Crestron Control + Amazon Alexa Voice Recognition for Business

Crestron + Alexa

Crestron and Amazon Alexa Voice Recognition simplify starting meetings and controlling devices within conference rooms. With Alexa for Business, users can leverage voice commands, such as "Alexa, start my meeting."

This integration enables:

• Launching web conferences or presentations.
• Building custom voice skills using the Alexa Skills Kit and Alexa for Business APIs. Further details are available in Amazon's help section: Amazon Help Center.
• Managing Alexa-enabled devices via Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Utilizing shared Alexa devices across multiple meeting spaces.

Example Commands for Alexa:

• "Alexa, turn on the lights."
• "Alexa, set the temperature to cool."
• "Alexa, ask Crestron to lower the shades."
• "Alexa, start my meeting."
• "Alexa, end my meeting."
• "Alexa, turn off the lights."

How do I get started?

Connect Crestron products with Amazon Echo and Alexa through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Console.

Steps:

• Log into the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Console: aws.amazon.com/console/
• Select Alexa for Business to perform the following actions:
  • Connect devices.
  • Enable skills.
  • Create skill groups.
  • Create room profiles.
  • Create rooms.
  • Create conferencing profiles.

[Description of AWS dashboard screenshot: The Amazon Web Services (AWS) dashboard for Alexa for Business shows key metrics like 'Rooms created', 'Shared devices', 'Users invited', and 'Skills enabled'. A 'Getting Started' section provides links to guides for setting up Echo devices, configuring rooms, and enabling skills.]

How do I Connect Alexa enabled Devices?

Follow these steps to connect your Alexa-enabled devices:

• Access the Alexa for Business console from the AWS Dashboard.
• Select the Alexa-enabled shared devices for use with Alexa for Business.
• Register the Alexa-enabled devices to connect to your Wi-Fi® network using the Device Setup Tool.
• Configure room and conferencing profiles, and skill groups.

[Description of AWS 'Shared devices' and 'Device Setup Tool' screenshots: The AWS Alexa for Business console displays the 'Shared devices' page, listing devices with their serial numbers, types, names, assigned rooms, and status. The 'Device Setup Tool' is shown, indicating a device ('Amazon-GDL') is in the process of being registered with Alexa for Business.]

Enable Skills

To enhance your system's capabilities:

• Enable the "Crestron for Smart Home and Conference Room" skill from the Alexa for Business console.
• Link your Alexa for Business account with Crestron's master account.

[Description of AWS 'Skills' and 'Confirm Account Linking' screenshots: The AWS Alexa for Business console's 'Skills' section lists available skills, including the 'Crestron for Smart Home and Conference Room' skill, with options to enable or link accounts. A 'Confirm Account Linking' pop-up explains the necessity of linking accounts to utilize the skill.]

Create Skill Groups

Organize skills for your devices by creating skill groups:

• Select "Skill groups" from the Alexa for Business console.
• Click the "Create skill group" button and provide the necessary information for the new group.
• Navigate back to "Skills" in the Alexa for Business console and open the "Enabled skills" tab.
• Select the checkbox next to the "Crestron for Smart Home and Conference Room" skill and click "Add". The skill will then be enabled for all Alexa-enabled devices associated with that skill group.

[Description of AWS 'Skill groups' and related modals screenshots: The AWS Alexa for Business console's 'Skill groups' section allows for creating and deleting skill groups. A 'Create skill group' modal prompts for a name and description. Another modal, 'Add skill(s) to skill group', facilitates selecting the 'Crestron for Smart Home and Conference Room' skill for assignment.]

Create Room Profiles

Define specific settings for your meeting spaces:

• Select "Room profiles" to create a Room profile within the Alexa for Business console.
• Create distinct room profiles for each location and feature set by entering the relevant information.

[Description of AWS 'Create room profile' screenshot: The AWS Alexa for Business console's 'Create room profile' page allows configuration of profile details such as 'Profile name', 'Address', 'Time zone', and various 'Device settings' including 'Wake word', 'Temperature units', 'Device setup mode', and 'Outbound calling'.]

Create Rooms

Assign devices and configurations to specific physical locations:

• Select "Rooms" from the Alexa for Business console.
• Click "Create room" to input room details, add Echo devices, assign skill groups, and configure room identifiers.

[Description of AWS 'Create room' screenshots: The AWS Alexa for Business console's 'Create room' page is structured into steps: 'Room details', 'Add Echo devices', and 'Add skill groups'. The 'Room details' section requires a 'Room name' and 'Room profile'. The 'Add Echo devices' section lists available devices, such as a registered device with Serial number '90F00718630400DL' of Type 'Echo'.]

Set Up Conferencing Profiles

Configure settings for seamless meeting integration:

• Select "Conferencing" from the Alexa for Business console.
• Add a conferencing provider and edit meeting settings.
• Configure and edit dial-in settings for both PSTN and SIP/H323 connections.

[Description of AWS 'Conference' screenshots: The AWS Alexa for Business console's 'Conference' section, specifically the 'Add provider' page, allows for entering a 'Provider name' and configuring 'Meeting settings' like Meeting ID and Meeting PIN. It also includes sections for 'PSTN dial-in settings' and 'SIP/H323 dial-in settings' to manage conference call connections.]