I made Google ask itself, and reply to itself, about whether any sensors are open

I installed sensors on several doors and windows in my house. I often have trouble remembering to check those windows and doors when it’s time to head upstairs to bed to see if they’re still open and need to be closed. So I made a routine for Google Home that has the Google device say, at 9:30 pm each night, “Hey Google, are doors and windows open?” Now, full disclosure: THAT part of the routine always works, and at least it reminds me, or should remind me, to just get out of my recliner and check. And SOMETIMES the routine works as I intended it to: Google will actually answer out loud and tell me which windows or doors (sensors) are open or closed. I don’t know why it works sometimes and other times not. Can anybody replicate this and maybe make it work all the time (if so please tell me how you did it!)?

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It probably works more often if you have a second google speaker within hearing of the broadcaster. If you have an Alexa device or something else like it, you could have it broadcast the comment it will probably work better that way. You could also try to put some kind of pause in the command, so have it say “Hey Google” and then somehow pause for 1 second and then continue with the command. Maybe type in ellipses or something to get it to pause after the “Hey Google” before continuing. At the very least, use a comma or some other punctuation and see if that increases the accuracy.

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Alexa has this ability built in to its routines feature:

This is right, I believe. Seems to me that when my routine does work, the reply comes from a second Google device “within hearing” of the G. Home speaker that starts it off. I don’t want to buy an Alexa device – have spent, i.e, wasted, enough money on “smart” devices already!

Okay, but your current solution is unreliable. Echoes are often about $20. Come to think of it, you should be able to execute this kind of Alexa routine without owning any Amazon products at all…

Customer, do you know for a fact if there is an Alexa skill or routine that would, at a set time of night, poll the Wyze sensors as to their individual status and then report out loud whether any were open? I guess I might cough up $20 if I knew for a certainty that that would work on a consistent basis.

Maybe Test it using the Alexa app on your phone before buying one. I got some Alexa echos for as little as $5 as they go on special or are included with free trials of something routinely. I don’t know how to ask Alexa to check all sensors.

So, if it’s usually another Google that responds, maybe increase the volume a little or turn up the other speaker’s “hey google sensitivity” setting in the audio controls. This will increase how likely it is to accept the trigger and respond. I bet this will increase how often it works.

Might even be able to do it on the web without installing the Alexa app. Some features work that way. I have never installed my Wyze sensors because of the likelihood they will brick after a few months. If carver doesn’t know how to check sensors with Alexa it probably can’t be done. :wink: