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View Full Version : Amazon Echo is pretty cool



Scott Brandstetter
01-05-2017, 9:49 PM
We got an echo for Christmas and I really didn't know a lot about it. Man, this thing is really neat. Now, I have to admit, I'm kind of an electronics guy, so if you're not, this won't mean much to you.

Since getting it I now have it controlling most of the lights in the house, ceiling fan, thermostat (this is an entirely different conversation), and garage doors. It will search for answers, tell you the weather, create a shopping list, order items direct and instantly from amazon and hook up to all kinds of other items. You can hook it up to your entire tv, stereo, and dvd player if you wanted. Simply tell it to turn on and play a certain tv station, switch to a dvd, etc. I have only scratched the surface but it really seems legit.

It also got me thinking how helpful a device like this could be for someone who is disabled, old, bed ridden, all kinds of people. My mother who now lives in assisted living because of alzheimer's could have really benefited from something like this. We could see if she's taken her medicine, how well she's sleeping each night, get a notification if she went out of the house, all types of things.

Some say that this technology is bad, and allowing us to be controlled. I don't write this to create this debate, so please don't, I simply have posted this because to me, it's the future and for me it's exciting. Anyhow, let me know if this appeals to you and if you are using something like this as well.

Michael Weber
01-05-2017, 10:31 PM
How does it control things like lights and tv? I assume some kind on remote receivers are needed?
edited
okay I read a review. Seems several companies make compatible smart switches. The review did say that smart tv control wasn't possible yet so it must be at least a few months old.

Mike Henderson
01-05-2017, 11:02 PM
How does it control garage doors? I've been looking for a reliable garage door monitor that will allow me to see the status of the doors remotely and be able to open and close them remotely. But it has to be 100% reliable. Reviews of other products often say that the garage door will open or close "by itself".

Mike

Michael Weber
01-06-2017, 12:11 AM
Mike, I was looking at the garage openers and it appears they are just Z-Wave smart switches that connect across the openers push button connectors.

Rich Riddle
01-06-2017, 12:17 AM
I am guessing somehow it's linked into the house internet or router along with other items such as lights and thermostats.

George Bokros
01-06-2017, 7:39 AM
Yea, it pretty cool until your child orders a $100+ doll house and 4# of cookies without your knowledge. I am puzzling about why you would want to have things like your garage door, house doors, security camera's etc accessible remotely via your smart phone. They are then devices that are then on the Internet of Things that can be hacked and your house is vulnerable to thieves.

We have come to far without adequate protection.

daniel lane
01-06-2017, 9:02 AM
George, you can turn off ordering via the Echo/Dot, and you can also add a PIN code (don't use it around the kids!), so order security isn't an issue.


d

Yonak Hawkins
01-06-2017, 9:43 AM
I have read that they listen in on conversations and look for keywords so they know how to market to you. It's possible that feature could become more sophisticated and that kind of scares me as it indicates shades of 1984.

Scott Brandstetter
01-06-2017, 10:32 AM
The garage door system I have is called garageio. It like the other items in the house connect via my secured wifi.

George, there are a lot of reasons why I am interested in this technology. I travel almost every week and my wife is home alone (kids grown and on their own). This setup allows lights to be turned on as my wife gets within a few miles of the house, automatically. The system can automatically notifies her is someone has entered the house and where. The garage door opens as she pulls up the drive way and closes behind her. She has a lady the cleans the house occasionally and when she shows up my wife can open the door remotely and know when she leaves. She could even watch her if she wanted. These are just a few of the benefits for US, not everyone.

Again, I did not start this thread as a debate because I know this isn't for everyone. In todays world, if you have a credit or debit card and use it for gasoline, at the local Target, online to buy something, you are at risk to be hacked. The best thing I know is to have a service that monitors your credit such as lifelock or experian.

Pat Barry
01-06-2017, 10:53 AM
I have read that they listen in on conversations and look for keywords so they know how to market to you. It's possible that feature could become more sophisticated and that kind of scares me as it indicates shades of 1984.
I've heard that Amazon, the NSA, the Russians, and a host of other hackers are all listening to everything you say. Just like if they were in your front yard and you were talking with the windows open.

