Can Alexa Open Curtains? Yes, Here’s How

Integrating smart home technology with voice assistants like Alexa has become increasingly popular. One common question is, “Can Alexa Open Curtains?” The answer is a resounding yes, but it requires specific hardware and setup. This article will guide you through leveraging AWS Lambda to control your curtains with Alexa.

Using AWS Lambda to Bridge Alexa and Your Smart Curtains

While Alexa boasts extensive smart home compatibility, sometimes direct integration with less common devices isn’t available. This is where AWS Lambda, a serverless compute service, comes in. It acts as a bridge, translating Alexa’s commands into instructions your smart curtain motor understands.

Amazon provides excellent documentation for setting up an AWS account and creating a Lambda function: https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/developing-an-alexa-skill-as-a-lambda-function. This resource guides you through the initial steps of configuring your AWS environment for Alexa skill development.

The crucial next step involves writing the Lambda function code to handle communication between Alexa and your curtains. A helpful code example for using Lambda as a proxy for non-SSL servers, provided by Matt on the Amazon Developer Forums, offers a solid foundation: https://forums.developer.amazon.com/questions/8155/how-to-use-aws-lambda-as-a-proxy-for-non-ssl-serve.html.

The core of this solution lies in using Node.js and the http module to send requests to your smart curtain controller. The code maps your Alexa skill’s application ID to the URL of your curtain controller, allowing Alexa to trigger the appropriate action.

var http = require('http');
var URLParser = require('url');

console.log('Loading proxy function');

exports.handler = function (json, context) {
  try {
    var handlers = { 'appId':'url', 'your amazon app id':'http://your router address:5000/' };
    var url = handlers[json.session.application.applicationId];

    if (!url) { context.fail("No url found for application id"); }

    console.log('Trying url')
    console.log(url)

   var parts = URLParser.parse(url);
    var post_data = JSON.stringify(json);

    var post_options = {
      host: parts.hostname,
      port: (parts.port || 80),
      path: parts.path,
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Content-Length': post_data.length
      }
    };

    var req = http.request(post_options,function(res) {
      var body = "";
      res.on('data', function(chunk) { body += chunk; });
      res.on('end', function() {
        context.succeed(JSON.parse(body));
      });
    });

    req.on('error', function(e) {
      context.fail('problem with request: ' + e.message);
   });

   req.write(post_data);
    req.end();
  } catch (e) {
    context.fail("Exception: " + e);
  }
};

A critical adjustment is increasing the Lambda function’s timeout. Smart curtain operations might take several seconds, and the default timeout might be insufficient. Increasing it to 7 seconds ensures the Lambda function doesn’t time out before the curtains complete their action.

Conclusion

By combining AWS Lambda with a well-configured smart home setup, you can seamlessly integrate even less common devices, like smart curtains, with Alexa. This allows for convenient voice-activated control, enhancing the automation and comfort of your home. Remember to consult the provided resources for detailed instructions on setting up your AWS account and configuring your Lambda function.