with voice commands without needing to do anything in C4.  I have a ring doorbell and it announces motion and button pushes at my front door through all of my Echo Dots.  This is very useful to have broadcast in the pool area.

But a problem occurs when I am listening to music and the ring triggers an audio event on the Echo Dot when I am listeing to audio from other sources. The active audio source stays on the Echo Dot and does not go back to the previous Audio Devce.

Is there any way to store the Active Audio Device when audio starts being sensed and then reset back to that device. 

Or is there a better way to do this?

 

[dcovach]

Trying using the snapshot driver

[Cyknight]

When doorbird rings
Take snapshot
Start timer doorbell

When timer doorbell expires
load snapshot

The BIG question will be IF there's enough time between Control4 seeing the ring and the echo announcement playing - if there isn't the snapshot will simply save the ring announcement playing and load that...

[alanchow]

You know you can save this via device variables right?  Save a device variable into a variable and then set the device variable afterwards.  This has always been the case with Control4 even since the early OS 1 days.

[Cyknight]

9 minutes ago, alanchow said:

You know you can save this via device variables right?  Save a device variable into a variable and then set the device variable afterwards.  This has always been the case with Control4 even since the early OS 1 days.

Yes, which is easy enough for a single room, but a lot for a whole house.

Still has the same problem regardless.

One option:

 

For each room:

WHEN audio selection changes
IF selected audio is NOT ECHO
 save snapshot

WHEN ring goes
Start timer

WHEN timer expires
Load snapshot

Snapshot itself is just one driver that covers all rooms the announcement plays in

This of course means you're saving (overwriting) a lot of snapshots, but I don';t see it hurting system as such.

 

Note that we're assuming you have the Ring driver from blackwire

[Cyknight]

And yes alternatively if it's one 'room' you could use the device variable, save it to another variable and recall instead of snapshot

[dcovach]

It sounds like the Ring is integrated with Alexa, not C4, and the dots are playing the ring chime or announcements (analogue audio), which over rides whatever audio is playing through the C4 matrix. 

I think the blackwire.com ring events driver is needed but, like @Cyknight said, the snapshot may not save the audio session quick enough before restoring after the timer expires.  @zaphod You can demo that driver if you want.  Give me a shout.

 

[alanchow]

1 hour ago, dcovach said:

It sounds like the Ring is integrated with Alexa, not C4, and the dots are playing the ring chime or announcements (analogue audio), which over rides whatever audio is playing through the C4 matrix. 

I think the blackwire.com ring events driver is needed but, like @Cyknight said, the snapshot may not save the audio session quick enough before restoring after the timer expires.  @zaphod You can demo that driver if you want.  Give me a shout.

 

For my place i just use IFTTT with the announcements agent and that just works for doorbells and motion (motion i use for turning my porch light on).

[Cyknight]

2 hours ago, dcovach said:

It sounds like the Ring is integrated with Alexa, not C4, and the dots are playing the ring chime or announcements (analogue audio), which over rides whatever audio is playing through the C4 matrix. 

Aye, it obviously is, but that doesn't mean it's not ALSO integrated with C4

59 minutes ago, alanchow said:

For my place i just use IFTTT with the announcements agent and that just works for doorbells

Agreed - in general, this method or using the ring driver directly in C4 would make this whole thing a lot easier.

[zaphod]

I do have the Blackwire Ring driver but it has been easier as the Ring announcements through Alexa required no programming.

I guess I should just set up an Announcment agent.  I haven't used the Announcement agents other than playing around a bit.  Where do you download audio files to play?  Or do you record your own?  Or use text to speech? 

[msgreenf]

Any of the above for audio files

[Cyknight]

Basic door bell sounds are available online aplenty, or online text to speech for wave files, or roaring lions, passing helicopters, "Someone's knocking at my door", "Would you ring my Beeeeeeeeehehel", "Jingle Bells".....you get the idea

[msgreenf]

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjlPKu70xbLAhrUhcvtQNkGnWmj32g?e=Z0qcKc

[dcovach]

11 minutes ago, Cyknight said:

Basic door bell sounds are available online aplenty, or online text to speech for wave files, or roaring lions, passing helicopters, "Someone's knocking at my door", "Would you ring my Beeeeeeeeehehel", "Jingle Bells".....you get the idea

Could you post a youtube vid of you singing all of those?

[SMHarman]

For my place i just use IFTTT with the announcements agent and that just works for doorbells and motion (motion i use for turning my porch light on).

Whose IFTT service. I'm looking to add my Blueair purifiers as they have IFTT

[zaphod]

I believe there is a Chowmain IFTTT driver.

[alanchow]

4 hours ago, SMHarman said:

19 hours ago, alanchow said:

For my place i just use IFTTT with the announcements agent and that just works for doorbells and motion (motion i use for turning my porch light on).

Whose IFTT service. I'm looking to add my Blueair purifiers as they have IFTT

We wrote a bi-directional driver for IFTTT a while back.  Here it is

http://www.chowmainsoft.com/ifttt