EDIT - Just kidding ! I got an Echo Dot for Christmas for my bride - wish I would have bought her the full size unit though because the sound quality of the Dot is tiny

Lee Schierer
01-06-2017, 11:00 AM
Guys, let's be careful here and not deal with myths and hearsay. There are lots of facts and false information out there on the internet, please be careful how you use it here.

daniel lane
01-06-2017, 1:10 PM
I got an Echo Dot for Christmas for my bride - wish I would have bought her the full size unit though because the sound quality of the Dot is tiny

Pat, I bought a Dot for the family at Christmas because I have an extra bluetooth speaker that I leave paired with it. I've also read that lots of people connect bookshelf speakers to it (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016P9HJIA, no affiliate link or anything there, just raw ASIN identifying number) and are very happy. I'm considering upgrading to those speakers - we used it quite a bit during the holidays to stream Prime music playlists!

Oh, as an aside, I also installed a skill that gets Alexa to read back the local METAR [aviation weather observation directly from the airport] for me. I haven't flown in years, but it's a really great way to get a snapshot of the weather realtime!


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Mike Henderson
01-06-2017, 2:12 PM
Mike, I was looking at the garage openers and it appears they are just Z-Wave smart switches that connect across the openers push button connectors.
Okay, thanks. That really won't know if the garage door was open or closed. It might try to detect open and closes and remember what the state was but that would not be really reliable.

Mike

Scott Donley
01-06-2017, 2:13 PM
And if you get bored you can ask Alexa to tell you a joke. :)

Scott Brandstetter
01-06-2017, 3:27 PM
Lee, not sure if you are referring to anything I said, I'm giving my opinion. Mike, the garageio will tell you if the doors are opened or closed and allow you to open or close from anywhere, as long as you have a connection via your phone.

Mike Chance in Iowa
01-06-2017, 7:23 PM
It also got me thinking how helpful a device like this could be for someone who is disabled, old, bed ridden, all kinds of people. My mother who now lives in assisted living because of alzheimer's could have really benefited from something like this. We could see if she's taken her medicine, how well she's sleeping each night, get a notification if she went out of the house, all types of things.

How does it know if she took her medicine or slept each night?

Roger Feeley
01-09-2017, 9:57 AM
Scott, Have you installed Garagio? I had a very late model Chamberlain opener where I used to live that could tell me it's open/closed state in a phone app. Where I am now, we have two older openers and Garagio is about the only product out there that can do that as an add on. I hate to replace two perfectly good openers.

All I want is something that detects if the door has been open for more than X minutes and closes it (with appropriate warnings). My Chamberlain did that.

Matt Marsh
01-09-2017, 11:34 AM
Scott,

I'm planning on having an Echo in my house soon also. My house is full of Insteon/X-10 devices, and Honeywell WiFi thermostats. I think it's a very cool technology.

Chris Merriam
01-09-2017, 2:24 PM
Scott, Have you installed Garagio? I had a very late model Chamberlain opener where I used to live that could tell me it's open/closed state in a phone app. Where I am now, we have two older openers and Garagio is about the only product out there that can do that as an add on. I hate to replace two perfectly good openers.

All I want is something that detects if the door has been open for more than X minutes and closes it (with appropriate warnings). My Chamberlain did that.

Chamberlain sells a standalone add-on, called MyQ Garage that emulates all that functionality. Cost me $90 a few years ago. I love it. Check door status online, open and close via app, have alerts if door opened more than 15 minutes, etc.

It's a pretty simple setup. You install the base station on the ceiling in sight of the opener. It has a transmitter and it just emulates one of your remotes. Then you tape the door sensor to the top corner of your door. It's connected by bluetooth to the base unit. Use your phone to connect to it, connect it to your wifi and you're all set.

lee cox
01-09-2017, 4:32 PM
My wife has one in her sewing room. She uses every day for radio.

I wish I could use one to remote control my DC. It would so much simpler to speak than to hunt around for the remote.

Lon Crosby
01-09-2017, 5:55 PM
Do a Google search for pill dispenser or http://www.epill.com/medsmart.html as an example. For control of your dust collector, replace your wireless control module with an X-10 compatible module.

Roger Feeley
01-11-2017, 1:14 PM
I can't bring myself to use anything free. There's an old saying, "If you aren't the customer then you are the product." Putting a device in my house with an open microphone just creeps me out.

Roger Feeley
01-11-2017, 1:17 PM
Mike, I had a recent Chamberlain opener in my previous house that would report state. As posted elsewhere, Garagio will do that also. I'm interested but maybe not at $200 for both doors.