Alexa Connect Kit Glossary

Note: Sign in to the developer console to build or publish your skill.

This document defines common terms used throughout the Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) documentation.

A| C| D| E| F| H| L| M| P| S| U| V| W| Y|

A

ACK Analytics Service: Use the ACK Analytics Service to collect, store, and analyze data about the performance and use of your ACK products. The ACK Analytics Service enables collection of Product Logs, Product Metrics, Heartbeat Metrics, and Registration Metrics associated with your ACK products. You can choose whether to enable collection of logs and metrics for your ACK products when designing the firmware for your ACK Product.
ACK development kit: Provides a starting point for you to build an ACK-based device prototype quickly. Available for purchase from multiple vendors.
ACK developer console: An Amazon-managed developer console to manage and configure your ACK-based products and devices. You can use the developer console to view registered devices, create and edit virtual products, view and edit the Alexa interfaces associated with your product, and download resources, such as the ACK Device SDK.
ACK Device SDK: An embedded C SDK that contains tools, libraries, example apps and documentation for developers to build ACK Alexa-connected HMCU applications.
ACK Managed Services: Provides product-specific functions, such as management of the device fleet, over-the-air updates, and support for device operational metrics. Also includes the ACK developer console where you can create and edit virtual products, view and edit the Alexa interfaces associated with your product, and download resources, such as the ACK Device SDK.
ACK module: An Amazon-managed system-on-a-module that you integrate into your devices. The ACK module runs Amazon-managed firmware that provides connection with Alexa and the ACK managed services, and connection with your device’s host microcontroller unit (HMCU) through the universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART).
ACK module firmware: ACK module firmware developed and managed by Amazon. The firmware is preprogrammed on the ACK module and is responsible for network connections and general device operation. New releases of this firmware are released periodically in the ACK developer console.
Alexa app: The companion app for Alexa customers to set up devices, change settings, and see the displayed output from interactions with Alexa.
Alexa Services: Converts user utterances into directives, registers ACK-based devices with Alexa accounts, and provide access to other Alexa capabilities and features. These services aren't specific to ACK, but instead Alexa as a whole.

C

(ACK) Certification: ACK-based devices must pass Works with Alexa (WWA) and Frustration-Free Setup (FFS) certification before they can be released.

D

(ACK) Development: The process of creating a working demo of all your ACK product features and Alexa functionality, including using the ACK Device SDK and porting your development code into your own HMCU app.

Device directive: A set of data and instructions, expressed in JSON, sent from Alexa to a smart home or video skill.
Device discovery: The process by which the Alexa Smart Home Skill API discovers the devices that can be controlled with ACK.

E

Espressif Development Kit: One of the two ACK development kits available for purchase. Includes an integrated ACK module. Doesn't include a HMCU development board.

F

Frustration-Free Setup (FFS): Frustration-Free Setup (FFS) is an Amazon program that you can use to make ACK device setup as easy for customers as opening a box and powering on a device. This a required feature you must integrate into your ACK-based devices.

H

HMCU: A microcontroller that runs your application logic on your ACK-based device. The HMCU interfaces with the ACK Module to control your hardware, drive your product experience, and respond to Alexa control directives.

L

Locked-registered: A module enters this state when it's registered in the Alexa app with Wi-Fi Simple Setup (WSS), while it's in the locked state. In this state, your module is locked as a product and registered with Alexa and ACK managed services using Wi-Fi Simple Setup. One of the two secondary stages of the module provisioning process.

M

(ACK) Manufacturing: The process of building your ACK-based devices on your manufacturing line. This process includes ACK specific steps, such as provisioning your ACK modules and generating Frustration-Free Setup (FFS) barcodes.
Module utility tool: A Java command tool that you use manage your ACK module. You can use this tool to perform common tasks either from the command line, or in scripts when you develop and manufacture products built with ACK.
Module provisioning: The process of programming your physical ACK module through different module lifecycle states to facilitate the ACK development process, for example to enable or disable certain functionality. The primary module states of module provisioning include module provisioned, product provisioned, and locked.

Module provisioned: A modules default factory setting. Here, a module doesn't represent a product, you can't register it with Alexa, and it has limited functionality. One of the three primary stages of the module provisioning process.
Locked module: A locked module permanently represents a product, meaning the module is ready to be sold to customers. One of the three primary stages of the module provisioning process.

P

(ACK) Prototype: The process of creating a prototype of your ACK product features and Alexa functionality. To build a working prototype of your device, create a virtual product using the ACK development console. After you create a virtual product, use your ACK development kit, HMCU development kit, and the ACK Device SDK to build a working prototype of your device.



Package barcode: A Frustration-Free Setup barcode that you typically include inside the packaging of an ACK-based device (ideally on the device surface). Customers typically scan this barcode to start your device setup process.
Product barcode: A Frustration-Free Setup barcode that you typically include on the outside of your ACK-based device packaging. This barcode is typicallly scanned at an Amazon fulfillment center before shipping the device.
Product provisioned: A module that represents a product and can be registered with Alexa. You typically move your module to product provisioned as you develop and test your product. One of the three primary stages of the module provisioning process.
Product provisioned–registered: A module automatically enters this state when it's registered in the Alexa app with Wi-Fi Simple Setup (WSS), while in the product provisioned state. Here, your module represents a product and is registered with Alexa and ACK managed services. One of the two secondary stages of the module provisioning process.

S

Smart Home Skill API: Devices built with ACK use the Alexa Smart Home Skill API and smart home capability interfaces to communicate to Alexa. These interfaces define your user utterances and device functionality.

U

Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART): The hardware you use to connect and communicate with the ACK module.
USI Development Kit: One of the ACK development kits available for purchase. Includes an integrated ACK module and a HMCU development board.
Utterance: The words a user says to Alexa to convey what they want to do, or to provide a response to a question Alexa asks. ACK provides predefined utterances and associated requests.

V

Virtual product: When you create an ACK-based device, you first create a virtual product. A virtual product represents your physical product in the cloud and defines how users can interact with your device. When you create or edit a virtual product, you choose its Alexa capabilities and define aspects of the Alexa app experience. You associate the virtual product with your physical product in a process called provisioning.
Voice interaction model: The words and phrases that users can say to communicate with an ACK-based device. ACK-based devices include pre-built voice interaction models. You don't have to define your own utterances.

W

Wi-Fi Simple Setup (WSS): WSS is an Amazon Frustration-Free Setup feature makes it easier for your customers to register their devices with Amazon and Alexa services. WSS offers zero-touch setup, barcode registration, and customer-guided setup flows for device registration.

Y

YubiKey: The certifying authority that issues product certificates for your devices on your manufacturing line. Required to provision your ACK modules during the manufacturing stage.

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Last updated: Nov 27, 2023