node-red-contrib-alexa-home

Transform your Node-RED flows into Alexa-compatible smart home devices - No cloud services required!

This Node-RED package creates a local Philips Hue bridge emulation that allows Amazon Alexa devices to discover and control your Node-RED flows directly within your local network. Perfect for home automation, IoT projects, and custom smart home solutions.

✨ Key Features

• 🏠 Local Network Only - No cloud dependencies or external services
• 🔍 Auto-Discovery - Alexa automatically finds your devices via SSDP
• 🎨 Full Color Control - RGB, brightness, and color temperature support
• 🔒 HTTPS/TLS Support - Secure communication with SSL/TLS encryption
• 📱 Multiple Device Types - Lights, switches, dimmers, and color bulbs
• 🌐 Philips Hue API v1/v2 - Compatible with modern Alexa requirements
• 🔧 Enhanced Validation - Robust error handling and input validation

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Option 1: Node-RED Palette Manager

1. Open Node-RED editor
2. Go to Menu → Manage Palette → Install
3. Search for node-red-contrib-alexa-home
4. Click Install

Option 2: npm Command Line

npm install node-red-contrib-alexa-home

Basic Setup

1. Add Controller Node: Drag the alexa-home-controller node to your flow
2. Configure Port: Set port to 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS) for Alexa compatibility
3. Add Device Nodes: Add alexa-home nodes for each device you want to control
4. Deploy Flow: Deploy your flow and wait for Alexa to discover devices
5. Discover Devices: Say "Alexa, discover devices" or use the Alexa app

Example Flow

[{"id":"controller1","type":"alexa-home-controller","name":"Alexa Hub","port":"80"},
 {"id":"light1","type":"alexa-home","controller":"controller1","devicename":"Living Room Light","devicetype":"Extended color light"}]

⚙️ Configuration

Alexa Generation 3+ Compatibility

Modern Alexa devices require communication on standard ports:

• Port 80 for HTTP communication
• Port 443 for HTTPS communication

Choose one of these setup methods:

Node Configuration

The easiest way to configure the Alexa Home Controller is through the Node-RED interface:

alexa-home-controller Node Settings

Basic Configuration:

• Name: Custom name for the controller node
• Port: Web server port (default: 60000)
• Max Items: Maximum number of devices to expose to Alexa

Server Options:

• Use Node-RED Server: ✅ Recommended - Reuses Node-RED's existing web server

  • Automatically detects Node-RED's port and configuration
  • No separate web server process needed
  • Inherits Node-RED's security settings
  • Simpler deployment and maintenance

• Standalone Server: Creates a separate web server instance

  • Useful when Node-RED runs on non-standard ports
  • Allows independent HTTPS configuration
  • Required for custom SSL certificate setup

HTTPS Configuration (Standalone Server only):

• Use HTTPS: Enable secure communication
• Certificate Path: Path to SSL certificate file (.pem, .crt)
• Private Key Path: Path to SSL private key file (.key)
• CA Bundle Path: Optional Certificate Authority bundle file

alexa-home Device Settings

Device Configuration:

• Device Name: Name that Alexa will recognize (e.g., "Living Room Light")
• Device Type: Choose device capabilities:
  • Extended color light: Full RGB color and brightness control
  • Dimmable light: Brightness control only
  • Color light: Color and brightness control
  • On/Off plug-in unit: Simple switch functionality
• Input Trigger: Allow input messages to update device state

Port Requirements for Alexa

⚠️ Important: Alexa Generation 3+ devices require communication on standard ports:

• Port 80 for HTTP
• Port 443 for HTTPS

Recommended Solution: Use the "Use Node-RED Server" option and configure Node-RED itself to run on port 80 or 443.

Alternative Solutions: For advanced setups involving environment variables, iptables port forwarding, or reverse proxy configurations, see the Advanced Setup Guide.

alexa-home Device Settings

Device Configuration:

• Device Name: Name that Alexa will recognize (e.g., "Living Room Light")
• Device Type: Choose device capabilities:
  • Extended color light: Full RGB color and brightness control
  • Dimmable light: Brightness control only
  • Color light: Color and brightness control
  • On/Off plug-in unit: Simple switch functionality
• Input Trigger: Allow input messages to update device state

Configuration Restrictions

⚠️ Important Limitations:

• "Use Node-RED Server" and "HTTPS Configuration" are mutually exclusive
  • When using Node-RED's server: Configure HTTPS at the Node-RED application level
  • When using standalone server: Configure HTTPS directly in the controller node
• Port 80/443 may require elevated privileges when using standalone server mode
• Certificate files must be readable by the Node-RED process

📡 Message API

Output Message Properties

When Alexa interacts with your devices, the following message properties are generated:

Input Message Format

Send commands to your devices using these payload formats:

On/Off Control

msg.payload = { on: true };  // Turn on
msg.payload = { on: false }; // Turn off
// Or simple values
msg.payload = "on";   // Turn on
msg.payload = "off";  // Turn off
msg.payload = 1;      // Turn on
msg.payload = 0;      // Turn off

