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Smart Home devices

Kev D · 282 · 14059

england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #30 on: November 23, 2018, 04:05:59 PM
I've had them almost a week now and I am impressed with both the sound quality and responsiveness to commands.  So much so that I just ordered another 3rd gen dot for the kitchen/diner while they are still 50% off in the sales.

I'm loving how easy it is to set up groups so you can just tell one to play on an everywhere group and the same music then plays throughout the whole house while I do the dreaded housework.

Edit: Amazon UK has had such a rush on them that orders for Dots won't be fulfilled now until at least Dec 27th, so I'm glad a local shop has some at the same discounted sales price.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2018, 04:07:48 PM by Kev D »


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #31 on: November 23, 2018, 04:16:01 PM
I did have a brain fart this morning when trying to get my daily work alarm to switch off on the dot in my bedroom. I was already up and about and heard it from downstairs. After trying to get it to stop I ended up having to unplug it.  It was only afterwards that I remembered I'd changed the command word back to Alexa and had been calling it Echo and wondering why it wouldn't do anything  :facepalm:


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #32 on: November 23, 2018, 06:01:28 PM
Both google home mini and amazon echo dot are half price over here, so rather than 59.99 eur they're on for 29.99

It's a struggle not to snap up one, but the money is likely better spent elsewhere.
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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #33 on: November 24, 2018, 11:53:28 PM
I drank the Kool Aid today and picked up the Google Home Mini.  For $34 I couldn't pass it up.  Megan has been listening to music on it pretty much since we got it home.  I'm guessing it is a success.

One problem I have noticed- I set multiple timers on it and labeled them things like potatoes or bread.  It acknowledged the name of each timer, but wouldn't tell me what time was going off at each time when it did, so I wasn't sure if the imaginary potatoes or the imaginary bread was ready.

Not a huge deal as I tend to cook visually for most things and only use timers occasionally, and only for reference.

Otherwise I think it is a huge success.

Def
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #34 on: November 25, 2018, 12:05:52 PM
I'm still on the fence about which to go with. :facepalm:

Everything I've read recently seems to hint at the hardware on the echo being better, 4 mics vs 2, minijack audio out for connection to more powerful speakers, works as a standalone Bluetooth speaker, control buttons clear and visible on the top.

I did see a video of 2 home minis paired to output stereo audio which I thought was pretty neat.

I guess I'll stay in my usual state of indecision until the sales end, and end up with neither. I suppose I'll just have to build my RPI up with both systems as a trial and grab one during next year's sales... :facepalm:
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #35 on: November 25, 2018, 04:31:27 PM
I picked up my other dot this morning when out grocery shopping.  It's set up in the kitchen now and paired in a multi room music group with the one in my living room. So you can use them separately or as a grouped pair.

It's a bit finicky to play as a group though.  If I tell it to play music on the downstairs group it does it straight away. If I tell it to play a tune in radio station it tells me it can't find the group. If I tell it to play music, then tell it to play a tune in radio station it switches over perfectly.  I'll figure it out soon.

The more I learn about them the better they are.  It would be perfect if Amazon and Google would play nice so I could tell it to play you tube vids on the firestick as well.


scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #36 on: November 25, 2018, 07:45:55 PM
My echoes all arrived this morning and are all set up.  Setup was really simple using the Alexa app on my phone. I'm really impressed with them and the sound quality from the dot is better than expected to.

As for wake up words,  there are only 4 choices at the moment,  Alexa, Echo, Computer and Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hShY6xZWVGE
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #37 on: November 25, 2018, 07:51:01 PM
that's exactly what came to mind for me when I read that keyword... lol
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ie Offline Don Pablo

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #38 on: November 25, 2018, 08:02:20 PM
How did I know what movie that clip was from despite only seeing the left half of the title screen?  :facepalm:
Hooked, like everyone else. ;)

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us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #39 on: November 25, 2018, 08:41:41 PM
We have four at the moment, one in the bedroom, one in the living room, the little guys got one in his, and the older kid has one of the larger ones, what he does idk cause he takes it with him to just play music, “but” we’re suppose to get a newer one delivered today, this way we get it for our bedroom and the old one goes to the kitchen so the Mrs has one to listen to when she’s cooking. But it’s great cause we can just sit here and “drop in” on the little guy when he’s up in his room, no need to call him or scream upstairs to ask him something or get him to come down, we used to have it also setup for the older kid but that changed when he just uses it for music. We don’t use it to order anything, just more like info.

