Anyone here got Amazon Echo Plus, Alexa?

Alexa has spoiled my day, I asked her the cutting speed of aluminium and she replied with the cutting speed for aluminum. When I queried her she did admit that her pronunciation was not always correct. But I suppose it is the spelling that is incorrect from the British perspective.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 17/12/2021 14:58:58

A few months ago I got fed up with my 25 year old alarm radio's poor FM reception and looked at buying a new DAB radio for the bedroom. However it then occurred to me that the local radio I listen to as an alarm doesn't broadcast DAB. So I bought a Google Nest Mini to experiment with.

I found that I could set it up to play my local radio station (France Blue Rousillon) as a daily alarm to listen to the local news. It can also play all BBC radio, nice to listen in english sometimes. The conversational ability is remarkable and it can also act as a translator if required, useful for checking my French pronunciation!

The sound quality is much better than I expected but if I want HiFi quality I can tell it to play music to the television which is connected to my HiFi setup.

I now have one unit in the living room as well and as my car has Android Auto I can now message my wife hands free to tell her when I am on my way home.

If the CIA or MI5 can use it to spy on me they are welcome. They will get very bored! Remember, if you have a mobile phone it also has a microphone which could be turned on remotely.

Russell

Don't worry, it won't be MI5 or CIA trying to decipher what "slide-valves" and "change-wheels" mean to what shadowy group trying to collapse the USA, but some advertising-agency trying to make them match the databases from their supermarket and fashion-company clients!

Your last sentence though... Do you mean the 'phone's microphone is on all the time, or that it receives a radio on/off command from the other equipment? Either way I'd wonder why you need turn the 'phone remotely sibnce you need it your hand to use?

(My portable 'phone cannot work like that, but anyway I have no remote-controller, eavesdropper or wire-less links on anything.)

I have one in the garage along with a "smart plug" which controls the lights. In theory, I can ask the Echo in the kitchen to turn the lights on in the garage, ready for when I get there and then off again from indoors. The trouble is that it is so unreliable that I frequently get told that it is not responding and end up going out again to switch the lights off manually. It is a really good concept, but seems to be unreliable at present.

Regards,

JAmes.

It does depend on the operating system on your phone. I'm not familiar with iPhones but phones with Android 8 or later keep the microphone on while the lock screen is showing by default. You can turn it off in Settings but how many people do, and anyway anyone who can hack into your phone can turn the microphone on again and listen to it.

When my phone is plugged into the car the microphone is on all the time and Google is listening so that if I say, "Hey Google, navigate to <certain address>" the GPS will take me there. It also gives me hands free telephone via the car speakers. Of course Google knows exactly where I have been but they are welcome to that information.

Russell

The smart plug needs a good wifi signal. If the signal in the garage is poor you could try a wifi booster.

Russell

I certainly need to do something. There is one Echo in the house, one in the garage and the plug in the garage. There is booster in the conservatory which is as close to the garage as I can get. Perhaps another in the garage would help.

James

My recent email from Alexa informs me she can now fart, well I had to test her and she has a pretty comprehensive library. The question now is should I get her to showcase her skills while my wife is on a work zoom call?

Mike

Call me a "Luddite" if you wish, but I wouldn't give one house room. When you have nothing better to do, track down and read the short story "A Perfect Match" by Ken Liu. (It's in the book "The Paper Menagerie" )

Edit to remove stupid smiley face.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 19/01/2022 09:13:05

No need for Alexa, just invite me in...

It seems this technology can be divisive, with some people liking the convenience and others hating the potential risk to their privacy, but for some of us these tools are life-changing. Personally I am willing to put up with all of Alexa's annoying habits just to be able to turn on a light, phone somebody, start my PC or answer the front door whilst I am paralysed (except of course when I am unable to speak, but fortunately that is not too often).

I am however dreading the day Max, our most talkative parrot, says "Alexa" as he has already forced me to give up speech to text software.

Brian G

I understand the vulnerabilities of Alexa but being able to ask her to adjust the heating, turn on lights, play music from Spotify on my Sonos system and interface with the tv is more convenient than launching an app or finding a remote control. My brother in law who has a very debilitating illness finds she can do many things for him, unfortunately his voice is also becoming affected so her usefulness may become limited. I also don’t mind Marmite although I am not a big fan.

Mike

Thanks to this forum I have recently bought an Echo Dot. I use it mostly as a radio, so far reliable reception compared with DAB and FM. I do enjoy the convenience of the device and really not bothered by the "eavesdropping", no evidence of that happening.

I've had the recent email about Alexa's ability to fart, amused me. Also mischief to be had when my partners somewhat "straight laced" friend visits, Alexa can be made to swear.

John