diff --git a/spa/include/spa/utils/keys.h b/spa/include/spa/utils/keys.h
index b20df9c4e..b9608e995 100644
--- a/spa/include/spa/utils/keys.h
+++ b/spa/include/spa/utils/keys.h
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #define SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_CARD		"api.alsa.card"			/**< alsa card number */
 #define SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_USE_UCM	"api.alsa.use-ucm"		/**< if UCM should be used */
 #define SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_IGNORE_DB	"api.alsa.ignore-dB"		/**< if decibel info should be ignored */
+#define SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_OPEN_UCM	"api.alsa.open.ucm"		/**< if UCM should be opened card */
 
 /** info from alsa card_info */
 #define SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_CARD_ID	"api.alsa.card.id"		/**< id from card_info */
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.c
index a28f78c12..5fa42750f 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.c
@@ -241,8 +241,20 @@ static void init_device(pa_card *impl, pa_alsa_device *dev, pa_alsa_direction_t
 
 	dev->ports = pa_hashmap_new(pa_idxset_string_hash_func,
 			pa_idxset_string_compare_func);
-	if (m->ucm_context.ucm)
+	if (m->ucm_context.ucm) {
+		const char *alibpref;
 		dev->ucm_context = &m->ucm_context;
+		if ((snd_use_case_get(impl->ucm.ucm_mgr, "_alibpref", &alibpref) == 0)) {
+			char **d;
+			for (d = m->device_strings; *d; d++) {
+				if (pa_startswith(*d, alibpref)) {
+					dev->device.flags |= ACP_DEVICE_UCM_DEVICE;
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+			free((void*)alibpref);
+		}
+	}
 	pa_dynarray_init(&dev->port_array, NULL);
 }
 
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.h b/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.h
index aee24be66..95c35ebaf 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.h
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/acp/acp.h
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ struct acp_device {
 #define ACP_DEVICE_ACTIVE	(1<<0)
 #define ACP_DEVICE_HW_VOLUME	(1<<1)
 #define ACP_DEVICE_HW_MUTE	(1<<2)
+#define ACP_DEVICE_UCM_DEVICE	(1<<3)
 	uint32_t flags;
 
 	const char *name;
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-acp-device.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-acp-device.c
index 809c7e0bc..5a9d80f4e 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-acp-device.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-acp-device.c
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ static int emit_node(struct impl *this, struct acp_device *dev)
 	const struct acp_dict_item *it;
 	uint32_t n_items, i;
 	char device_name[128], path[180], channels[16], ch[12], routes[16];
-	char card_id[16], *p;
+	char card_index[16], *p;
 	char positions[SPA_AUDIO_MAX_CHANNELS * 12];
 	struct spa_device_object_info info;
 	struct acp_card *card = this->card;
@@ -168,10 +168,10 @@ static int emit_node(struct impl *this, struct acp_device *dev)
 
 	info.change_mask = SPA_DEVICE_OBJECT_CHANGE_MASK_PROPS;
 
-	n_items = dev->props.n_items + 7;
-	items = alloca(n_items * sizeof(*items));
+	items = alloca((dev->props.n_items + 8) * sizeof(*items));
+	n_items = 0;
 
-	snprintf(card_id, sizeof(card), "%d", card->index);
+	snprintf(card_index, sizeof(card_index), "%d", card->index);
 
 	devstr = dev->device_strings[0];
 	p = strstr(devstr, "%f");
@@ -182,25 +182,27 @@ static int emit_node(struct impl *this, struct acp_device *dev)
 	} else {
 		snprintf(device_name, sizeof(device_name), "%s", devstr);
 	}
-	snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "alsa:pcm:%s:%s:%s", card_id, device_name, stream);
-	items[0] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_OBJECT_PATH,	       path);
-	items[1] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PATH,           device_name);
-	items[2] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_CARD,       card_id);
-	items[3] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_STREAM,     stream);
+	snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "alsa:pcm:%s:%s:%s", card_index, device_name, stream);
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_OBJECT_PATH, path);
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PATH, device_name);
+	if (dev->flags & ACP_DEVICE_UCM_DEVICE)
+		items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_OPEN_UCM, "true");
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_CARD, card_index);
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_STREAM, stream);
 
