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Amazon Echo FAQ

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    Yeah, for some reason she just refuses to understand you when you ask for Newstalk, always taking me to Young Turk instead. I just got her to find Newstalk just once so far. RTE Radio One also won't work for me. FM104 and Midlands 103 only works sometimes, but Today FM, Clare FM, and Lyric FM all work. I have a neutral accent and the funny thing is she understands what I'm saying as the search correctly comes up in the app, but she can't find many the station often. Radioplayer works like a charm for UK stations and is far better than Tunein for compatibility on the Alexa. I wish the Irish Radioplayer was integrated too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    I am a full paying member of Prime and use an Irish mastercard no problem. Amazon never checks which country you card comes from. Just pop in the parcel motel address as the billing address. Prime music works perfectly on the Echo for me with an Irish card. Just bought the membership in May for a year when they discounted Prime to 56 pounds because of the Jeremy Clarkson car show.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,754 ✭✭✭degsie


    I am a full paying member of Prime and use an Irish mastercard no problem. Amazon never checks which country you card comes from. Just pop in the parcel motel address as the billing address.

    Can you confirm if you have full access to Amazon Music?


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    Yes, it works perfectly here with Prime music. I made a video demonstrating it on youtube. Boards won't let me share links, but youtube search White Amazon Echo working in Ireland, and you'll see me playing a song on Prime music.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,024 ✭✭✭✭adox




  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    Thanks Adox for sharing my video! They won't let me here as I'm a newbie member.


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,527 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    The trick I've found with the radio stations is use the alexa website to first select and play the station you want in tunein, then later ask alexa and it works.

    When I first got it and asked it to play lyric fm it never found it once and instead played all sorts of random stations, after doing the above it finds it 100% of the time now :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,009 ✭✭✭paulbok


    Mine arrived yesterday evening and got it mostly setup.
    Took several goes to set the location to Dublin. No chance of setting it to a rural location even though searching will bring up the address, just won't set the location. Or the time.
    Connected to Smartthings via add on app and that picked up all controlled devices, lights and switches as well as routines. Alexa has no issues with commands for them do far.
    She is struggling with Tunein, perhaps 2/5 station requests.
    It's a pity seeing you can search Tunein for stations on the setup page, that you can't save favourites, so making it easier for her to know which you mean.
    Only have free Spotify account and it only links to premium account.

    Huge potential for it. But needs further settings up by me, and integration to more home tech and IFTTT.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭BobbyT28


    Cabaal wrote: »
    The trick I've found with the radio stations is use the alexa website to first select and play the station you want in tunein, then later ask alexa and it works.

    When I first got it and asked it to play lyric fm it never found it once and instead played all sorts of random stations, after doing the above it finds it 100% of the time now :)

    Didn't work for me 😞😞


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,009 ✭✭✭paulbok


    paulbok wrote: »
    Mine arrived yesterday evening and got it mostly setup.
    Took several goes to set the location to Dublin. No chance of setting it to a rural location even though searching will bring up the address, just won't set the location. Or the time.
    Connected to Smartthings via add on app and that picked up all controlled devices, lights and switches as well as routines. Alexa has no issues with commands for them do far.
    She is struggling with Tunein, perhaps 2/5 station requests.
    It's a pity seeing you can search Tunein for stations on the setup page, that you can't save favourites, so making it easier for her to know which you mean.
    Only have free Spotify account and it only links to premium account.

    Huge potential for it. But needs further settings up by me, and integration to more home tech and IFTTT.

    Ok just found a way of saving favourite stations on the Alexa application.

    http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=206521.0

    Will try out voice again and she if she can find the easier


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭BobbyT28


    paulbok wrote: »
    Ok just found a way of saving favourite stations on the Alexa application.

    http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=206521.0

    Will try out voice again and she if she can find the easier

    Good tip. But still doesn't recognise it.

    I say Alexa - party favourite radio stations and it asks which one.

    I say news talk or 106.0 and it doesn't recognise it!!

    So dam annoying.


