Get Started with Device Templates


You can connect virtually any type of device to Alexa by using the Smart Home API. You describe your device endpoints and capabilities by using the standard discovery mechanism described in About Alexa Discovery. In your discovery response, you identify the smart home interfaces that each device supports.

To help you get started, review the device templates to find the ones that match your device type. Each template recommends a set of smart home interfaces to implement for the device type. You can modify these recommendations by adding or removing interfaces to suit the needs of your specific device. Every template includes the required top-level Alexa interface and recommends that you implement the Alexa.EndpointHealth interface to report the health of your device to Alexa. Also, each template recommends a display category. The display category determines the icon and placement of your device in the Alexa app.

For more details about Smart Home skills, see Understand the Smart Home Skills. For more details about required interfaces for Works with Alexa (WWA) certification, see Requirements for Specific Device Types.

Air conditioner (AC) unit

Users can interact with an air conditioner by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, set the AC to twenty-five degrees for four hours.
Alexa, make it cooler in here.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use AIR_CONDITIONER as the display category and implement the following interfaces. If your air conditioner has a fan setting that blows cold air at different speeds, you can also implement the Alexa.RangeController interface. For an example discovery response, see discover response example for an air conditioner.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

No

Alexa.ThermostatController

Users can control a device that controls temperature.

Yes

Alexa.TemperatureSensor

The device senses and reports temperature.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Air purifier

Users can interact with an air purifier by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Air Purifier.
Alexa, turn off the Air Purifier.
Alexa, set the fan speed of my Air Purifier to seven.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use AIR_PURIFIER as the display category and implement the following interfaces. If your air purifier has a fan setting that blows air at different speeds or has different mode settings, you can also implement the Alexa.Alexa.RangeController or Alexa.ModeControllerinterface.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor or Alexa.InventoryLevelUsageSensor

Your skill reports the amount of a consumable remaining in your device or the approximate usage of a consumable installed in your device.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Air quality monitor

With an air quality monitor, users can track and measure temperature, humidity, and particulate matter in the area.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use AIR_QUALITY_MONITOR and TEMPERATURE_SENSOR as the display category values and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.TemperatureSensor

The device senses and reports temperature.

No

Alexa.RangeController
(range of values)

Create range controllers to report air quality and humidity measurements.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Blinds or shades

In addition to the pre-built voice-interaction model, you can use semantics to enable additional utterances. The blinds in this example use semantics with a mode controller so the user can say "open", "close", "raise", and "lower" to control the blinds. For details, see the semantics object.

Users can interact with the blinds in this example by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, open the blinds.
Alexa, close the blinds.
Alexa, raise the blinds.
Alexa, lower the blinds.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use INTERIOR_BLIND or EXTERIOR_BLIND as the display category.

If your blinds can raise and lower to a range of positions, Amazon recommends that you implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response, see example with semantics for blinds.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ToggleController
(open and close)

Create a toggle controller named Blind.Control so that the user can open and close the blinds.

Yes

Alexa.RangeController
(range of positions)

Create a range controller named Blind.Lift so the user can control height of the blinds. For example, range deltas of positive and negative 10 raise and lower the blinds.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

If your blinds only fully open and fully close, Amazon recommends that you implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response, see example with semantics for blinds.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ModeController
(open and close)

Create a mode controller named Blinds.Position, with modes named Position.Up (open) and Position.Down (close) so the user can open and close the blinds.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Camera

Users can interact with a camera by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, talk to my front door camera.
Alexa, show the last activity at my front door.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use CAMERA as the display category and implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response that includes support for these interfaces, see discovery response example for a camera that supports pan, tilt, and zoom.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.CameraStreamController

Users can view the camera stream.

Yes

Alexa.RTCSessionController

Users can communicate remotely with the camera.

No

Alexa.RangeController
(pan)

If the camera can physically pan left and right, create a range controller named Camera.Pan so the user can pan the camera view.

No

Alexa.RangeController
(tilt)

If the camera can physically tilt up and down, create a range controller named Camera.Tilt so the user can tilt the camera view.

No

Alexa.RangeController
(zoom)

If the camera can physically zoom in and out, create a range controller named Camera.Zoom so the user can zoom the camera view.

No

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor

Your skill reports the amount of battery remaining in your device. Required for battery-powered cameras only.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Clothes dryer

Users can interact with a washing machine by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, what's the current dryer cycle?
Alexa, set the dryer temperature on the dryer to normal.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use DRYER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ToggleController or Alexa.PowerController

Users can start and stop the dryer.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(dryer cycles)

Create a Dryer.CurrentDryerCycle mode controller that defines the types of dryer cycles, such as drying, cool down, and completed, that your dryer supports.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(temperature settings)

Create a Dryer.Temperature mode controller that defines the dryer temperature settings.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(lint trap)

Create a Dryer.LintTrap mode controller that defines the how much lint is in the trap.

