This is the forum archive of Homey. For more information about Homey, visit the Official Homey website.
The Homey Community has been moved to https://community.athom.com.
This forum is now read-only for archive purposes.
The Homey Community has been moved to https://community.athom.com.
This forum is now read-only for archive purposes.
Speech recognition - Review
Dedicated to potential customers to provide a realistic view on homey beyond the marketing videos.
...and to those who deny this issue.
I have contacted athom via email regarding this couple of times. They have never replied despite the fact this fully qualifies as a warranty issue. This raises some concerns. @Emile @Stefan
The next video will be about homey`s limited Z-wave range. This is an other area where it is claimed that homey has no range issue. Officially Z-wave has 100m range. I just came across this page: https://www.athom.com/en/support/KB000043/. 40m? Indoor I have 3.5m range (same room) and my house was blamed for this (mesh is irrelevant in my case). So I did an experiment outdoors and the range was 6 meters. Spring is here so I might reproduce this study.
Than I will make a video on a more positive topic: advanced flows, apps and possible applications.
...and to those who deny this issue.
I have contacted athom via email regarding this couple of times. They have never replied despite the fact this fully qualifies as a warranty issue. This raises some concerns. @Emile @Stefan
The next video will be about homey`s limited Z-wave range. This is an other area where it is claimed that homey has no range issue. Officially Z-wave has 100m range. I just came across this page: https://www.athom.com/en/support/KB000043/. 40m? Indoor I have 3.5m range (same room) and my house was blamed for this (mesh is irrelevant in my case). So I did an experiment outdoors and the range was 6 meters. Spring is here so I might reproduce this study.
Than I will make a video on a more positive topic: advanced flows, apps and possible applications.
Comments
Why would i deny this issue when i can show below that i have a different expierence? Why is there no realistic customer view when there are enough videos where speech is working and not working on youtube? It can depend on so many dependencies like your enviroment, (defect) hardware, how you speak (accent) etc.
Look below at the list i made from your video. I really can't see how Homey can make of your request what he understands. It's really strange!
1:50 you ask turn the lights off - Homey understands and im so
2:20 you ask open the blind - Homey understands what will the
2:30 you ask open the blind - Homey understands 1 glasses
3:10 you ask change the light to green - Homey understands she lives in
I made several vids lately wih Alexa - Homey and Homey with music on. I must say my Homey is on 1.2RC4 and 1.2RC6 in the newer videos where the speech core is rewritten and changed. Speech is responding very good at my place and i tested this also with other Homey's that i have.
Also with older firmware i had no problems, see the older video below from 6 months ago. Will make another vid tomorrow just like you with and without music and showing what Homey has recieved. Only difference is that my Homey is on 1.2.
Alexa meets Homey, at 1:30 i ask Homey directly to turn on the lights in the bedroom wich is the hue lamp in front of Homey (put there for the test, as you can see in the vid when i ask Alexa -> Homey turn lights on in the kitchen the light stays out)
Homey with music (first instrumental then vocal) from Alexa (spotify) simple command turn lights on/off
Older vid of Homey easter eggs (speaking directly to Homey)
edit:
My question stays open that you didn't answer:
Edit 2:
Don't see it as a attack on you but if you look at the forum i'm question why another topic when you can add a post to already existing one.
But i must say really like the effort you put into the video to show your problems, only problem is that i show in my videos i don't expierence the same problem. Think that's also the issue, there is not one general problem. Even in dev preview with the rewritten speech core there are different experiences with the new speech core.
And i must agree, Alexa is way better understanding but how would that not be? A company bigger then Athom, with no budgets, years of expierence and Athom is just new to the block. For that it's a compliment for the effort and work already in it. We don't need to forget how bad the speech was from Google in the beginning..... Or does it have to do with the hardware also, 7 microphones against only 2?
Look below at the list i made from your video. I really can't see how Homey can make of your request what he understands. It's really strange!
1:50 you ask turn the lights off - Homey understands and im so
2:20 you ask open the blind - Homey understands what will the
2:30 you ask open the blind - Homey understands 1 glasses
3:10 you ask change the light to green - Homey understands she lives in
We see what Homey understands on your added screen of the speech input but it's really strange, it doensn't even look like what you are saying....