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Crosby Panicky Sushi


    Same here. Having a nightmare trying to get it to play "ABC Lounge". Keep getting "720 ABC Perth". Arghhh!!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,711 ✭✭✭Dr. Dre


    Why on earth are people discussing what the Echo is like as a Bluetooth speaker? That's not what it is ffs.

    PS in my opinion it's actually a fairly decent speaker


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    Dr. Dre wrote: »
    Why on earth are people discussing what the Echo is like as a Bluetooth speaker? That's not what it is ffs.

    PS in my opinion it's actually a fairly decent speaker

    Because for many (myself included) the primary usage will be as a music player that can play music on demand and there have been conflicting accounts about how good the speaker is compared to going with a Dot and separate Bluetooth speaker. By all accounts it seems to be on par with a mid range Bluetooth speaker around €60 rather than a Sonos speaker?


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,527 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    mrcheez wrote: »
    Because for many (myself included) the primary usage will be as a music player that can play music on demand and there have been conflicting accounts about how good the speaker is compared to going with a Dot and separate Bluetooth speaker. By all accounts it seems to be on par with a mid range Bluetooth speaker around €60 rather than a Sonos speaker?

    It was never going to be equal to a Sonos, nobody ever said it was in any reviews and Amazon sure as hell never made such a claim.

    Anyone buying the echo expecting a speaker equal to a Sonos did zero research before hand and they've only themselves to blame

    If you're big into audio the dot is clearly the way to go cause you can pick the speaker equipment


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭ezra_pound


    BobbyT28 wrote: »
    Good tip. But still doesn't recognise it.

    I say Alexa - party favourite radio stations and it asks which one.

    I say news talk or 106.0 and it doesn't recognise it!!

    So dam annoying.

    Play radio Newstalk Ireland


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭ezra_pound


    If anyone can get it to play radio na gaeltachta I'd be impressed.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭BobbyT28


    ezra_pound wrote: »
    Play radio Newstalk Ireland

    Nope absolutely doesn't work!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    I find that with Tunein, even when she does understand she won't do what you want. FM104 is an example. The problem is there are many foreign stations with the same name as an Irish station. FM104 is an example. When I ask her for FM104 she sends me to an FM104 from Sweden. Tunein need to do a better job at making this work on Echo. They should allow you to specify which country you are referring to so Echo will have a better idea knowing what you're asking for. There's too many stations in on Tunein with similar names. Radioplayer did a great job and is so much better than Tunein with Echo. Alexa never gets your station wrong on that, but it only has UK stations.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,183 ✭✭✭jobless


    So just got mine... Where can I get the app, playstore says it's unavailable here


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭loughrey2887


    You can't download it directly from the stores as it's not available in Ireland. If you have Android you need to sideload it on for a website like Aptoide. If you have an iPhone you need to change the app store region to the UK. You can also use the desktop version at alexa. amazon. co. uk


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 mccaffm


    Have just brought one back from the States to discover I can't download app from either amazon.com or even .co.uk now that they're selling the Echo. How can I connect it up without the app? Have just seen above reply. Does that mean I download Aptoide and then get Alexa through it? I tried using my laptop to set up from .co.uk but the first thing it did was get me to select the Amazon network in my wifi settings on the laptop but then it would go no further. I couldn't understand how to get it to pick up my wifi that way. As you can tell I'm not that techie..


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Crosby Panicky Sushi




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,183 ✭✭✭jobless


    I managed to get the app installed via aptoide... As for stations I can it to recognise most of the main ones bar newstalk...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭BobbyT28


    jobless wrote: »
    I managed to get the app installed via aptoide... As for stations I can it to recognise most of the main ones bar newstalk...

    Jesus your doing well cause none of us can't get Alexa to recognise Newstalk hahaha

    BobbyT28


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    Cabaal wrote: »
    It was never going to be equal to a Sonos, nobody ever said it was in any reviews

    Hmm bk linked to a review that said it was up to the quality of a Sonos and he was pretty vehement about defending the speaker quality... anyway was just curious.

