Amazon Echo

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198 posts

Master Geek

#1962201 22-Feb-2018 13:01

nas:

The more I use echo the more useless I find it.

Currently waiting for a Google Mini to arrive c/o dick smith.. probably travelling by kayak from Australia

I find it great for my home automation products

What do you find useless about it?

maxeon

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#1962217 22-Feb-2018 13:24

Mistenfuru:

nas:

The more I use echo the more useless I find it.

Currently waiting for a Google Mini to arrive c/o dick smith.. probably travelling by kayak from Australia

I find it great for my home automation products

What do you find useless about it?

I find some commands only work if you say it specifically in a way it understands.

Alexa - Turn off the flood light.

Answer - OK

Alexa - Switch off the flood light.

Answer - I don't know what you mean

Alexa - What is the status of my flood light.

Answer - It's currently on.

Alexa - Can you tell me the status of my flood light.

Answer - I can't help you with that.

In all the above commands, Google home just simple understands and just works.

I am using TP-link smart wifi plug to switch on and off a device here which was sold as a bundle with Echo products.

Google Home works brilliantly irrespective of how you talk to it.

dfnt

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#1962243 22-Feb-2018 14:16

Amazon isn't a search engine company, so I understand that asking it something like..

Alexa: What is jack fruit

Answer: I don't know what you mean

In regards to home automation, yep it works with our Harmony Hub just fine so it can turn the TV on/off and switch between Sky and the Nvidia Shield TV etc.

But it also has shortcomings such as..

I have two separate rooms setup in Phillips Hue, but the lights are both in the one Nursery. It's so I can control the lamps and led strip seperately. They're prefixed with Nursery, so Nursery lights and Nursery strip.

Alexa: Turn on the nursery lights

Answer: You have multiple rooms configured with the name nursery, which one did you mean

Me: Nursery lights

Answer: You have multiple rooms configured with the name nursery, which one did you mean

Me: NUR SER EE LIGHTS

Answer: You have multiple rooms configured with the name nursery, which one did you mean

So I had to setup groups in Alexa for it to understand what I wanted..

The other issue is my wife can't link her Google Play Music account with Alexa so she's currently ruining my Spotify with her taste in music, plus childrens music for our Daughter -_-. Which is a hassle in itself, you get a different result every time you ask Alexa to play nursery rhymes..

razor2000nz

218 posts

Master Geek

#1962280 22-Feb-2018 15:39

In regards to home automation, yep it works with our Harmony Hub just fine so it can turn the TV on/off and switch between Sky and the Nvidia Shield TV etc.

How did you integrate the Nvidia Sheild? Or do you just aks alexa to change hdmi inputs?

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1964701 26-Feb-2018 17:46

Does anyone know what the deal is with Amazon's Music Unlimited for using with Echo? Is there a discount for Echo owners? I think there is a 30 day trial. I can't see any documentation about it.

How much is it a month?

networkn

Networkn
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#1964714 26-Feb-2018 17:50

Google search of "amazon music unlimited nz" found this in the second link.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/apps/101592620/review-amazon-music-unlimited

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1964725 26-Feb-2018 18:16

networkn:

Google search of "amazon music unlimited nz" found this in the second link.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/apps/101592620/review-amazon-music-unlimited

Thanks. I was doing quite a bit of googling and even with the New Zealand toggle swtiched on, I couldn't find much about the pricing structure here.

It sounds like I may as well stick with Spotify. Plays on more devices and I'm guessing it has a comparative catalog.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

dfnt

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#1964726 26-Feb-2018 18:17

razor2000nz:

In regards to home automation, yep it works with our Harmony Hub just fine so it can turn the TV on/off and switch between Sky and the Nvidia Shield TV etc.

How did you integrate the Nvidia Sheild? Or do you just aks alexa to change hdmi inputs?

The harmony hub, with remote, can control the Shield.. so when I asked Alexa to put the shield on it just puts the tv, decoder etc onto the right hdmi input/outputs

I don't actually use the echo to control anything beyond that because the remote is far quicker

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1968780 6-Mar-2018 10:33

Has anyone had problems playing songs on the Echo? Usually it's pretty accurate, but today I asked ALexa to play "Days Are Numbers, by Alan Parsons Project" on Spotify, and she said she would, and then there was just silence. I tried a few more times and got the same result. I could play it through the Spotify app, no problem.

richms

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#1970118 6-Mar-2018 19:23

Yeah it doesn't work right on a nz Spotify account.

Richard rich.ms

maxeon

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#1970131 6-Mar-2018 19:39

I am selling my echo dot. It does not work to most nz apps and lacks response to common words. Going to shift to Google home. I have echo dot white and echo plus available for sale bought from Jbhifi with receipt on 9th Feb.

prob

225 posts

Master Geek

#1977231 15-Mar-2018 15:49

That's too bad. I went through the voice training and also went into my history to correct mistakes. It is now quite good at getting requests right first time. Not a big Spotify user but works as I recall. Use it all the time to control my lights etc. Very happy. Best feature is playing radio stations

Mistenfuru

198 posts

Master Geek

#1977281 15-Mar-2018 17:20

prob: That's too bad. I went through the voice training and also went into my history to correct mistakes. It is now quite good at getting requests right first time. Not a big Spotify user but works as I recall. Use it all the time to control my lights etc. Very happy. Best feature is playing radio stations

Agreed! mine is bloody brilliant for my home automation lights/powerpoints/controllers.

In regards to the previous "Doesn't support NZ apps" part that's not Amazons fault that's the App developer....

So far I've requested two apps that have support in the US to work on the AUS/NZ version and they've provided both within weeks of request.

They've also responded positively to any bug reports and fixed them within days.

I can't comment on Google Home because I haven't tested it personally but I can't fault my Echo...

Dingbatt

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#1977292 15-Mar-2018 18:21

Mistenfuru:
prob: That's too bad. I went through the voice training and also went into my history to correct mistakes. It is now quite good at getting requests right first time. Not a big Spotify user but works as I recall. Use it all the time to control my lights etc. Very happy. Best feature is playing radio stations

Agreed! mine is bloody brilliant for my home automation lights/powerpoints/controllers.

In regards to the previous "Doesn't support NZ apps" part that's not Amazons fault that's the App developer....

So far I've requested two apps that have support in the US to work on the AUS/NZ version and they've provided both within weeks of request.

They've also responded positively to any bug reports and fixed them within days.

I can't comment on Google Home because I haven't tested it personally but I can't fault my Echo...

Which apps?

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

lchiu7

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#1977316 15-Mar-2018 19:24

Have people seen now you can string Echo commands together without having to say Alexa? It's an option in the app Follow-Up Mode

So you can say Alexa "turn on the lounge" and then while the light on the top is still flashing say e.g. "turn on the bedroom"

Google Home has something similar where you can Hey Google, "Turn on the lounge AND turn on the bedroom"

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