 	snprintf(channels, sizeof(channels), "%d", dev->format.channels);
-	items[4] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_AUDIO_CHANNELS, channels);
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_AUDIO_CHANNELS, channels);
 
 	p = positions;
 	for (i = 0; i < dev->format.channels; i++) {
 		p += snprintf(p, 12, "%s%s", i == 0 ? "" : ",",
 				acp_channel_str(ch, sizeof(ch), dev->format.map[i]));
 	}
-	items[5] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_AUDIO_POSITION, positions);
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(SPA_KEY_AUDIO_POSITION, positions);
 
 	snprintf(routes, sizeof(routes), "%d", dev->n_ports);
-	items[6] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT("device.routes", routes);
-	n_items = 7;
+	items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT("device.routes", routes);
+
 	acp_dict_for_each(it, &dev->props)
 		items[n_items++] = SPA_DICT_ITEM_INIT(it->key, it->value);
 
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-sink.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-sink.c
index 394971bc5..6ae0dadf4 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-sink.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-sink.c
@@ -811,6 +811,10 @@ impl_init(const struct spa_handle_factory *factory,
 		const char *s = info->items[i].value;
 		if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PATH)) {
 			snprintf(this->props.device, 63, "%s", s);
+		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_CARD)) {
+			this->card_index = atoi(s);
+		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_OPEN_UCM)) {
+			this->open_ucm = spa_atob(s);
 		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_AUDIO_CHANNELS)) {
 			this->default_channels = atoi(s);
 		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_AUDIO_RATE)) {
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-source.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-source.c
index 0993bd47b..5dcb95c00 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-source.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm-source.c
@@ -829,6 +829,10 @@ impl_init(const struct spa_handle_factory *factory,
 		const char *s = info->items[i].value;
 		if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PATH)) {
 			snprintf(this->props.device, 63, "%s", s);
+		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_PCM_CARD)) {
+			this->card_index = atoi(s);
+		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_API_ALSA_OPEN_UCM)) {
+			this->open_ucm = spa_atob(s);
 		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_AUDIO_CHANNELS)) {
 			this->default_channels = atoi(s);
 		} else if (spa_streq(k, SPA_KEY_AUDIO_RATE)) {
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.c
index 8b90cc823..0c2966d98 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.c
@@ -21,11 +21,28 @@ int spa_alsa_init(struct state *state)
 
 	snd_config_update_free_global();
 
-	if (strncmp(state->props.device, "_ucm", 4) == 0 &&
-	    strlen(state->props.device) >= 12 &&
-	    state->props.device[8] == '.') {
-		if ((err = snd_use_case_mgr_open(&state->ucm, &state->props.device[9])) < 0)
+	if (state->open_ucm) {
+		char card_name[64];
+
+		snprintf(card_name, sizeof(card_name), "hw:%i", state->card_index);
+		err = snd_use_case_mgr_open(&state->ucm, card_name);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			char *name;
+			err = snd_card_get_name(state->card_index, &name);
+			if (err < 0) {
+				spa_log_error(state->log,
+						"can't get card name from index %d",
+						state->card_index);
+				return err;
+			}
+			snprintf(card_name, sizeof(card_name), "%s", name);
+			free(name);
+		}
+		err = snd_use_case_mgr_open(&state->ucm, card_name);
+		if (err < 0) {
+			spa_log_error(state->log, "UCM not available for card %s", card_name);
 			return err;
+		}
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.h b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.h
index 4c59f8697..a7959cbef 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.h
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-pcm.h
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ struct state {
 	struct spa_system *data_system;
 	struct spa_loop *data_loop;
 
+	int card_index;
 	snd_pcm_stream_t stream;
 	snd_output_t *output;
 
@@ -181,6 +182,7 @@ struct state {
 	unsigned int use_mmap:1;
 	unsigned int planar:1;
 	unsigned int freewheel:1;
+	unsigned int open_ucm:1;
 
 	int64_t sample_count;