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Amazon Echo FAQ

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    #332
    Corholio
    Registered Users Posts: 14,014 ✭✭✭✭Corholio


    Anyone find handy skills for Ireland, or that work in Ireland also?


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    #333
    adox
    Registered Users Posts: 19,017 ✭✭✭✭adox


    Really tempted to get the Echo Dot.
    How do these work out recognising different voices, or can they?

    Do they work well with Philips Hue?


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    #334
    Gerard_Smith
    Registered Users Posts: 1,007 ✭✭✭Gerard_Smith


    He lads without going through 23 pages how does the Echo function in Ireland? Is it deliberately hampered in any way?


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    #335
    Crosby Panicky Sushi
    Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Crosby Panicky Sushi


    Arbie wrote: »
    Alexa now allows you to change location to Irish addresses.

    Pity it doesn't really though.


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    #336
    richardw001
    Registered Users Posts: 575 ✭✭✭richardw001


    degsie wrote: »
    Just to confirm, this worked! Thanks bk :)

    Did you have to put money into it before you registered ?


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    #337
    degsie
    Registered Users Posts: 8,746 ✭✭✭degsie


    richardw001 wrote: »
    Did you have to put money into it before you registered ?

    Yes, only figured that out after 1st attempt failed.


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    #338
    adox
    Registered Users Posts: 19,017 ✭✭✭✭adox


    Had planned on connecting the dot up to my receiver with a 3.5mm jack but reading more on it, it may be not ideal. May need a rethink. My receiver won't always be on and the dot has no way of recognising this so unusable when receiver is off(unless you pull out the 3.5mm jack).


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    #339
    Arbie
    Registered Users Posts: 879 ✭✭✭Arbie


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Pity it doesn't really though.

    What do you mean? That it doesn't accept exact address, e.g. house number?

    It may not work for the UK version, but I changed my US-bought Echo to my Dublin street address (no house number) and was also able to set my work address. It gives my commute travel time, local weather, and correct time.


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    #340
    WittyNameForMe
    Registered Users Posts: 232 ✭✭WittyNameForMe


    Have to admit I have slight buyer’s remorse for my Echo today. Mainly after seeing a preview of Google Home but also coupled with the fact that the Echo is having problems recognising Irish addresses etc. It will be interesting to see an actual comparison when Google Home ships.


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    #341
    AidenL
    Registered Users Posts: 978 ✭✭✭AidenL


    WittyNameForMe wrote: »
    Have to admit I have slight buyer’s remorse for my Echo today. Mainly after seeing a preview of Google Home but also coupled with the fact that the Echo is having problems recognising Irish addresses etc. It will be interesting to see an actual comparison when Google Home ships.

    Funny, I was the opposite - relatively happy with what Alexa can do for my home.

    If Amazon add a few more skills, esp with some UK / Ireland interest and sort out address recognition, it wouldn't be too bad.....


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    #342
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    adox wrote: »
    Had planned on connecting the dot up to my receiver with a 3.5mm jack but reading more on it, it may be not ideal. May need a rethink. My receiver won't always be on and the dot has no way of recognising this so unusable when receiver is off(unless you pull out the 3.5mm jack).

    I think a workaround for this is to use a cheap €15 Bluetooth speaker as the replacement output for the built in speaker. So you can leave it plugged into the hi fi system this way afaik


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    #343
    NakedDex
    Registered Users Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    Arbie;101250166
    Deleted User wrote: »
    Pity it doesn't really though.

    What do you mean? That it doesn't accept exact address, e.g. house number?

