First time setting up a Amazon Dot (Echo)

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › First time setting up a Amazon Dot (Echo)

tripp

3187 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 824

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Topic # 206001 6-Dec-2016 10:16

Hi all

Have a new v2 amazon dot turning up today/tomorrow, which is the best site to explain how to get it working in Albany/Auckland NZ (including time zone config etc)?

Also looking at getting it to control my new philips hue lights etc

Totally new to this so any help would be great :)

thanks

fizzychicken

281 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 65

Reply # 1683157 6-Dec-2016 10:22

one thing I can recommend is not to use the Philips Hue skill, it doesnt work very well. Set your echo to discover smart home devices and add them to their own groups withing the echo app, it is much better for voice control, I have individual bulbs named and groups set in the hue app on my phone which the echo then discovered so I can use:

alexa turn desk light on
alexa turn all lights off
alexa turn the lounge lights on
alexa set table light to 20%

and so on

I'm pretty sure you can only set the timezone now as the address changes are blocked, I'll see if I can write up how I did that once I get home tonight.

as for weather you just have to specify location e.g.

alexa what is the weather in Wellington New Zealand
alexa what is the weather in Ockland New Zealand .........because it hates my accent
alexa what is the weather forecast for tomorrow in Ockland new zealand

https://keybase.io/fizzychicken

tripp

3187 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 824

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1683192 6-Dec-2016 11:06

fizzychicken:

one thing I can recommend is not to use the Philips Hue skill, it doesnt work very well. Set your echo to discover smart home devices and add them to their own groups withing the echo app, it is much better for voice control, I have individual bulbs named and groups set in the hue app on my phone which the echo then discovered so I can use:

alexa turn desk light on
alexa turn all lights off
alexa turn the lounge lights on
alexa set table light to 20%

and so on

I'm pretty sure you can only set the timezone now as the address changes are blocked, I'll see if I can write up how I did that once I get home tonight.

as for weather you just have to specify location e.g.

alexa what is the weather in Wellington New Zealand
alexa what is the weather in Ockland New Zealand .........because it hates my accent
alexa what is the weather forecast for tomorrow in Ockland new zealand

Thanks :)

Disrespective

1801 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 125

Reply # 1683232 6-Dec-2016 12:22

Google how to change your timezone (there are plenty of good guides) but as mentioned, it's the only thing you can change.

I use a skill called BigSky which I have set up so when I ask Alexa "Alexa, run big sky" it'll reel off a nice weather report for my location. It's based off the DarkSky api so not perfect down here, but accurate enough for my basic weather needs.

tripp

3187 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 824

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1683369 6-Dec-2016 16:57

Ok have set it up with the correct time and put my lights onto it :)

It does not like the word "auckland" however lol

fizzychicken

281 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 65

Reply # 1683429 6-Dec-2016 19:33

tripp:

Ok have set it up with the correct time and put my lights onto it :)

It does not like the word "auckland" however lol

Like I said, you have to say Ock Land

https://keybase.io/fizzychicken

tripp

3187 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 824

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1683566 7-Dec-2016 06:50

fizzychicken:

tripp:

Ok have set it up with the correct time and put my lights onto it :)

It does not like the word "auckland" however lol

Like I said, you have to say Ock Land

I have found "north shore New zealand" also works :)

xpd

Chief Trash Bandit
9261 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1492

Mod Emeritus

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1683601 7-Dec-2016 08:53

Slight thread hijack, but apart from weather/time, what else could I do with one of these...... (too lazy to Google and prefer real world experiences rather than "in theory" ;) )

Add items and reminders to a calendar ? (Outlook.com/Gmail etc)

Send emails ?

Turn my Xbox One on/off (or more) ?

How does it handle music playing, can it use Spotify/Pandora, MP3's stored on a local server ?

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

Server : i3-3240 @ 3.40GHz 16GB RAM Win 10 Pro Workstation : i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz 16GB RAM Win 10 Pro Console : Xbox One

https://www.xpd.co.nz - Games, geeks, and more.

tripp

3187 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 824

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

Reply # 1683615 7-Dec-2016 09:13

xpd:

Slight thread hijack, but apart from weather/time, what else could I do with one of these...... (too lazy to Google and prefer real world experiences rather than "in theory" ;) )

Add items and reminders to a calendar ? (Outlook.com/Gmail etc)

Send emails ?

Turn my Xbox One on/off (or more) ?

How does it handle music playing, can it use Spotify/Pandora, MP3's stored on a local server ?

So what I have used mine for so far.

1) Calendar, I can get it to tell me what i have on tomorrow for facebook/google account etc

2) Pandora radio or spotify as I am in bed reading

3) Time and weather

4) It woke me up this morning after telling it to last night

5) controls lights in my bedroom and my TV room

6) Shopping list :)

It is currently sitting in my bedroom, I have already ordered another one for my TV room. Flatmate has also ordered one which will work off his account so I might setup the hot word of "echo" and not alexa :)

fizzychicken

281 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 65

Reply # 1683660 7-Dec-2016 09:49

I use it for

controlling all the lights in the house (philips hue)
playing spotify (it is doing this most of the time as lullaby music to try and get the little horror to sleep)
shopping lists
calculator (the wife is always asking questions as she is terrible at math)
dictionary (because I'm terrible at spelling)
weather
random info lookup (wikipedia etc)
meow meow (an awesome skill which randomly plays cat miaows which send my fur monsters crazy as they cant find where this 'cat' is)
and just random fun stuff like, tell me a joke etc....there are a lot of small things it does well.

edit for additional stuff I just thought of

You can use some IFTTT stuff to expand what control can trigger
I also use Openhab for discovered devices voice control similar to how the hue lights work, so I can say 'alexa, turn on beef' which is my main desktop pc, this triggers the wake-on-lan call in the hab and my PC turns on, this can be expended to do other stuff.

https://keybase.io/fizzychicken

SumnerBoy

1664 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 188

Subscriber

Reply # 1683669 7-Dec-2016 10:06

PROTIP - sign up for TODOIST and link it to your Echo. Syncs your Alexa todo/shopping lists with TODOIST which has a much better app on your phone for checking and editing your lists. I.e. pretty painful using the Alexa app to remove items from your shopping list, piece of cake with TODOIST.