Alexa requests not completing

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo so the issues is playing stuff off your sonos?

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz correct, any requests for music is followed by Alexa confirming she is doing the request...but then no music.

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo Are you trying to play music off your own media server, or amazon music?

I just asked mine to play some grateful dead - and other than freaking trying to get me to sign up for amazon limited - arrghh.. Then it played just fine. But I am not using any external speakers, does it work if you play just off the alexa and not trying to do it on your sonos?

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz trying to play music from amazon music. I've also asked it to play music from Spotify but same thing happens. She confirms she is playing music from spotify but then nothing. I don't have an actual alexa device, only Sonos speakers that have an alexa integration.
haha I agree, Alexa likes to talk to much. Just shut up and do as I say!

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo so what are these blocks you are seeing, are they on your wan - then they are most likely just noise.. could you post some examples of these blocks - blocking out your public IP of course.

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz if I use the Sonos app, I can play music from Amazon music or Spotify. I just can't get anything to play via voice commands.

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz this is what is filling my logs. From what research I have done I think it is just noise. Would be nice to tone it down but my current focus has been trying to get voice commands to work again.

May 16 20:27:00	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.109:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:58	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.117:40892	  152.70.159.102:123	UDP
May 16 20:26:57	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.108:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:55	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.109:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:54	WAN	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  64.62.197.144:6760	  redacted:1434	UDP
May 16 20:26:52	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.108:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:52	WAN	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  35.208.82.137:50468	  redacted:22138	UDP
May 16 20:26:50	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.109:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:47	NOT	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  192.168.4.108:49154	  255.255.255.255:6667	UDP
May 16 20:26:47	WAN	Default deny rule IPv4 (1000000103)	  194.26.29.152:56859	  redacted:5223	TCP:S

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo wish I could be more help, but there isn't anything special to do - especially if you have a any any rule.

Did this ever work? And now just stopped? Sometime alexa does run into problems - on amazons end..

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz I appreciate your help all the same. Unfortunately it has never worked since switching to pfSense.

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo why are you blocking ntp out? that one to 152.x.x.x:123, thought you said you had a any any rule?

the 6667 is noise from say smart lights... I have loads of that traffic as well, but I don't log it.. its to broadcast address.. But yeah the smart lights love to send out tons of that - I would prob setup a rule to just not log it.

What interface are you seeing this 6667 and and ntp traffic? Is that not your network your sonos is on?

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz all of that traffic is on a different vlan (NoT) which my Sonos does not reside on. That network is where I have all of my smart lights and such that don't need Internet access. On that vlan I do have a firewall rule that only allows traffic from that interface to my Home Assistant instance.

I'm not really seeing any logs generate from the IoT network, where my Sonos reside.

I tried refreshing the logs as I was making the request but not seeing anything.

johnpoz

@guyonabuffalo so your saying it works with the sonos app, but not with alexa - so you have a sonos skill enabled in alexa? Have you tried to disable that and re-enable it?

I came across this that seems like what your seeing?

https://en.community.sonos.com/amazon-alexa-and-sonos-229102/alexa-won-t-play-music-6820262

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz Sonos has an Amazon Alexa voice service. At your suggestion I did just remove it and re-added it. Unfortunately still getting the same behavior.

guyonabuffalo

Alexa does seem to be able to complete requests like what's the forecast for tomorrow and tell me a joke. The issue seems to be specific to playing music.

guyonabuffalo

@johnpoz found in the Alexa app I could disable the skill and re-enable. This actually fixed the issue! Thanks again for your help. If there is a way to make your post as the resolution I will. On mobile ATM and am not seeing it.

clrity

@guyonabuffalo I had a similar issue night before last. "Alexa, play the bridge on SiriusXM".
She said "Ok, playing..." and then silence. What? Is the station off the air?? Tried another station but no luck.

This morning I was working in my office and I heard about 10-15 seconds of music from the echo there where I had tried playing before.
While I was investigating I heard about 5-10 seconds of it a couple of times.
I restarted my firewall but still silence.
I created a rule to permit RTP (TCP/UDP) on WAN from any to any but still silence on my living room echo,
I reset the SiriusXM skill but still silence after asking again.
Then I tried asking on my office echo and it worked.
Tried again in living room but silence so I restarted the echo and then it worked.

In the end I wonder if just restarting the living room echo would have fixed it.
I'll may never know but if it happens again, I'll start with restarting the device, then try other devices, then reset the skill, finally the firewall...