    It may not work for the UK version, but I changed my US-bought Echo to my Dublin street address (no house number) and was also able to set my work address. It gives my commute travel time, local weather, and correct time.
    It accepts some Dublin addresses, but most places outside Dublin seem to be invalid. It's probably down to postcodes in the county (even if they are just 1, 2, 3, etc). Even trying to use Eircode didn't work. Amazon support told me they don't have any intention of making Irish addresses acceptable any time soon, as the unit "is designed for use in the UK or US only, even though it will work anywhere in the world".
    adox wrote: »
    Had planned on connecting the dot up to my receiver with a 3.5mm jack but reading more on it, it may be not ideal. May need a rethink. My receiver won't always be on and the dot has no way of recognising this so unusable when receiver is off(unless you pull out the 3.5mm jack).
    I had planned on doing a similar thing for the kitchen. The plan is to use a set of Logitech 2.1 speakers mounted above the kitchen cabinets. They're simple hard on/off, so I can leave them switched to on, and run the power through a smart socket (I've been playing around with the WeMo ones to good effect). If the Echo Dot is always on, I just tell it to turn on (or off) the socket for the speakers, and we're immediately in business. I won't here Alexa confirm my request, but I'm sure the thump from the bass speaker powering on will be enough.


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    #344
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    NakedDex wrote: »
    I won't hear Alexa confirm my request, but I'm sure the thump from the bass speaker powering on will be enough.

    Read my post above for a workaround if you need the vocal response from Alexa while plugged in. It will mean the bluetooth speaker would need to be always on plugged in, but I think the standby for these is approx 3W so only a couple of euro to run per year.


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    #345
    NakedDex
    Registered Users Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    Ugh, did I really type "here" instead of "hear"? It is way too early...
    I don't really need a vocal response. The speakers will be on within a second anyway, and a bluetooth speaker would never put out the volume (or quality of sound) that the bigger speakers would. It would literally be "Alexa, turn on speakers" <thump> "Alexa, play...", and I'd be good to go.


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    #346
    yoshimitsu
    Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭yoshimitsu


    WittyNameForMe wrote: »
    Have to admit I have slight buyer’s remorse for my Echo today. Mainly after seeing a preview of Google Home but also coupled with the fact that the Echo is having problems recognising Irish addresses etc. It will be interesting to see an actual comparison when Google Home ships.
    Google Home only available in the US at the moment so not really an option. Plus the Echo has a bit more on an ecosystem (no pun intended) at the moment, at least from what I gathered from the Google presentation.
    The battle for the control of the living room is full on and I think that it will benefit us as consumers... What it may do short term (and hope it does) is push Amazon to introduce more skills quicker (Logitech Harmony is a no brainer; Home can control Netflix via Chromecast) and push the price down (Home is priced at $129).
    Stay tuned...


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    #347
    adox
    Registered Users Posts: 19,017 ✭✭✭✭adox


    mrcheez wrote: »
    I think a workaround for this is to use a cheap €15 Bluetooth speaker as the replacement output for the built in speaker. So you can leave it plugged into the hi fi system this way afaik

    Thanks for that. I have a couple of bluetooth speakers but I only ever have them connected to the power to charge. I thought that you werent supposed to run most bluetooth speakers off the mains as you end up damaging the internal battery?


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    #348
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    adox wrote: »
    Thanks for that. I have a couple of bluetooth speakers but I only ever have them connected to the power to charge. I thought that you werent supposed to run most bluetooth speakers off the mains as you end up damaging the internal battery?

    Probably not good for the battery, but I think you can leave most devices plugged into the mains.

    e.g. I have a laptop from 2003 (!) that I still use, but on mains only as battery has gone since I leave it plugged in all the time.

    I have an Anker Soundcore in work... I'd be curious to measure the power usage leaving it plugged in, so I'll bring in my power meter at some point.

    Also curious to see if the Echo Dot uses less power than the Echo whilst plugged in. Echo doesn't use much power anyway (goes up to 9W when playing music and 3W on standby)

    https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonecho/comments/36hysf/power_consumption_information/


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    #349
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    NakedDex wrote: »
    I don't really need a vocal response. The speakers will be on within a second anyway, and a bluetooth speaker would never put out the volume (or quality of sound) that the bigger speakers would.

    Nah that's fine, just handy to have the backup for the internal speaker if you didn't want to have to turn on the loudspeakers for some of the mundane Echo requests like: "What time is it?" (or perhaps there was an issue with the line-in cable, but you thought it was a problem with the Echo)

    You'd be surprised at the quality you can get from cheap bluetooth speakers. I got my Anker Soundcore for around €20 recently in the Amazon sale and they fill a large office (bass is a bit lacking though), and much better than the internal speaker on the Dot.