    Will be following this thread with interest to see if the Echo really does everything else it promised or if the Google offering is better.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,183 ✭✭✭jobless


    BobbyT28 wrote: »
    Jesus your doing well cause none of us can't get Alexa to recognise Newstalk hahaha

    BobbyT28

    I tried what was suggested above 'play radio newstalk Ireland' and it worked a couple times... Hit and miss


  • Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭tonylee


    jobless wrote: »
    I tried what was suggested above 'play radio newstalk Ireland' and it worked a couple times... Hit and miss

    Echo issues apart, I've often had problems with Newstalk on many internet services/apps including TuneIn. Link seems far less stable than RTÉ, BBC etc . So maybe not all Alexa's fault!


  • Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭nakano3153


    I've set the default music library to Spotify but still need to say "on Spotify" at the end of music requests.
    Anyone else experiencing this or know what's going on?


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Crosby Panicky Sushi


    Having a problem with TuneIn. I unplug some of the major stuff at night before going to bed. Plugged the Echo back in this morning. Today when I ask for a station that I asked for yesterday I get "sorry can't find that station". If I ask for something new then there's no problem. Worried.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,569 ✭✭✭✭yabadabado


    nakano3153 wrote: »
    I've set the default music library to Spotify but still need to say "on Spotify" at the end of music requests.
    Anyone else experiencing this or know what's going on?

    Yup I have the very same problem.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,183 ✭✭✭jobless


    yabadabado wrote: »
    Yup I have the very same problem.

    Me too


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,527 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Finally got my Hue lights, painless setup for both the Hue and the Echo using the Hue's lights.
    Wife isn't a big fan of gadgets but she's liking the ease of use of the whole setup


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 mccaffm


    Do I need to register my Echo with Amazon. I bought it in store in States and brought it back with me so not ordered through Amazon?


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,527 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    mccaffm wrote: »
    Do I need to register my Echo with Amazon. I bought it in store in States and brought it back with me so not ordered through Amazon?

    If you want to use it then yes it must be registered with Amazon,

    If it was purchased from Amazon.com then unless the gift option specifically stating it was not for the purchaser was selected during checkout then it will have been automatically registered to the account belong to the person who bought it.

    The exact same thing applys for FireTV's and Kindles


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    I still have not managed to get it to change time zones since it arrived. I have it set to an address in Dublin, despite being in Limerick. I can live with saying "in Limerick" when asking for weather, but I still cannot for the life of me get the time zone to change from somewhere on west coast US, which is stopping me from using alarms. Anyone have any ideas?


    In other news, WeMo socket integration is seamless and fast. A couple more of those and some Hue bulbs will be my next pickup if I can get the damn clock sorted.


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Crosby Panicky Sushi


    NakedDex I'm in Limerick too and had no such problems. Once I entered my wifi key it set things automatically. Could there be a wonky setting on your modem or something? Very bizarre.

    I changed my address from my Parcel Motel one to a Dublin address but I still have to specify "Limerick" for the weather.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    Yeah I'm not understanding why it won't change. It's driving me demented, much to the amusement of my better half. I've tried power cycling it a dozen times, and changing the address to a UK one, then a US one, and back to a Dublin one. If I check the list for local radio stations on Tunein, it does show local Limerick stations, but it still refuses to change the time.
    I contacted Amazon several times, with no luck. They seem to not want to field any questions on these things.

    I might try doing a factory reset on it this evening and starting from scratch (assuming there's actually a factory reset option...).


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,527 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    NakedDex wrote: »
    Yeah I'm not understanding why it won't change. It's driving me demented, much to the amusement of my better half. I've tried power cycling it a dozen times, and changing the address to a UK one, then a US one, and back to a Dublin one. If I check the list for local radio stations on Tunein, it does show local Limerick stations, but it still refuses to change the time.
    I contacted Amazon several times, with no luck. They seem to not want to field any questions on these things.

    I might try doing a factory reset on it this evening and starting from scratch (assuming there's actually a factory reset option...).