Brightness Control

msg.payload = { bri: 128 };     // Set brightness (0-254)
msg.payload = { bri: 254, on: true }; // Full brightness and on

Color Control

msg.payload = { xy: [0.675, 0.322] };  // Set color (CIE XY coordinates)
msg.payload = {
  xy: [0.675, 0.322],
  bri: 200,
  on: true
}; // Color with brightness

Combined Commands

msg.payload = {
  on: true,
  bri: 180,
  xy: [0.4, 0.5]
}; // Turn on with specific brightness and color

Advanced Features

Input Passthrough

By default, input messages don't generate output to prevent feedback loops. To enable passthrough:

msg.output = true; // Allow input to pass through as output

📚 Examples

The examples/ directory contains ready-to-use Node-RED flows demonstrating various use cases. Each example includes detailed documentation and can be imported directly into your Node-RED instance.

🔸 Basic Smart Lighting (basic-smart-lighting.json)

Perfect for beginners - demonstrates:

• Simple on/off control
• Brightness adjustment
• Basic color control
• MQTT integration

Voice Commands:

• "Alexa, turn on the living room light"
• "Alexa, set the kitchen light to 50 percent"
• "Alexa, turn the bedroom light red"

🔸 Advanced Color Scenes (advanced-color-scenes.json)

Professional color control featuring:

• CIE XY color space validation
• RGB hex color output
• Predefined color presets
• Scene-based lighting (movie, party, relax, work)

Voice Commands:

• "Alexa, set RGB strip to red"
• "Alexa, activate movie scene"
• "Alexa, turn on party scene"

🔸 Multi-Device Integration (multi-device-integration.json)

Comprehensive smart home ecosystem with:

• Multiple device types
• Scene coordination
• Advanced automation
• MQTT and HTTP integration

📖 How to Use Examples

1. Download: Save the JSON file from the examples/ directory
2. Import: In Node-RED, go to Menu → Import → Select file/paste JSON
3. Configure: Update device names, MQTT brokers, and other settings as needed
4. Deploy: Deploy the flow and discover devices with Alexa
5. Test: Use the provided voice commands to test functionality

For detailed documentation of each example, see the examples/README.md file.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Alexa Can't Discover Devices

1. Check Port Configuration: Ensure you're using port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS)
2. Verify Network: Alexa and Node-RED must be on the same network
3. Firewall Settings: Allow traffic on the configured port
4. SSDP Service: Ensure SSDP is running (automatic with controller node)
5. Device Limits: Check if you've exceeded the maximum devices limit

Devices Not Responding

1. Controller Status: Verify the controller node shows "Connected"
2. Device Registration: Ensure devices are properly registered with controller
3. Message Flow: Check debug nodes for incoming/outgoing messages
4. Error Logs: Monitor Node-RED logs for error messages

HTTPS/TLS Issues

1. Certificate Validity: Ensure SSL certificates are valid and readable
2. File Permissions: Verify Node-RED can read certificate files
3. Path Configuration: Double-check certificate and key file paths
4. Port Privileges: Running on port 443 may require elevated privileges

Debug Tips

1. Enable Debug Nodes: Add debug nodes to monitor message flow
2. Check Controller Logs: Monitor Node-RED logs for detailed error information
3. Network Analysis: Use tools like Wireshark to analyze SSDP traffic
4. Alexa App: Check device status in the Alexa mobile app

Performance Optimization

• Device Limits: Keep device count reasonable (recommended: <50 devices)
• Response Time: Ensure fast response times for better Alexa experience
• Resource Usage: Monitor Node-RED memory and CPU usage
• Network Latency: Minimize network delays for responsive control

🏗️ Technical Details

Architecture

• SSDP Discovery: Uses Simple Service Discovery Protocol for device discovery
• Hue API Emulation: Emulates Philips Hue Bridge API v1 and v2
• Express.js Server: Built-in web server for handling Alexa requests
• Template Engine: Flexible template system for API responses

Supported Alexa Features

• ✅ Device discovery via "discover devices" command
• ✅ On/off control
• ✅ Brightness/dimming control
• ✅ Color control (RGB, XY coordinates)
• ✅ Device state synchronization
• ✅ Multiple device types
• ✅ Scene support (through device grouping)

Network Requirements

• Same Network: Alexa and Node-RED must be on the same local network
• Multicast Support: Network must support multicast for SSDP discovery
• Port Access: HTTP (80) or HTTPS (443) port access required
• IPv4: Currently supports IPv4 networks only

API Compatibility

• Philips Hue API v1: Full compatibility for legacy Alexa devices
• Philips Hue API v2: Modern API support for newer Alexa devices
• Auto-Detection: Automatically serves appropriate API version

📋 Requirements

• Node.js: >= 18.5.0
• Node-RED: >= 4.0.0
• Network: Local network with multicast support
• Alexa Device: Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, or Alexa-enabled device

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit pull requests for any improvements.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Links

• npm Package
• GitHub Repository
• Node-RED Community
• Issue Tracker