But again, speech is working and not working, wich is in every case a different outcome. I agree there is a speech problem and Athom has work to do but don't really understand what you are trying to reach with your post and how you respond on reactions. It that also why you won't allow people to react to your video on youtube?
You are just screaming and when there is a response you ignore questions and other videos recently made this /last week and older where speech is working. Why not just accept the fact that in your case it's not working, just like for other cases but there are also cases where speech is working fine. I also said and confirmed that speech isn't working in your video and i quote from my first post:
There are a lot of factors that can influence speech recognition if the filtering isn't fully good yet:
- accent/pronunciation
- high/low voice
- distance from wall(s)
- how much that wall absorbs sound
- anything nearby that makes a for most of us unhearable sound (IE: televisions, even when muted, makes noise, some more then others)
- echo in the entire room
- background noise from streets
- surface homey is placed on
And there are probably more things that I didn't think about.
And there is a 99% guarantee, that for no one this is the same.
Thank you, ZperX, for this video which demonstrates the appalling problems with speech recognition which at least some of us experience with our Homeys. I'm afraid the responses fall into a familiar, predictable and not very helpful pattern:
1) ' why have you started another thread on this subject'… Perhaps that number should tell you the extent of the problem;
2) 'there are plenty of videos online showing Homey working and not working'… Again, the very existence of those videos should be ringing alarm bells;
3) "Athom is a small company and shouldn't be expected to be compared with the big boys who have huge resources'… I'm afraid that if you offer speech recognition then that is exactly who you will be compared with in the marketplace. Athom has made a remarkable product and done exceptionally well as a startup company – we are all very well aware of that – but for some customers this problem is very, very important;
4) "your house/voice is affecting recognition"… Well, I'm sorry if my fully carpeted, silent living room and neutral British accent are not up to Homey's standards, but nobody mentioned this before I purchased.
5) "mine works fine"… I'm very happy for you. Please arrange for my Homey to be returned for testing to see if you believe me then.
Anyway I have the very same problem. I get the same very weird results in the speech input window. Athom could put 7 microphone in their product, it was their choice. However I think two is enough to cancel the echo and it is easier to tune 7 would require too much effort to tune them together.
Thank you for the video and the effort looking forward to the next one.
But... In my native language (Dutch) the response is much, much, much, much better.
I don't think it's honest to tell TS that everything works fine in v1.2 ... Consumers do use 1.1.9 or even an earlier version. v1.2 is not released for regular users yet.
An I do believe immediatly that it will be better with English in v1.2 ... Athom is preparing for U.K. release right now, so English should finally work!
I think Athom has to be honest to... Homey has not been ready for the English speaking customers because they were focused on Dutch market release only. (starting november 2016).
Let me quote my very first sentence where i already confirm his problem and say that experiences are very different
I don't read that i deny his video or problems, so maybe quote where i say his problems are fake or a scam. I say that it's a fact there are different expierences and no general problem what maybe is the problem. Just look at this topic -> https://forum.athom.com/discussion/2905/homeys-user-happiness for example or other speech topics where are different opinions about speech
Do you know what is rude, changing what someone is saying even while it's written above your post. I also think it's somewhat "rude" that he starts a discussion and then stops answering or doesn't allow reactions on his video for a discussion. Why do you post it then? Only because other people are saying speech is working and as i stated i want to know why his speech is so much off.
So before you write that people are a fanatic and don't understand that there are problems i did more then just shout and then stop reacting. I contacted Athom today to ask about more speech information and the rewrite in 1.2 that i'm running in the video's i posted. I can tell the next Developers Meetup in Utrecht (every first Wednesday of the month) will be in april about speech and the rewritten speech core in 1.2 (media update) and how developers can use the new speech api's that are made by Athom. More information will follow this week.
