Control Raspberry Pi using Amazon Echo (Part 2)

Step 5. Start rpi-echo.py automatically

In rpi-echo.py, xxx debugging should be off (Log.setDebug(False))

rpi-echo.py can start automatically using systemd

$ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dumbo25/Control-Raspberry-Pi-with-Alexa/master/rpi-echo.service

$ sudo chown root:root rpi-echo.service

$ sudo cp rpi-echo.service /lib/systemd/system/.

Step 6. Check if the service is running

After any changes to the service, run these commands:

$ sudo systemctl enable rpi-echo.service

$ sudo systemctl start rpi-echo.service

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload

$ ps aux | grep rpi-echo

There should be two items for rpi-echo

Ensure it works after reboot

$ sudo reboot

log back in using ssh

$ ps aux | grep rpi-echo

Here are some other ways to ensure the rpi-echo.service in systemd is enabled and running:

$ systemctl list-unit-files | grep enabled | grep rpi-echo

$ systemctl | grep running | grep rpi-echo

$ systemctl status rpi-echo.service -l

If there are any issues with starting the script using systemd, then examine the journal using:

$ sudo journalctl -u rpi-echo.service

$ cat rpi-echo.log

Step 7. Tell Alexa or Echo about the new device

Tell echo/alexa to discover new devices

Say, Alexa, turn <device> <command>

References:

• IOT-Pi3-Alexa-Automation

• Control Raspberry Pi GPIO using Amazon Echo

• Control Raspberry Pi GPIO With Amazon Echo and Python

• PyPi fauxmo module

• MakerMusings fauxmo

• PyPi ouimeaux module

Debugging:

In rpi-echo.py, debugging should be on (Log.setDebug(True)), or leave it False

Open a second terminal window and cat the log file

$ cd ~/.

$ cat rpi-echo.log

Notes (and general complaining):

This problem has been solved a couple of different ways. Here are two approaches to controlling a Raspberry Pi using Alexa:

• • • Create an Alexa skill and publish the skill, which relies on ngrok or serveo

    • Use python fauxmo 1, fauxmo 2 or ouimeaux (pronounced we-mo) module.

Ouimeaux (2013) seems to be the first implementation (2015 for fauxmo).

As of 22MAY2020, the latest version of fauxmo is 0.5.0. I tried using this, and it seems more complicated then it needs to be. For example, the documentation is unclear on how to change the config.json to meet my needs.