No

Alexa.ProactiveNotificationSource

Enable notifications to the customer, such as Your dryer is done or Your dryer's lint trap is full.

No

Alexa.InventoryUsageSensor

Report the usage of a consumable product installed in your device, such as detergent pods or fabric softener.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Color-changing light bulb

Users can interact with a color-changing light bulb by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Living Room Light.
Alexa, set the Living Room Light to blue.
Alexa, set the Living Room Light to fifty percent.
Alexa, make the Living Room Light warm white.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use LIGHT as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.ColorController

Users can control the color of the light.

No

Alexa.BrightnessController

Users can control the brightness of the light.

No

Alexa.ColorTemperatureController

Users can control the color temperature of the light.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Contact sensor

Users can interact with a contact sensor by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, is the bedroom window open?

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use CONTACT_SENSOR as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ContactSensor

Your contact-sensor device reports when a window or door is open or closed.

Yes

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor

Your contact-sensor device reports the amount of battery remaining in your device. Required for battery-powered contact sensors only.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Dimmable light bulb

Users can interact with a light bulb that can be dimmed by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Kitchen Light.
Alexa, set the Kitchen Light to eighty percent.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use LIGHT as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.BrightnessController

Users can control the brightness of the light.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Dimmer switch

Users can interact with a dimmer switch by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Bedroom Light.
Alexa, set the Bedroom Light to twenty percent.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SWITCH as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.BrightnessController

Users can control the brightness of the light.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Dishwasher

Users can interact with a dishwasher by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, what's the current dishwasher cycle?
Alexa, set the wash setting on the dishwasher to normal.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use DISHWASHER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ToggleController or Alexa.PowerController

Users can start and stop the dishwasher.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(wash cycles)

Create a WashCycle mode controller that defines the types of wash cycles that your dishwasher supports.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(temperature settings)

Create a WaterTemperature mode controller that defines the water temperature settings.

No

Alexa.ProactiveNotificationSource

Enable notifications to the customer, such as Your dishwasher is done

No

Alexa.InventoryUsageSensor

If your washer has an inventory sensor, report the usage of a consumable product installed in your device, such as detergent pods or fabric softener.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Fan

Users can interact with the fan in this example by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Living Room Fan.
Alexa, turn on Oscillate on the Living Room Fan.
Alexa, set the Living Room Fan Speed to five.
Alexa, turn up the Speed on the Living Room Fan.
Alexa, set the air Speed on the Living Room Fan to Maximum.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use FAN as the display category and implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response for a fan that supports oscillation and speed, see example with both range and toggle controllers.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.ToggleController
(oscillate)

Create a toggle controller named Oscillate so the user can turn the oscillate feature of the fan on and off.

Yes

Alexa.RangeController
(fan speed)

Create a range controller named Fan Speed so the user can control the speed of the fan.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Game console

Users can interact with a game console, by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Game Console.
Alexa, search for ABC on the Game Console.
Alexa, pause the Game Console.

In your Alexa skill, use GAME_CONSOLE as the display category. Amazon recommends that you implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response that includes support for these interfaces, see discovery response example for an entertainment device.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

No

Alexa.ChannelController

Users can change the channel of the device.

Yes

Alexa.Launcher

Users can request Alexa to launch a specified app, such as Prime Video, or invoke a UI shortcut, such as TV display settings.

Yes

Alexa.PlaybackController

Users can play, stop, and pause the device.

No

Alexa.PlaybackStateReporter

Report the playback state of the console to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa.RemoteVideoPlayer

Users can request Alexa to search and play video content.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Garage door opener

In addition to the pre-built voice-interaction model, you can use semantics to enable additional utterances. The garage door in this example uses semantics with a mode controller so the user can say "open" and "close" to control the garage door. For details, see Use semantics to enable additional utterances.

Users can interact with the garage door opener in this example by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, open the garage door.
Alexa, close the garage door.
Alexa, is the garage door open?

In your Alexa skill,use GARAGE_DOOR display category. Amazon recommends that you implement the following interfaces for a garage door opener. For an example discovery response, see example with semantics for a garage door opener.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ModeController

Create a mode controller named GarageDoor.Position, with modes named Position.Up and Position.Down so the user can open and close the garage door.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Guitar amplifier

The following shows how to connect a smart guitar amplifier to Alexa. The device in this example is fictional, but provides an example for how to connect any device to Alexa. As with other devices, this example chooses the most specific interfaces, such as Alexa.PowerController, Alexa.Speaker, and Alexa.EqualizerController whenever possible. This example then leverages the flexibility of the Alexa.ToggleController, Alexa.RangeController, and Alexa.ModeController interfaces to cover of all its functions.

