Do I need an Alexa???

[BubblesBubblesBubbles]

Really struggling to find something my DH could buy me, I’m not worried about it arriving till after Christmas 🎄

Was sat on amazon and saw the Alexa was down to £54, which got me thinking, do I want/need one??

Are they any good?? Do you need to buy ‘extra’ things to go with it??

Do you have small children? If so then how many days of baby shark on repeat do you think you can stand before throwing it out the window? I really don't understand the point of them. My phone does all of the internet/music/shopping list stuff and I am perfectly comfortable with using switches.

I cant imagine they will be around for long.

Yeps 2 small kids! have a feeling the greatest show soundtrack will be played endlessly...

Dh is currently looking at how to turn the house into a ‘smart house’ I fear this will get expensive

My great auntie has one - she's nearly 100 and she's told me it's both useful and a bit of company. And it plays her favourite music when she asks for it.

you don't need one.
If you are able bodied and can manage light switches, thermostats and shopping lists you don't need one.
if you want a gimmick - go for it.

I have never felt the need to have someone flick a light switch for me. I can't imagine what it would cost to buy 20 new light switches, a smart thermostat and an electrician to fit them.
It doesn't appear to support any of the podcasts I listen to.
You have to pay extra for Amazon music or Spotify.
On the other hand for £20 it's probably an ok radio.

I like reading to my dc. I don’t want a machine to do it. I have a thermostat on timer for the boiler. I have managed to operate a radio for over 40 years quite satisfactorily. I don’t like the idea of it listening all the time. So I don’t think you need one but it could be fun as a sort of toy I suppose.

I do the same as @Reallybadidea in reference to having the heating come on when I’m a certain distance from the house, and on my way home from somewhere unexpectedly.

Also if my hands are full at the time, I ask Alexa to increase/decrease the temperature as needed.

I use it for music and setting alarms, but I turn my lighting on and off by switches, and also plug stuff in myself.
You can do as much or as little as you like with it.

I still like mine after a year of having it.

I’ve listened to music that I’ve never listened to before simply by asking,
plus there is an Amazon music unlimited deal of 90 days for £0.99 that I’m currently on. The deal ends in the beginning of January btw (Christmas deal), so get your skates on.

I mainly use mine for radio. Sometime we have a chat!

I'm loving being able to say "Alexa, turn the Christmas lights on" and on come the tree lights, fairy lights in the kitchen, the candle bridge in the window and the outside lights all together (can control them separately too). Even more handy to get Alexa to turn them all off when I'm rushing to leave the house or going up to bed. Oh and I can turn the kettle on as I get in the shower in the morning so that it's boiled by the time I get downstairs.

No one needs Alexa do they.

@Reallybadidea do you control that with the smart plug? Can you set it to a regular timer?

@Camsie30

Yes, we have the lights plugged into smart plugs. Do you mean could a regular timer do the same thing or could we set up a regular schedule?

Mine is excellent for remote nagging of the kids

@Reallybadidea can you set a regular schedule? I've got a smart plug with a lamp plugged in but wasn't sure if that was possible

@Camsie30

Yes, you can do that through the Alexa app. Click on the menu and go to routines then click the + icon. You need to do a separate routine for each on and off.

We got the echo in the Black Friday deals for around £50 and I think it is great. We have the 0.99 music deal and will definitely continue with it. The speaker quality is great and I like asking for playlists that include music I’ve enjoyed and forgotten over the years (Alexa, play a 90s indie playlist) etc.

Also use as a timer (ours is in the kitchen), listening to news, weather forecasts etc.

@Reallybadidea got it!! Thanks x

We've got the Echo in the living room, the spot on the bedside table as it's also a clock and an unopened Dot ready for dd's 6th birthday as she loves playing music and doing spelling and maths games on it.

We haven't linked any bulbs or switches to it though, they're mainly used for music and quick questions.

I've got 1 for each Dd for Xmas in the hope I can remove phones from bedrooms as they currently use those as alarms. And then I can drop in as necessary rather than shouting upstairs.

We've had one in the kitchen since Black Friday and mostly use music (via Spotify) and timers. She never seems to understand our questions when we ask for some info.

I've got 1 for each Dd for Xmas in the hope I can remove phones from bedrooms as they currently use those as alarms. And then I can drop in as necessary rather than shouting upstairs.

We've had one in the kitchen since Black Friday and mostly use music (via Spotify) and timers. She never seems to understand our questions when we ask for some info.

I've got 1 for each Dd for Xmas in the hope I can remove phones from bedrooms as they currently use those as alarms. And then I can drop in as necessary rather than shouting upstairs.

We've had one in the kitchen since Black Friday and mostly use music (via Spotify) and timers. She never seems to understand our questions when we ask for some info.

Apologies for repeats