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    #350
    Jonnie_Onion
    Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Jonnie_Onion


    degsie wrote: »
    Yes, only figured that out after 1st attempt failed.

    Worked for me too!

    Beautiful and speedy solution. Thanks!


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    #351
    degsie
    Registered Users Posts: 8,746 ✭✭✭degsie


    Quick pro tip: Don't say "Alexa, volume 10" while playing something, she stops listening to you :(


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    #352
    Utah
    Closed Accounts Posts: 426 ✭✭Utah


    degsie wrote: »
    Quick pro tip: Don't say "Alexa, volume 10" while playing something, she stops listening to you :(

    Yep, figured that out!!


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    #353
    adox
    Registered Users Posts: 19,017 ✭✭✭✭adox


    NakedDex wrote: »

    I had planned on doing a similar thing for the kitchen. The plan is to use a set of Logitech 2.1 speakers mounted above the kitchen cabinets. They're simple hard on/off, so I can leave them switched to on, and run the power through a smart socket (I've been playing around with the WeMo ones to good effect). If the Echo Dot is always on, I just tell it to turn on (or off) the socket for the speakers, and we're immediately in business. I won't here Alexa confirm my request, but I'm sure the thump from the bass speaker powering on will be enough.

    Actually I have a set of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks lying around doing nothing so may use them in the kitchen and hook it up to them for the time being.

    Might invest in a WeMo smart socket. There seems to be two versions. Around €20 in the difference. Is there much difference in them do you know?


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    #354
    NakedDex
    Registered Users Posts: 5,984 ✭✭✭NakedDex


    There's the WeMo socket, and then the WeMo Insight socket. From what I can tell, the Insight is the newer model and can just do a couple more tricks, on top of being smaller. Mechanically, they have the same operating characteristics for switch load etc. The Insight versions weren't available when I bought mine, so I went for the regular ones. Haven't found a thing they can't do yet. I'm using one to control the kettle so it's boiled for my tea when I get to the kitchen in the morning, and another to control some lamps (which will likely get replaced once I get some Hue bulbs).


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    #355
    podge3
    Registered Users Posts: 1,742 ✭✭✭podge3


    WittyNameForMe wrote: »
    Have to admit I have slight buyer’s remorse for my Echo today. Mainly after seeing a preview of Google Home but also coupled with the fact that the Echo is having problems recognising Irish addresses etc. It will be interesting to see an actual comparison when Google Home ships.
    Same here - I'm not really sure what I expected from the device but I'm a little underwhelmed. I've put mine up for sale on Adverts, I might come back to this home automation lark in the future but I'm out for the moment.


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    #356
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,633 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    richardw001 wrote: »
    Did you have to put money into it before you registered ?
    degsie wrote: »
    Yes, only figured that out after 1st attempt failed.

    When you add new credit/debit cards to your amazon account, they make a ghost €1/£1 charge to the card to check that it is a valid card. "ghost" in that they later refund or cancel the charge later.

    However it is well worth topping up and actually using this card anyway. The exchange rate on this card is far better then what you would get from your standard debit/credit card or even worse amazon exchange rate when being in sterling from Amazon.
    WittyNameForMe wrote: »
    Have to admit I have slight buyer’s remorse for my Echo today. Mainly after seeing a preview of Google Home but also coupled with the fact that the Echo is having problems recognising Irish addresses etc. It will be interesting to see an actual comparison when Google Home ships.

    Google Home certainly looks interesting, but I've no buyers remorse:

    - Google Home is launching in just the US for now. How long until it gets to the UK/Ireland? Could be years?
    - Much more limited integration with other home automation devices and third party apps. They are saying that their third party API won't be ready until December.
    - No cheaper equivalent to the Echo Dot for people who don't need the speaker.

    So I think it could well be a year or two before it reaches Ireland and matures to properly compete with Echo.

    However great to see competition, I certainly will be keeping an eye on it and hopefully it will drive Amazon to improve their device quicker (logitech support, IFTTT, etc.).

