Amazon echo

[Soreztee]

Has anyone set up an Amazon echo for their parent? Echo

I looked a few years back and dismissed the idea but since then there has been a drama of the phone handsets not working and I thought this could be a handy back up. I saw Norma (of Norma and Jess vlog) using one; she is also computer illiterate so I had another look and was amazed how cheaply they are.

can anyone feedback on their experience of setting one up? There is broadband already. My parent has previously been unable to use a tablet; partly education, partly lack of sensitivity in finger pads & arthritis makes stylus too hard too.

any thoughts appreciated.

I'm giving one to my mum on Sunday so can report back! If they don't have their own Amazon account, you can add them on as a family member. If they do, you can just make yourself a contact so they can just say 'Alexa, call Soreztee'.

If you don't have an echo, I'm not sure how much use it will be.

My in laws have one and a Google and use them both. They have smart light bulbs and love it for that, along with using it for a chime for the ring doorbell that my FIL likes to stalk the neighbours on 🤣

I discovered the other day that you can ask them for help with crossword clues. My Dad would like that!

Thanks for the feedback! @Clymene - showing my ignorance here but what the heck it’s why I posted; so, I need an echo to call an echo? I can’t do it from another device?

We did. We set up several throughout the bungalow and 1 low level plug one in the hall. We did it as a safety thing as parent had a fall and couldn't call for help. The echo is set up so that they can either call family or emergency services. They also like using them for radio etc.

You can call mobile phones from an echo too.

Oh sorry I didn't realise you could set them up to call anyone in the contact list!

So I guess it's only if you want to call them that you also need an echo.

@LunaLoveFood Thank you for the feedback. At £36 it makes buying multiple’s feasible.

just to clarify, you can only CALL an echo with an echo not a smart phone say using WhatsApp?

You use the echo app to call the echo device from your mobile or can call echo to echo.

It was an absolute godsend for my parents. We set it up so they could turn the lights on / off by voice command which was brilliant for them. We could call them etc too.

I'm learning as much as you here!

I think now looking into it, you just need the Alexa app on your phone to call their echo

Ok - thanks for all the input. I’m going to look for the echo app.

I tried with my DM but she had hearing loss so couldn't hear the blooming thing.

Oh no @PritiPatelsMaker ! I’m hoping it’s better than the Doro phone I bought my parent - rungs loud then the personal is barely audible. That’s meant to be so hard of hearing too! I think the price is encouraging me to at least give this a go. I saw them a couple of years ago when they were double and didn’t want to waste my moment. For under 40 quid I will give it a spin.

Hate to tell you this but my DM can hear the Doro, the Amazon Echo might as well have been unconnected and still in the box. She simply couldn't hear a thing.

My Dad has one he’s 81 although we don’t use it for calls. I do hear him having a kitchen disco quite often tho 🤣