Information in the newsletter of Athom about the first meetup where Athom told more about 433mhz -> http://us12.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c6c64a46fb00def658c701274&id=0d5b974e46
Information in the newsletter of Athom about the first meetup where Athom told more about 433mhz and made a working app with a couple of developers that evening- http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c6c64a46fb00def658c701274&id=b8bb6a44d6
--------------- EDIT:
Have three Homey's, two on 1.2 on on 1.1.9 but also on 1.1.9 speech is working fine in Dutch for me. I only changed one Homey to Engish to test with Alexa. Now it's changed back to Dutch and have the same expierence as in the video's or my older video in my first post with the Dutch easter eggs. That's the problem, if you look it's so different all the expierences. Athom has work to do to fix all the problems that people have, just like my first sentence i don't hide under a rock and don't ignore or deny there are problems
Edit 2 start:
Just like you say, Athom has his focus on the Netherlands for retail. You can order indeed from outside our country but they said on the Athom day they want to expand to other countrys when things like voice are good enough for release and they can support local devices (like in NL we use a lot kaku devices).
Edit 2 einde
Maybe the problems can be found at the external voice engine they use. One of my colleague also has a Homey and does have the name Max. When you want Homey to say "Hallo Max" Homey says "Hallo Maximaal" and Athom can't change it. Who knows that is the bottleneck?
But after listening it says; "Hier kan ik echt niets mee. Doe gewoon effe normaal!" ... that's what I told Homey to say when it doesn't understand a command...
I had this lately, was casting how to develop for Alexa on YT and Alexa was talking back, that was not the goal :P
As I said... Not many problems with Dutch, but a lot of problems with English
You can't ignore the large number of people having issues with speech recognition, so even if it's related to those people's homes, voices or whatever, that means that Homey's voice recognition is currently not suited for most people and most homes. Which brings us back to the start... warning potential customers about that is very valid, and very smart, to avoid even more disappointed customers, on a problem that Athom themselves are apparently ignoring.
There are people who believe what they want to believe instead of looking at the bigger picture. `I don`t believe unless I see`. Than you show it… `hmm, weird, edited, strange, that is not what I seen before`. Conspiracy, The moon landing has been faked!!! Just leave it, you can’t do anything with people like that.
Just as you said these kind of videos are more for potential customers. Homey is/would be a great product but they deserve to know about some potential issues to have right expectation if they decide to buy it. I also appreciate that other peoples are doing reviews on Amazon/youtube it helps me a lot before I buy a product.
I know that some people have issue with the 433MHz range. For me it is more than fine, it is perfect. However I don`t rant on people, `What are you complaining about`, I believe them and happy that I happen to be on the lucky side.
Same with the Z-wave range. I know that for those with powered nods / mesh network there are no significant issues. But for other like me (have only sensors) homey`s range is below poor. And fixing that is not even on the table. It is claimed that it has passed the tests full stop. Inappropriate approach. So going to make another video about the Z-wave range.
Maybe the people here are complaining because you only show the bad things of homey (in your situation), I don't see you making a movie about your good range of 433 mhz devices.
Or that homey itself is running stable.
Now again you only do it about your zwave range issue.
Reviewing is showing all the positive and negative things, not just the negative.
Now your just making homey black with all the things that don't work for you.
Even after saying it your self that your on the "lucky" side for 433 range, some have that with voice and/or zwave range.
Hope you also take that into consideration in your review videos..
Caseda, I know that Z-wave is a sensitive issue for you put an effort improving it. It is really appreciated.
There is no need to make a video about the 433Mhz range there is already one on youtube. Furthermore Athom is currently rewriting the signal processing of 433Mhz.
Yes I want to make homey black but literally by painting it. Otherwise nothing is black and white, it is grey and I am showing the other side of the coin. Furthermore my first video was an educative one (on Athom Client). As mentioned above my video after the Z-wave range will be on a positive topic so please. I also have a plan to make a complete review video as well but waiting for the media update and the new IR API.
You are free to post videos as well to highlight as many aspects/facets as possible.
Makes so much sense now
/sarcasm
And no its not only zwave
Which is still not 40 meters.. But those are prefect world distances anyway, not realistic at all.
More realistic is 20-25 meters in clear sight
Lucky you, hence the video. I get 3.5m indoor, 6 meters outdoor.
So in my case it was not the speech recognition that wasn't working, but the processing. I probably used the wrong words.
I then tested with different locations in the living room while checking the speech-input page on my phone and every time it was right.
So, if you think the recognition might be wrong, do check the speech-input page to see if it really is the recognition. I'm not saying that I don't believe anyone who says the recognition isn't working, but this is just something to check. Just to be sure.