    If you're going to factory reset, may I also suggest you de-register it from your Amazon account and then re-register it as well


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    Good call. I'll do that beforehand. I might even try de-register and re-register before the reset, to see if that makes a difference.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 333 ✭✭Zilog


    reni10 wrote: »
    Does anyone have the non applekit enabled Netatmo Thermostat and can they confirm that the Echo works fully with it?
    I have two of them (older non-Homekit) and it found them easily.
    Have only had short time to 'play' with the Echo but could change the temperature of the thermostats no problem using the Echo.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 645 ✭✭✭cichlid child


    Sorry a bit off topic
    Hi Thinking of getting the Echo and hue lighting starter kit.
    I want to make sure I order the right bulbs.
    Does anyone know what the Small size (Edison Screw Bulbs)screw in bulbs are called


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,635 ✭✭✭donegal.


    Sorry a bit off topic
    Hi Thinking of getting the Echo and hue lighting starter kit.
    I want to make sure I order the right bulbs.
    Does anyone know what the Small size (Edison Screw Bulbs)screw in bulbs are called


    https://www.google.ie/search?q=Small+size+(Edison+Screw+Bulbs&oq=Small+size+(Edison+Screw+Bulbs&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 645 ✭✭✭cichlid child


    Thanks Donegal. Lucky I asked as I think i need the Candelabra and not the small screw ones


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,009 ✭✭✭paulbok


    Sorry a bit off topic
    Hi Thinking of getting the Echo and hue lighting starter kit.
    I want to make sure I order the right bulbs.
    Does anyone know what the Small size (Edison Screw Bulbs)screw in bulbs are called
    At this stage, I'd hold off until tomorrow night before ordering an Echo, Google announcing their version then.
    Fire away on the hue though, great system


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 mccaffm


    Thank you. Now understand that once I get it connected I can register it then.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,014 ✭✭✭✭Corholio


    Having trouble setting my location to Ireland for weather etc? What did people enter in the address? especially in the zip code part.

    Kept telling me it couldn't find it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,183 ✭✭✭jobless


    i set up my alexa last night and unplugged it.... now when i log into alexa.amazon.co.uk it reroutes to alexa.amazon.com.... this happen to anyone else?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,014 ✭✭✭✭Corholio


    jobless wrote: »
    i set up my alexa last night and unplugged it.... now when i log into alexa.amazon.co.uk it reroutes to alexa.amazon.com.... this happen to anyone else?

    I got mine today and it went to the amazon.com one, this maybe the problems im having with the location.

    It seems there is a known issue, and a lot of UK Echos have had to be changed over from US settings to UK by Amazon.

    https://amazonechouk.com/2016/09/28/how-to-change-us-echo-to-uk/


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    Welp, still no luck with the time zone. Interestingly, it's only now that I've realised I'm getting the US voice for Alexa, as when I did the reset on it, it had a UK voice. Once it completed setup, it switched back to the UK voice.
    I'm utterly baffled now. I've tried everything from a hard reset, to de/re-registering, random addresses... I'm completely out of ideas.

    Update:
    A late night call to Amazon has yielded a potential fix for anyone having similar troubles. It turns out my account was defaulting to the US site in the back end, as that was the way Kindle had been set up. This can be changed by going to Amazon.com, hovering over the "Your account" tab, and going to "Manage your content and devices". From here, there are three tabs on the screen. Click the "Settings" tab and you'll see a "Country settings" section; change this to United Kingdom. Once done, go to the "Your Content" tab where you'll see a message with a link saying "Learn more... at amazon.co.uk". Click that link and it'll take you to the .co.uk digital content page, where you'll find a button in the middle of the page marked "Transfer your Kindle account to Amazon.co.uk"; click that link, and reset your Echo.
    After the reset, your Echo should be reset to the full UK account, along with the UK voice pack, and GMT time. If it didn't work - as mine didn't initially - de-register the device, and then re-register it. This should clear the old settings for location and pull you in; again, this didn't initially work for me (but wait, there's more!). Once back connected and ready, go to the settings for your Echo device in the web page. Clear out the address bar, and type "BT36 4" (the space is important) into the postcode box, and hit enter. This is the postcode area for the Nightline Depot on your Parcel Motel account. It'll recognise this, plus the fix above, and immediately switch to GMT (ask Alexa the time to confirm UK voice and time zone).

    Sorted!


This discussion has been closed.
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