Connecting Loxone to Alexa: all the options

There are four ways to control a Loxone Miniserver with Amazon Alexa: Matter, a hardware bridge on your network, a solution you build yourself with LoxBerry, Node-RED, ioBroker or openHAB, and a cloud service such as MFM Voice. They differ mainly in three respects: who sets it up, who maintains it, and which route the data takes.

The question behind the question

Alexa only understands speech through Amazon. That is true of all four options. So the real question is: how does the command get from Amazon to your Miniserver?

• Through a device on your network. A bridge or a Raspberry Pi receives the command and passes it on inside the house.
• Through a service on the internet. A server receives the command and reaches your Miniserver through Loxone remote access.

Option 1: Matter

Matter is a shared standard for smart home devices. Loxone introduced Matter in September 2023 with Loxone Config 14.4 Beta as an experimental feature and stated at the time that it offered no support for it. You need a Matter-capable controller, for example an Echo device. The manufacturer gives the current status in its release notes.

Option 2: Hardware bridge

A bridge is an additional device that you buy and connect to your network. It translates between Loxone and other systems. The advantage: part of the communication can stay inside the house. The price: one more device that needs space, power and updates.

Option 3: Build it yourself

With LoxBerry, Node-RED, ioBroker or openHAB you build the connection yourself. This is flexible and needs no subscription. You need a Raspberry Pi or a small server, time for the setup, and the willingness to look after updates and faults later on. Often you create a separate virtual input in Loxone Config for each device.

Option 4: Cloud service

A cloud service such as MFM Voice needs no device in your home. You create an account, connect your Miniserver and enable a skill in the Alexa app. Operation and updates are the provider's job. In return, you pay for a subscription, and your commands run through the provider's servers.

Which option suits you?

• You do not want to tinker with or maintain anything: a cloud service.
• You want as much as possible to stay on your own network: build it yourself, or use a bridge that works locally. In that case, MFM Voice is not the right choice.
• You enjoy technology: build it yourself.

For a side-by-side comparison by criteria, see Loxone and Alexa compared.