Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be super excited about my new Alexa Dot? And to ask what you use yours for?

47 replies

toastyarmadillo · 02/05/2017 06:58

I finally treated myself to one after coveting them since their release! Does anyone else have one? What do you use it for?
I would love to be able to use it as a tv speaker, so it plays the audio from the tv while I'm in a different room cooking or cleaning! Not a clue how to achieve this though!

OP posts:
Sylvannas · 02/05/2017 08:27

We use the shopping list. Love it!! If DH is enough route home from work and goes to the shops on the way home, he can see everything I've added on the Alexa app.
Plus we've got several coloured lights and lamps in the lounge and a night light in DS room. We use Alexa to change them, turn them on/off.
If we ever have a power cut we would be totally screwed lol

Me624 · 02/05/2017 08:28

We use ours for:

  • turning on and off the lights (via LightwaveRF)
  • opening and closing the garage door
  • playing the radio
  • turning the heating up and down (via Nest)
mammmamia · 02/05/2017 13:09

Place marking as just got one

Degasinacar · 02/05/2017 13:14

I use it for weather forecasts when I am hopelessly late and throwing clothes on at last second. Im much more wet weather prepared now.

Dd uses it for an endless stream of knock knock jokes and 'which animal has the most teeth' type questions.

ZanyMobster · 02/05/2017 13:22

I have just got my echo today so presumably it does the same things? I have added my google calendar to it which is a great feature also done my shopping list ready for my online order tonight.

I haven't got any devices that can do the lights/heating on/off thing though which I'm really disappointed about :o(

Interested to follow this thread . . .

SistersOfPercy · 02/05/2017 14:06

Lights, heating, lists, turning on the kettle and electric fire lights(TP Link Smart Switches), radio, news bulletins, spotify, rock paper scissors, kitchen timer, hair dye timer.

So many things! First thing I do is say 'good morning' and get a random fact for the day.

StealthPolarBear · 02/05/2017 14:18

I bellow at her to turn the lighrs on and off. She mostly ignores me.
"What's the news" is good

iknowimcoming · 02/05/2017 14:18

Had our about three weeks, I've mostly just used it to play random songs from the depths of my memory - Martika, Five Star to name a couple Grin

iknowimcoming · 02/05/2017 14:23

Today she's been playing musical/movie soundtracks Grin

RufusTheRenegadeReindeer · 02/05/2017 14:23

Ds1 won one (too many ones..and now there a too) at a party on Saturday

I am more excited about it than he is

I might pinch it

We have linked it to his spotify and i think the news bit is good...i might have to get one

mammmamia · 02/05/2017 15:12

You can add events to your google calendar - really useful
Have been mainly using it for weather and news and turning the radio on.
DC for jokes obvs

CabernetSauvignyoni · 02/05/2017 15:15

We have a dot and a full size and swear by them!

The full size lives in the kitchen and I use it for music, working out conversions, adding things to the shopping list, and timers/reminders, and generally entertaining me while I'm cooking.

The dot is connected to our bedroom speakers and is mainly used to set reminders, for music, weather forecasts, calendar, and to control the lights.

They are also hooked up to the Nest for heating and most of our lights.

They're fab Grin

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 02/05/2017 15:24

We have 2. I mainly use for Spotify or weather.

magicstar1 · 02/05/2017 15:33

I got one as a present and haven't figured out much to do with it yet.

I did change her name from Alexa to Computer as I'm a Trekkie lol.

SistersOfPercy · 02/05/2017 17:43

@magicstar1 you changed the wake word? How? Didn't think that was possible yet and you can only use Alexa, Amazon or Echo.

mammmamia · 02/05/2017 21:26

You can change the wake word in the app, only 4 words available though.

DontOpenDeadInside · 02/05/2017 21:34

Ooo just checked and "Computer" is a new wake word.

Stormybubbles · 02/05/2017 22:07

I have 2, a Dot and an Echo. My Dot is in the bedroom and she wakes me up and turns the kettle on, while thats boiling she tells me the news and weather, she is also linked to a bluetooth speaker in my bathroom. My Echo is in my living room, I use her more for music and timers. Between them they control all the lights in my house (philips hue) and the kettle is controlled with wemo plug. In December I had a wemo plugged into tree lights so I could ask Alexa to turn on Christmas! As well as prime music and the radio I also have an amazon music account (like spotify) which is only about £3/month if you just have it on one device. I love Alexa however home automation is an expensive "hobby"

Wando1986 · 02/05/2017 22:10

They're pants :( they use Bing search which is so awful an unintuitive it's like using ask jeeves in 1999.

BusyBeez99 · 02/05/2017 22:11

OMG I want one

mammmamia · 02/05/2017 22:22

Totally agree about Bing search. Terrible.

Jengnr · 02/05/2017 22:22

I use it for lights (Hue), heating (Hive), plugs, timers, music, shopping lists, radio, being silly (jokes, saying hello to friends etc), my fitbit, the time and probably loads more I've forgotten.

I am planning a new bathroom and think I'll get one in there too.

YoniFucker · 02/05/2017 22:32

Watching... I use her for music. I actually had no idea she could do more!

howrudeforme · 02/05/2017 22:35

Don't have a smart house so use it for, weather, Alarm, timer, news and music, so far. Ds uses it for maths homework.

Jessicabrassica · 02/05/2017 22:36

Kids have just discovered Through the door's adventures too. And we play beat the intro.

Swipe left for the next trending thread