rpi-WeMo

Setting up your Raspberry Pi GPIO's to be controlled with Amazon Alexa using the WeMo Emulation Server

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1- Install the alexa-raspberry (WeMo Emulation Server for Alexa)

• 1.1- Install npm at the Pi

$ sudo apt-get install npm

• 1.2- Install the alexa-raspberry npm

$ sudo npm install alexa-raspberry -g

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2 - Clone this repository

$ git clone https://github.com/fejao/rpi-WeMo.git

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3- Example on how to install:

After a couple of open issues, here is all the steps to run at your pi

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4 - Set your LED's

Here are the schematics that I used to set my one.

The GPIO's that I'm using is:

• 17 Yellow LED

• 18 Blue LED

• 22 Red LED

• 23 Green LED

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5 - Customizing

• 5.1- gpio-set.py Script

The script can have such input:

$ ./gpio-set.py [-h] [-v] [-s SET_LED] [-g GPIO_NUM] [-c COLOR_NAME]

With optional arguments:

• -h, --help
  • show help message and exit
• -v, --verbose
  • increase output verbosity
• -s SET, --set SET
  • Set the GPIO ('on', 'off'), default: off
• -g GPIO_NUM, --gpio-num GPIO_NUM
  • Number for the GPIO input, default: 18
• -c COLOR_NAME, --color-name COLOR_NAME
  • Color name: 'blue', 'green', 'red' and 'yellow'

The default GPIO is set to be use the 18, you can change this at the script over the global variable DEFAULT_GPIO

DEFAULT_GPIO = <YOUR_DEFAULT_GPIO>

• 5.1.1- Examples

For example to turn on the 17 GPIO you should run:

$ ./gpio-set.py -s on -g 17

And to turn off the 23 GPIO you should run:

$ ./gpio-set.py -s off -g 23

• 5.2- wemo-devices.json File

Feel free to use different GPIO's, just don't forget to update the devices.json file and change from: You can change the file to use your own command:

{
    "<YOUR_COMMAND_NAME_HERE>":{
      "oncommand": "./gpio-set.py -s on -g <YOUR_GPIO_NUMBER> -v"
      "offcommand": "./gpio-set.py -s off -g <YOUR_GPIO_NUMBER> -v"
    }
}

For example, to use the command as Test LED using the 22 GPIO you should use as:

{
    "Test LED":{
      "oncommand": "./gpio-set.py -s on -g 22 -v"
      "offcommand": "./gpio-set.py -s off -g 22 -v"
    }
}

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6 - Start the Server

• 6.1- Starting the Server manually

To start the alexa-raspberry server, please run it at the same directory that you have your .json configuration file. For example, using the wemo-devices.json from this repository:

$ cd rpi-WeMo

$ ls -la
  drwxr-xr-x  4 pi pi  4096 May  5 14:41 .
  drwxr-xr-x 18 pi pi  4096 May  5 14:45 ..
  drwxr-xr-x  8 pi pi  4096 May  5 14:41 .git
  -rw-r--r--  1 pi pi 35141 May  5 14:41 LICENSE.md
  -rw-r--r--  1 pi pi  4263 May  5 14:41 README.md
  -rwxr-xr-x  1 pi pi  2577 May  5 14:41 gpio-set.py
  drwxr-xr-x  2 pi pi  4096 May  5 14:41 pics
  -rwxr-xr-x  1 pi pi   516 May  5 14:41 wemo-devices.json

$ alexa-raspberry wemo-devices.json

• 6.2- Start at Boot

You could also add it to the startup of the system creating a systemd file.

• 6.2.1- Create a systemd file

  Create the file

  $ sudo nano /lib/systemd/system/alexawemo.service
  

- #### 6.2.2- Add content to the file
  Please don't forget to check that your **WorkingDirectory** is the address from where you have your configuration file, for example:

  ```
  [Unit]
  Description=Alexa Wemo emulation server for RaspberryPi
  After=network.target

  [Service]
  #WorkingDirectory=<LOCATION_OF_wemo-devices.json_AND_gpio-set.py_FILE>
  WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/rpi-WeMo
  ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/alexa-raspberry wemo-devices.json
  Restart=always
  RestartSec=10
  StandardOutput=syslog
  StandardError=syslog
  SyslogIdentifier=Alexa-Raspberry

  [Install]
  WantedBy=multi-user.target system start
  WantedBy = multi-user.target
  ```

• 6.2.3- Enable the service

  In order to use every single restart, it is needed to enable the service

  $ sudo systemctl enable alexawemo.service
  

• 6.2.4- Start the service

  For running the service you can use the regular systemd command from now on, for example:

  $ sudo systemctl start alexawemo.service
  

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6 - Add devices to Alexa

Just ask Alexa it to look for new devices, like:

Alexa, search for devices

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7 - Use it

Set the command to Alexa:

Alexa, turn on Blue LED

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8 - Video using it

Sorry for my german :P