General
What do I need to use Home Butler?
Other than a working Home Assistant install (duh!), you to have it reachable from the internet.
Carlo from Tech Tech and More Tech has made great video and text guides that will help you do that.
Do I need to have HTTPS set up on my Home Assistant?
You don't.
But you really should.
How to I enable the Alexa Smart Home API on my Home Assistant?
The Alexa Smart Home API is required by Alexa to control your Home Assistant.
To enable it, add this snippet to your configuration.yaml file, then restart Home Assistant.
For more information on editing your configuration.yaml file, follow our tutorial or check out the Home Assistant documentation.
Do you store my Home Assistant credentials?
Absolutely not.
Security is a top priority here at Home Butler's HQ.
The PBKDF2 hashing function is used to compute a token based on them, and that is used to make Home Butler work. Passwords are treated the same way: they are never stored in plain text, and it is not feasible to reverse engineer your password/credentials from such hashes.
Where can I find the Home Butler Alexa skill?
Right here.
Why does Alexa sometimes take longer to respond?
TL;DR Because security.
That's because behind the curtains Alexa keeps two secrets it got from Home Assistant:
- The access token, which is needed to perform actions (e.g. turning on a light) and is only valid for 30 minutes
- The refresh token, which is used to request a new access token when it expires
So every 30 minutes Alexa needs to make two requests to your Home Assistant in order to perform a single action.
What happens if I unlink my Home Assistant?
If you unlink your Home Assistant instance, you will no longer be able to control it through Alexa.
If you have an active subscription, auto renew will be disabled and you will no longer be charged. It will be re-enabed if you connect an Home Assistant instance before your subscription expires.
Can I change my linked Home Assistant?
Sure.
Just unlink the old one and link the new one, then make sure to disable and re-enable the Home Butler Alexa Skill and search for new devices.
Can I delete my account?
Of course. (But we'd be sad!)
Visit your profile page and look for the scary Delete account button.
Billing
What happens to my subscription if I unlink my Home Assistant?
Auto renew will be disabled and you will no longer be charged.
It will be re-enabed if you connect an Home Assistant instance before your subscription expires.
Can I switch from the monthly to the yearly plan and vice-versa?
Yes, at any time.
Visit your billing page and click the Manage subscription button.
Any remaining validity of your current subscription will be discounted from the new one.
How do I update my credit card?
Visit your billing page and click the Manage subscription button.
There you will find your current card and you will be able to replace it.
Need more help?
Just drop me an email at [email protected] and I'll help you sort things out.