Users can interact with the guitar amp in this example by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Awesome Amp.
Alexa, set the volume of the Awesome Amp to six.
Alexa, set the bass on the Awesome Amp to three.
Alexa, turn on overdrive on the Awesome Amp.
Alexa, set the gain on the Awesome amp to four.
Alexa, set the Awesome Amp to Metal.
Alexa, boost the gain.
Alexa, make me sound like Pearl Jam.
Alexa, what do all these dials do?

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SPEAKER as the display category and implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response that includes support for these interfaces, see discovery response example for a guitar amp.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

No

Alexa.Speaker

Users can set, adjust, mute, and unmute the volume of the device.

Yes

Alexa.InputController

Users can change the input of the amplifier.

Yes

Alexa.EqualizerController

Users can set and adjust the bass, mid, and treble of the device.

No

Alexa.ToggleController

Create a toggle controller named Overdrive so the user can turn the overdrive feature of the amplifier on and off.

No

Alexa.RangeController

Create a range controller named Gain so the user can control the gain (also called drive) of the amplifier.

No

Alexa.ModeController

Create a mode controller named Preset so the user can select pre-defined or user-saved settings.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Lock

Users can interact with a lock by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, lock the Front Door.
Alexa, unlock the Back Door.
Alexa, is my door locked?
Alexa, is my door unlocked?

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SMARTLOCK or DOOR as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.LockController

Users can lock and unlock the device.

Yes

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor

Your skill reports the amount of battery remaining in your device. Required for battery-powered locks only.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Microwave

Microwave ovens can start and stop cooking, change cooking mode, cook by time, pause cooking, and resume cooking. Users can interact with the microwave by using the following utterances.

Alexa, is the microwave running?
Alexa, stop the microwave.
Alexa, defrost three pounds of meat in my microwave.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use MICROWAVE as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.Cooking

Provides basic cooking information, such as the food to cook and the cooking mode. Required for all cooking appliances.

Yes

Alexa.Cooking.TimeController

Users can control appliances that control cooking by time, temperature, and power level.

Yes

Alexa.TimeHoldController

Users can pause the appliance.

Yes

Alexa.Cooking.PresetController

Users can control cooking appliances that cook with custom settings, called presets. For example, a microwave with a popcorn button .

No

Alexa.ProactiveNotificationSource

Enable notifications to the customer, such as Your food in the microwave is ready.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Motion sensor

Your motion-sensor device reports physical movement in the area.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use MOTION_SENSOR as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.MotionSensor

Your motion-sensor device reports the physical movement to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor

Your motion-sensor device reports the amount of battery remaining in your device. Required for battery-powered motion sensors only.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Plug or power strip

Users can interact with a plug or power strip by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the End Table Lamp.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SMARTPLUG as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Printer

Users can interact with a printer by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the printer.
Alexa, print my Shopping List.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use PRINTER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.InventoryLevelSensor

Your printer reports the consumption of ink or other supplies remaining in your device.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Remotes and buttons

Users interacts with a smart button or remote switch manually to trigger a routine, such as dim the light 25 percent and close the blinds. There are no user utterances for these types of devices.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use REMOTE as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.SimpleEventSource

Model stateless events, such as a button press on a remote or an occupant entering a room. Users can connect the events to Alexa Routines.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Security panel

Users can interact with a security panel by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, arm my home in away mode.
Alexa, disarm my home.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SECURITY_PANEL or SECURITY_SYSTEM as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.SecurityPanelController

Users can arm and disarm the security system.

Yes

Alexa.SecurityPanelController.Alert

Users can augment their security system endpoints with sound from Alexa-enabled devices.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Soundbar or speaker

Users can interact with a soundbar or speaker by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, mute speakers.
Alexa, set the volume of the soundbar to fifty.
Alexa, play device.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SPEAKER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.Speaker

Users can control the volume of their entertainment devices that contain audio speakers.

Yes

Alexa.PlaybackController

Users can play, stop, and navigate playback for audio content. For devices that have playback controls.

Yes

Alexa.PlaybackStateReporter

Report the playback state of the endpoint to Alexa.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Switch

Users can interact with a switch by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the Bathroom Fan.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use SWITCH as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off.

Yes

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Television

Users can interact with a television by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, channel up on the TV.
Alexa, launch Prime Video.
Alexa, fast forward thirty seconds.
Alexa, search for soccer.
Alexa, record next episode of Jack Ryan.
Alexa, turn the volume down on Living Room TV.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use TV as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ChannelController

Users can change or increment the channel for a video device.

Yes

Alexa.InputController

Users can change the input of the TV.

Yes

Alexa.Launcher

Users can request Alexa to launch a specified app, such as Prime Video, or invoke a UI shortcut, such as TV display settings.