    I also expect we will see big jumps in voice recognition quality and AI smartness. I suspect that the Echo and Google Home have similar speakers. The differences in voice recognition and AI are done on the server side, in "the cloud". As Amazon improves things on the server side, all existing users will benefit from it. And the latest news is that Amazon is hiring 1,000 extra people for their Echo division.
    mrcheez wrote: »
    I think a workaround for this is to use a cheap €15 Bluetooth speaker as the replacement output for the built in speaker. So you can leave it plugged into the hi fi system this way afaik

    How would that work? If you turn on the hif, would the audio not now come out of both the bluetooth speaker and the hifi?
    NakedDex wrote: »
    I had planned on doing a similar thing for the kitchen. The plan is to use a set of Logitech 2.1 speakers mounted above the kitchen cabinets. They're simple hard on/off, so I can leave them switched to on, and run the power through a smart socket (I've been playing around with the WeMo ones to good effect). If the Echo Dot is always on, I just tell it to turn on (or off) the socket for the speakers, and we're immediately in business. I won't here Alexa confirm my request, but I'm sure the thump from the bass speaker powering on will be enough.

    Uhhh.... now that is cool and very smart. Might do that for my bedroom, have some lovely audioengine powered bookshelf speakers there that would go lovely with a dot.
    yoshimitsu wrote: »
    The battle for the control of the living room is full on and I think that it will benefit us as consumers... What it may do short term (and hope it does) is push Amazon to introduce more skills quicker (Logitech Harmony is a no brainer; Home can control Netflix via Chromecast) and push the price down (Home is priced at $129).
    Stay tuned...

    Yup I was thinking exactly the same.

    Another obvious move for Amazon would be to add support for their FireTV. For instance I could imagine saying: "Alexa, play next episode of House OF Cards" and have it smart enough to play the the next episode of house of cards on netflix on your FireTV.
    mrcheez wrote: »
    Probably not good for the battery, but I think you can leave most devices plugged into the mains.

    For any decent device, smartphone, laptops, etc. Once you hit 100% charge, they stop charging the battery and instead directly power the device, bypassing the battery. This is actually good for the battery as you are thus not unnecessarily using it.

    However I admit, really cheap, crappy Bluetooth speakers might not be this well designed.


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    #357
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,633 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Amazon have a pretty great bundle deal of the Netatamo Thermostat + Amazon Echo Dot for £149:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LW958A0/

    As the Netatmo Thermostat Smart model normally cost £140 on it's own and an Amazon Echo Dot costs £50, you are basically getting £40 off.


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    #358
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    I think when you use a Bluetooth speaker and 3.5mm cable together the voice can be directed to come out of one or the other, not both. Anyway the workaround was something I spotted on a site so I've no direct experience.


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    #359
    mrcheez
    Registered Users Posts: 13,685 ✭✭✭✭mrcheez


    Here's the link (third option is the one I suggested)

    http://www.aftvnews.com/the-amazon-echo-dot-is-more-versatile-with-bluetooth-speakers-than-wired-speakers/

    So yeah, seems you need to disconnect the Bluetooth speaker to activate the line in


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    #360
    BeanFlicker
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭BeanFlicker


    Hey what's the general consensus on the echo/dot? Worth the cash, or a novelty item?

    Have that dot preordered but unsure weather to go for the Google home and get it from the US

    Also, what's the best way to use Amazon prime/music etc with the echo/dot? Are we limited being in Ireland to use most of the services?

    Cheers


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    #361
    vanti
    Registered Users Posts: 121 ✭✭vanti


    Folks,

    I've a query / suggestion. when i got my echo it was linked to my amazon.com account so the Echo time was out by 8 hours. But in music settings I could see Pandora and Iheart (they were greyed out). I contacted Amazon (to correct the time) they moved my echo to my .co.uk account. Now I only have Tunein as an option in the music settings (pandora and Iheart have disappeared as I presume they can only be used by US users)

    So I'm thinking of setting up VPN on one of the SSID of the router so that I can use Pandora and Iheart. I find tunein is ok but some stations are not coming up e.g. Newstalk. But I'm wondering if Pandora or Iheart would be any better? Any suggestions?


This discussion has been closed.
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