Alexa Smarthome Skill "Waiting for <Manufacturer Name>" on HVAC with retrievable set to false - alexa

Question

I'm currently working on an Alexa Smarthome skill which can handle a multitude of device types, one of which type is an HVAC device. The server handling Skill requests is unable to handle multiple requests at a time, so instead of letting Alexa call "ReportState", I instead give it a "ChangeReport" when values change.
I'm using an Alexa.ThermostatController interface v3 capability as well as a PowerController, a TemperatureSensor, and an EndpointHealth capability to build the device. An example Discovery response looks like the following:
{
"endpointId": "12-34",
"manufacturerName": "Sample Manufacturer",
"description": "HVAC Control",
"friendlyName": "Office Test HVAC",
"additionalAttributes": {
"manufacturer": "Sample Manufacturer",
"model": "unknown",
"serialNumber": "unknown",
"firmwareVersion": "unknown",
"softwareVersion": "unknown",
"customIdentifier": "12-34"
},
"displayCategories": [
"THERMOSTAT",
"TEMPERATURE_SENSOR"
],
"cookie": {},
"capabilities": [
{
"type": "AlexaInterface",
"interface": "Alexa",
"version": "3"
},
{
"type": "AlexaInterface",
"interface": "Alexa.EndpointHealth",
"version": "3",
"properties": {
"supported": [
{
"name": "connectivity"
}
],
"proactivelyReported": true,
"retrievable": false
}
},
{
"type": "AlexaInterface",
"interface": "Alexa.ThermostatController",
"version": "3.1",
"properties": {
"supported": [
{
"name": "upperSetpoint"
},
{
"name": "lowerSetpoint"
},
{
"name": "thermostatMode"
}
],
"proactivelyReported": true,
"retrievable": false
},
"configuration": {
"supportedModes": [
"OFF",
"HEAT",
"COOL",
"AUTO"
]
}
},
{
"type": "AlexaInterface",
"interface": "Alexa.TemperatureSensor",
"version": "3",
"properties": {
"supported": [
{
"name": "temperature"
}
],
"proactivelyReported": true,
"retrievable": false
}
},
{
"type": "AlexaInterface",
"interface": "Alexa.PowerController",
"version": "3",
"properties": {
"supported": [
{
"name": "powerState"
}
],
"proactivelyReported": true,
"retrievable": false
}
}
]
}
Discovery will find the device and add it to the Alexa Home. However, when I go to the device in the app, it will not display the interface and instead say something along the lines of "Waiting for " and show a loading icon. When I go to set the thermostat by voice, such as "Set Office Test HVAC to 74 Degrees Fahrenheit", it says that the device "doesn't support that".
Does anyone know what's going on or how to fix this?
I checked the Cloudwatch logs to see if there was anything being sent from Alexa such as a ReportState directive, but could not find anything. I also tried setting a value on the thermostat to force a ChangeReport, and the ChangeReport seems to have been sent, but there's no update in the app. I have also been unable to find any errors in the Cloudwatch logs. I've checked over the responses and the Discovery message several times just to be sure, and I'm still not sure what the problem is.
I'm trying to get the HVAC device to show up in the app with the proper interface and allow users to control the device.

Answer 1

I had this issue with the version 3.1. I would suggest to change the version of Alexa.ThermostatController capability from 3.1 to 3.0. Also remember that the smart home capabilities used for your skill should mimic and map to physical buttons on your device.