Echo dots

[DtPeabodysLoosePants]

What do they do? Do I need I one? Will it add to my life in any way?

All of the above really

I'm a gadget twat and am delighted by them, we have 4 already and I would definitely have bought the 99p offer if I'd seen it. Shopping lists are great and we also have smart bulbs- when I'm on a very early shift I can ask upstairs Alexa to turn the sitting room on and the lamps come on. This means I don't have to risk life and limb toppling down the stairs in the dark, or wake up the house by putting the landing light on.

11yr old DD has one. No music or book subscriptions (I can't figure out how to do it).
She uses it for reminders, alarms, quick general knowledge questions, it has a few silly quizzes and I think her free headspace app has a few basic relaxation sessions. I had to download the Alex's app to her tablet then link it to the echo to set it up. Took ages to sort it .

i have another really stupid query. previous posts mention that you need a subscription music service.

I currently have free Spotify on a really old ipad, which is fine for me as the old version has unlimited skips and I connect to a not-smart bluetooth speaker. Can I use free Spotify on a dot, or do I need to commit t handoing over actual cash each month?

I think you have to pay for Spotify to link it to your dot I recently bought 2 but still working out what they do

Free Spotify won’t work unfortunately, it has to be a paid one. The cheapest is £3.99 amazon music that is tied to just one device.

You can however tether your phone to the dot via Bluetooth and listen to music that way, but there’s no voice search if you do this

Following also planning on one for Christmas!
What is the plug called that can do all the magical things like turn on the kettle?

A smart plug, I linked to one earlier in the thread

Free Spotify will only link to a Google home. DS has it.

Thanks all - google home probably the one for us then!

You can use alexa as a Bluetooth speaker for your phone with free Spotify. You can skip tracks but that's it really.

@Aposterhasnoname "it's worth investing in a hub"

What are the benefits of a hub? We have smart plugs all over the house and have no hub. Works absolutely fine.

I have echo lust now! I was thinking of it for dd who is 12 but now I want one for myself! I'll see what Black Friday brings in terms of deals. I like the one with the clock for dd. I wouldn't need a clock for myself.
How is the security on them in terms of amazon listening in to conversations? Or is that scaremongering.

Alexa Volume 11.

They are great we have them in each room (not the bathroom yet)

@Reallybadidea If you have a hub, then you have one item connected to your WiFi, without one, then each plug, bulb etc is individually connected. This can cause your WiFi to slow down, and some routers have a limit to the number of items you can connect. Not all though, some will work fine.

How is the security on them in terms of amazon listening in to conversations? Or is that scaremongering.

You can see everything it’s recorded in the privacy section, and delete it, you can also set it to auto delete every three or 18 months. There’s also an option to not share the recordings with amazon.

In a year of owning two I’ve never had it record anything it I didn’t want it to.

After reading Edwards Snowden’s book it’s quite scary then you hear about it all. But we still have them.

@DtPeabodysLoosePants if you have Echo lust, wait for black friday and see if you can get the Echo Show,

It does all of the above but has a screen (and really good speakers) so you can watch things on it, or it can show you recipes etc.

I echo (boom boom!) @DinaCaliente's post - I have an Echo Show and use it for recipes in the kitchen.

Also handy when it's playing music from Amazon Music is that it shows you the lyrics.

I've just ordered one along with 2 smart plugs.
I'm concerned about it listening all the time though.
I'm thinking it will be ace to switch the Christmas tree lights on before we go down on Christmas morning and there's the novelty of switching on the kettle remotely. Or using it to wake up dd in a morning. Maybe I need one for her room too?

My Echo Dot controls my lighting, which is voice activated. I use it for my shopping lists, which are emailed to me. I use it to add things to my calendar. I obviously listen to music. She links to my fire stick now so I ask her to find me things to watch. I have various apps on it too. I get her to wake me up, tell me my events for the day, the weather, traffic to my workplace and so on, via routines. I also use it to call my mum who also has an echo dot. She will also turn on my Christmas tree lights next month via a smart plug.

But it all comes down to how much you will use it really. I am getting more into voice control because I have mobility problems.

Do you have more than one to do all that? We live in a town house and I'm not sure where to put it for the best use? The kitchen is on the bottom floor along with the dining room and DDs room, living room and ds's room in the middle and my room and DDs at the top.

I've set up the echo dot and amused myself by boiling the kettle I suspect I need will need another one for the living room as is on the middle floor. I've set this one up in the kitchen as that's where all the questions get asked.

I'm concerned about it listening all the time though Why? Are you discussing the murder you committed last week? Or your tax evasion?

Would Amazon be at all interested in what you say? You think they listen to every single persons conversation?

Just bought my third. Bows great time to buy as the third gen dots are only £22

We've got one upstairs and one downstairs. They act as an intercom: 'Alexa call kitchen!' My number blocks obsessed child likes to ask her maths problems. I contemplated getting a firestick but I don't think DS needs the power to say 'alexa play numberblocks'.

we have them in most rooms to play music or the radio. Also good for alarms, timers and to call people down for dinner. My children all have them and play music off theirs (spotify or amazon music).

I don't really know about smart plugs or hubs and maybe should look into that.

Also haven't connected mine up to my sonos speakers - could the sonos speakers be in a different room to the alexa.