Voice control for older people and people with visual impairments in a Loxone home

Voice control helps wherever an app is hard to use: instead of searching on a screen, you say a sentence. For this to work in everyday life, you need simple names, groups for short commands and routines for questions in your own words. A relative or the installer sets everything up once. After that, nobody needs the app any more.

The MFM Voice skill currently only works with an amazon.de account and Alexa set to German, so voice commands are shown in German with an English gloss in brackets.

What can be done by voice

With MFM Voice, Alexa controls the devices you share from the Miniserver. For example:

• “Alexa, schalte das Wohnzimmerlicht ein.” (Switch on the living room light.)
• “Alexa, fahre die Jalousie herunter.” (Lower the blind.)
• “Alexa, stelle das Bad auf 22 Grad.” (Set the bathroom to 22 degrees.)
• “Alexa, wie ist die Temperatur im Schlafzimmer?” (What is the temperature in the bedroom?)

For these sentences, nobody has to pick up a phone or read a screen.

Simple names

MFM Voice takes devices and rooms from the Miniserver and suggests a voice name based on the room and device. You can change any name in MFM Voice. The Loxone configuration stays unchanged.

Choose the words the person actually uses. Ask them: do they say “Stube” or “Wohnzimmer” (both mean living room)? Do they say “Rollladen” (roller shutter) or “Jalousie” (blind)? A name that matches the way someone already speaks does not have to be learned.

After every change: “Alexa, suche nach neuen Geräten.” (Search for new devices.)

Groups: short commands are enough

In the Alexa app, assign the devices in a room and the Echo device in that room to a group, for example “Wohnzimmer” (living room). In that room, all you then need to say is: “Alexa, Licht an.” (Light on.) There is no need to name the room.

Routines: asking questions naturally

Amazon sets the wording for some questions. With a routine, you choose the sentence yourself. A freely worded question such as “Alexa, wie voll ist die Batterie?” (How full is the battery?) works as soon as a routine has been created for it. In the Alexa app, go to “Mehr” (More), then “Routinen” (Routines).

A routine can contain several actions, so a single sentence is enough for several steps.

Set up once, then no app needed

The setup is a job for someone who is comfortable with apps:

1. Create an MFM Voice account and connect the Miniserver.
2. Select and name the devices.
3. Enable the “MFM Voice” skill in the Alexa app and let Alexa search for devices.
4. Create groups and routines.
5. Try out the most important sentences together.

You need an Amazon account at amazon.de with Alexa set to German, an Echo device and internet at home. No other hardware is required.

What still works without internet

Without internet, voice control does not work. Wall switches, the Loxone app and automation keep working. So voice control is an addition to the switches, not a replacement for them.

What should not be shared for voice control

A voice assistant does not check who is speaking. The rule of thumb is therefore: only share for voice control what a guest in the house would be allowed to switch.

• It is better not to share gates and door openers. There is no PIN prompt.
• The alarm system, the intercom and access by code or NFC cannot be controlled by voice with MFM Voice.

We also recommend a separate user on the Miniserver that only sees the rooms and functions Alexa should control.

All the steps from sign-up to the first command are in the setup guide.