Advice, please, Alexa fans

[Optimist1]

I’ve got an Echo Show downstairs and use it fairly frequently. I’ve paired it with some lights and also use it for listening to audiobooks or radio, timers and shopping lists. I can create a routine for the lights and am generally pleased with its capabilities.

I’d like to make fuller use of Alexa by getting an Echo Dot for use upstairs, but can’t quite get my head around the way things would work.
My main questions are :

• If I want to listen to the radio downstairs, but not disturb anyone upstairs, can I do this?
• If so, would I still have the option of having the radio on upstairs and downstairs if I wanted to?
• If so, could I have one radio station playing upstairs and another downstairs?

If you’re an Alexa fan I’d love to know your favourite functions, and any pitfalls you’ve found.
Please note, comments about being spied on not required!
TIA

Bump!

If I want to listen to the radio downstairs, but not disturb anyone upstairs, can I do this?

Yes. She'll just play radio on whatever device was closest to you when you asked.

If so, would I still have the option of having the radio on upstairs and downstairs if I wanted to?

Yes, you can group devices so all play the same, or...

If so, could I have one radio station playing upstairs and another downstairs?

Yes, you can do this.

I have a dot by my bed. Most frequent request is “Alexa, play my audiobook (or podcast)” followed by “Alexa stop playing in 20 minutes.”
Am usually asleep by the time she stops playing.
In the morning I ask her to play R3 or R4 depending on my mood.

I have far too many Alexa devices, but the one in the kitchen is handy for timing when cooking - just yell “Alexa, set timer for 6 minutes”

You can have multiple Alexas, and they won’t necessarily do the same thing.

BUT

1. occasionally, I have had the ‘wrong’ Alexa play/answer when I have asked something.

2. if you can be ‘heard’ by the other Alexa, then sometimes your request will be picked up by the other one, rather than the one you are stood right next to (this has happened more than once with my dds’ echos - they’re rooms are separated by one room, but sometimes dd1 will ask her echo to do something, and it plays on dd2’s echo instead of dd1’s.

Favourite function for me is ‘drop in’… means I can tell DC who have in their room to come down for tea instead of screaming it up the stairs.

Yes to both your questions, and my favourite function is by far and away routines.

Don't get a Echo Dot, get an Echo. The sound quality is far, far superior.

Thanks for the positive answers! I'll be doubling the fun when I've got upstairs into the 21st century, too.

You can change the wake word on them to resolve this problem. So my mum has hers as echo and my sister has hers as alexa so they don't answer each others. The downside to a Bungalow, every room is too close to each other 😆

Yes we have one of some sort in pretty much every room (show in the kitchen, cube in the living room and dots or echos in each of the bedrooms).

You can ask them all to play alone or ‘group’ them in the app, so you can say ‘play in all the bedrooms’ or ‘play on all devices’ etc

Radio is free so can be played on multiple devices at once. As we only play for one prime music subscription, if someone asks if to play some music it will stop which ever one is already playing.

I LOVE to make announcements to the whole house, such as teas ready, time to leave, bed time etc