Yes

Alexa.PlaybackController

Users can play, stop, and navigate playback for video content.

No

Alexa.PlaybackStateReporter

Report the playback state of the TV to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off. Optionally, your device can respond to theTurnOff directive to return the vacuum to base.

Yes

Alexa.RemoteVideoPlayer

Users can request Alexa to search and play video content.

Yes

Alexa.VideoRecorder

Users can find and schedule a recording for a specified video item.

No

Alexa.Speaker

Users can control the volume of their audio speakers.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Vacuum cleaner

Users can interact with a vacuum cleaner by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on the vacuum.
Alexa, return the vacuum to base.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use VACUUM_CLEANER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the device on and off. Optionally, your device can respond to theTurnOff directive to return the vacuum to base.

Yes

Alexa.ModeController

Instead of power controller, create a ReturnToBase mode controller for your vacuum.

No

Alexa.ModeController (settings)

Optionally, create a Settings mode controller for your vacuum with settings, such as low-carpet, high-carpet, floor, tile.

No

Alexa.ModeController or Alexa.RangeController with semantics for announcements

Create a Bin controller for your vacuum with states that map to the bin full and empty to enable proactive announcements to the user.

No

Alexa.ProactiveNotificationSource

Enable notifications to the customer, such as Your vacuum is stuck or Your vacuum's bin is full.

No

Alexa.InventoryLevelUsageSensor

Report the approximate usage of a consumable product installed in your device, such as a filter.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Wall thermostat

Users can interact with a wall thermostat by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, set thermostat to 20.
Alexa, make it warmer in here.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use THERMOSTAT as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ThermostatController

Users can control a device that controls temperature.

Yes

Alexa.TemperatureSensor

The device senses and reports temperature.

No

Alexa.ThermostatController.Schedule

Users can set a weekly schedule.

No

Alexa.ThermostatController.Configuration

The thermostat device supports installation and setup in the Alexa app.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Washing machine

Users can interact with a washing machine by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, what's the current washer cycle?
Alexa, set the wash setting on the washer to normal.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use WASHER as the display category and implement the following interfaces.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ToggleController or Alexa.PowerController

Users can start and stop the washer.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(wash cycles)

Create a WashCycle mode controller that defines the types of wash cycles that your washer supports.

No

Alexa.ModeController
(temperature settings)

Create a WaterTemperature mode controller that defines the water temperature settings.

No

Alexa.ProactiveNotificationSource

Enable notifications to the customer, such as Your washer is done

No

Alexa.InventoryUsageSensor

If your washer has an inventory sensor, report the usage of a consumable product installed in your device, such as detergent pods or fabric softener.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Water heater

You can model a water heater as described following. In this example you use a Alexa.ToggleController to support Alexa hunches. For details about hunches, see What Are Alexa Hunches? and Enable Alexa to Proactively Act on Hunches Without Customers Needing to Ask.

This example also uses Alexa.DeviceUsage.Meter to help users manage their energy usage with the Alexa energy dashboard. For details, see Smart Home Energy Overview.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use WATER_HEATER as the display category. Implement the interfaces in the following table that correspond to the behavior of your device. For an example discovery response that includes support for these interfaces, see discovery response example for a water heater.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ThermostatController

Users can set one or more target temperatures for the water in the water heater.

No

Alexa.TemperatureSensor

The device senses and reports the temperature of the water in the water heater.

No

Alexa.ToggleController

Create a toggle controller named EnergySaverMode to control the energy saver mode of the water heater.

No

Alexa.DeviceUsage.Meter

Users can view an estimate of the energy usage of the water heater.

No

Alexa.PowerController

Users can turn the water heater on and off.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Report the connectivity status of the water heater to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes

Wi-Fi router

Users can interact with a Wi-Fi router by using utterances, such as the following.

Alexa, turn on Guest Wi-Fi on the Wireless Router.
Alexa, turn on Guest Wi-Fi.
Alexa, set the Traffic Priority on the Guest Wi-Fi to Video Games.
Alexa, set the Guest Wi-Fi to Movies.

In your Alexa skill, Amazon recommends that you use OTHER as the display category and implement the following interfaces. For an example discovery response that includes support for these interfaces, see discovery response example for a Wi-Fi router.

Alexa capability interface Purpose Required for WWA

Alexa.ToggleController

Create a toggle controller named Guest Wi-Fi so the user can turn the router on and off.

No

Alexa.ModeController

Create a mode controller named Traffic Priority so the user can select which type of traffic the router assigns the highest priority.

No

Alexa.EndpointHealth

Your skill reports the connectivity status of the device to Alexa.

Yes

Alexa

The base interface. Required for all Alexa skills.

Yes


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Last updated: Nov 22, 2023