Android TV Stick And VoxWav Pro For All Room Voice Control Anyone Tested It Out?

[Simeon Tuitt]

Hi Guys and Girls,

Has anyone tried installing VoxWav Pro on an Android TV stick yet? There are android sticks that go straight into the HDMI port of the TV and give full access to an android interface with the Play Store on, since the Android Stick runs Android Kit Katt, Vox Wav pro should be able to be downloaded and ran from it easily.

This means the home TV could be used as a wifi mic to control vox which is on the main PC. A few challenges with the idea present themselves, so any input is appreciated.

James, Kalle, what would need to be selected in VoxWav Pro as the Mic Source for the android TV device, since a USB mic would need to be used for audio input?

If one can be selected then it will work fine for controlling vox running on the PC in the office or another room, an android box could be in each TV in the house.

Now the android device also has Kodi pre installed, so is there a way to run more than one version of kodi from one instance of vox (voice control actions) or would a second vox need to be running?

Example I have kodi on the computer with vox which I control with voice commands, but if I have kodi on the android TV device is there a way to control it from the same vox on the PC?

The last part of the puzzle for voice control in rooms with an android box is the mic being in ON mode all the time. Since the android TV device is WIFI connected there will be times it drops the connection and disconnects causing the ON mode for mic to need setting up again.

Any tweeks coming James where the ON status can be hard set through options within VoxWav Pro so even if wifi drops or when the VoxWav App is opened the Mic is ON?

If anyone here has tried VoxWav Pro with an android box let me know how you got on with it, I will be getting one and just checking if anyone else has been down this path yet.

Cheers.
Sim 

[Kalle]

Hi Simeon, sorry no idea, because I had never test such a device. I prefer the small windows machines, which has a lot of more power (ok, a bit more expensive). I use for my self the Zotac Pico which is a bit more expensive (190€), but Mr. Wolf use also a cheap 80£ windows machine with success.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ZzeXGhJFU

[jitterjames]

USB microphones don't work on android without special drivers and special programs written specifically to try to access the USB mic.

 Ask Google what they were thinking when they devised their audio systems for  Android because  I have no idea.

[PegLegTV]

a while back I had two of the Android sticks (MK808), I used them for XBMC only and they would lag using even the lightest skins, if I left wifi file explorer pro open in the back ground while trying to navigate or watch something it would freeze up most of the time, I even went as far as flashing a custom rom and a custom XBMC that was made for the MK808 and I still had to reboot it (un plug/plug in) if I didn't use it for for a couple hours,

the android set top boxes seem to be a lot more stable then the android sticks, and have a lot more storage but they can also cost more then the android sticks,

after bad luck with the android sticks I switched over to two Lenovo Q190 I got the second one on sale for $149 around Christmas time last year, I have VC, Kodi and Eventghost running on both of them and they work great

[jitterjames]

Now the android device also has Kodi pre installed, so is there a way to run more than one version of kodi from one instance of vox (voice control actions) or would a second vox need to be running?

Example I have kodi on the computer with vox which I control with voice commands, but if I have kodi on the android TV device is there a way to control it from the same vox on the PC?

Yes VC can control two different instances of Kodi.  There is an xJson action for changing the target IP etc.

http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Plugin_XJson#SetConnection

but if you have different databases on each version of Kodi running then your payload XML IDs will not be correct except for the version of Kodi that you used to generate xml.  So the only way to really do this is to use a central MySql database for Kodi.

[Simeon Tuitt]

Hi Kalle, thanks for the feedback, I went for a windows 8 Minix with XBMC built in after seeing Pauls video on the windows stick, back then some windows sticks only came with a demo version of windows 8, so the software would cost as much as the stick.

I was concerned about the stick device overheating for the windows 8 stick since they don't have fans in them and being plugged in 24/7 would of definitely lead to some overheating.

As PegLegTV says its best to get a box over a stick, the idea of the sticks intrigued me since its light weight and can either just take it and put in another room or another house, hotel or anywhere while travelling.

James it is a shame about the android issues not supporting external devices for mic, I've searched high and low and they just don't allow it, maybe the marshmellow update for android 6.0 will bring it but doubt it.

I made myself a video doorbell out of an old smartphone and put the Bluetooth speaker outside linked to it, so now I can see who is at the door from my smartphone, smart watch phone and the android stick, I can send audio to them through the BT speaker but the audio from mic only comes through the phone mic which is inside the house.

If it wasn't for the silly mic issue it would be the perfect way for everyone to have a video door monitor made from the cheapest of smart phones most people have laying around.

My actual video doorbell I purchase cost me nearly $300 and it doesn't allow on demand viewing, so couldn't link it into my security system with iSpy and Vox, that's why I turned an old mobile into a video doorbell.