We did play a prank once, back when we had only one and it was in our bedroom back at our apartment, our neighbor had 3 young daughters and they loved the thing, they’d run in asking it to play whatever song they could think of, but, as the Mrs was talking with their mom and she thought it was enough and wanted to go home, the Mrs would type a little something for the eco to say, so it would say like “hey blank, blank, blank(saying their names), I think I’ve had enough of your junky music, get out of here! Then the three of them would come running down the hall to mom :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh oh was it funny!
JR
« Last Edit: November 25, 2018, 08:44:00 PM by MadPlumbarian »
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #40 on: November 25, 2018, 09:39:49 PM
You can tell one to broadcast whatever message you want and it will be played on every echo in your house, e.g. Alexa, broadcast dinner is ready


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #41 on: November 26, 2018, 02:40:41 AM
seems dots are back ordered for 2-3 weeks now via amazon Spain

Also looking at using Jasper or Mycroft with my pi
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #42 on: November 26, 2018, 08:16:11 AM
They are here as well on Amazon. Some of the local retailers still have a few but most are sold out now until after Dec 27th. 



us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #43 on: November 26, 2018, 08:53:24 AM
I guess it’s good we got ours, we got one of the newer ones which was a few more but still on sale yet the Mrs had a coupon and we only had to pay like $10, and yet it was delivered today on a Sunday.. weird..
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #44 on: November 26, 2018, 01:19:55 PM
Amazon deliver 7 days a week up to 9pm at night nowadays


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #45 on: November 26, 2018, 01:24:08 PM
I've got one of these hangers on the way for my kitchen dot to keep it tidy and out of the way. I have an above counter socket I want to plug it in to so this is the ideal solution for the location
dot hanger.jpg
* dot hanger.jpg (Filesize: 75.06 KB)
« Last Edit: December 18, 2018, 09:55:25 AM by Kev D »


cy Offline dks

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #46 on: December 18, 2018, 01:32:21 PM
Got one a couple of weeks ago, dot, after a few drinks at a friend's house.

They are cheap, but can do several things. I like to use the shoping list (stays on your phone with the app) and to do list options, some music, quick weather, quick searches, timers, alarm, and fun.

You can also have it from your phone.

For the cost of it, under 25 euro it is definitely worth it. How usefull it becomes depends on whether you want it to have access to your calendar, contacts, basically al that google has access to already really.
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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #47 on: December 18, 2018, 02:05:03 PM
I'm really loving mine, I use them mostly for listening to music on and operating my smart home devices. The dot in my bedroom is also my alarm clock and my old jbl ontime has been retired. I originally wanted the sub woofer to go with the standard one in my living room but I am more than happy with just the standard speaker in it. 

The intercom (drop in) feature is also very handy for around the house.



us Offline ezdog

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #48 on: December 18, 2018, 02:28:10 PM
You couldn't pay me to install one of these. :whistle:

Actually maybe that is not the right way to say this?

People pay me to install these.........and you couldn't pay me to have one. :rant:

Last year I did a big house with several in it controlling the doors,TV,music,lighting and some other automation and once I had it working pretty much I was standing there when their Neice came in and everyone greeted Alexis except Alexa who was just pretty much confused! :oops:

Apparently this never occurred to anyone as a potential problem?  :dunno:

You can change the name the thing responds to too but they didn't want to and now every time both are in the house they think it is hilarious! :hatsoff:

It is pretty amusing.


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #49 on: December 19, 2018, 11:41:50 AM
I've switched follow up mode off on the one in my living room. Last night I told it to turn off the Xmas lights, and while it was still listening in follow up mode the show on the TV used the word broadcast followed by whatever it said, which then made every echo in the house say whatever the TV show had just said, at whatever volume the particular echo was set at, including the one in my mums room, which had the effect of waking her up and scaring the crap out of her.

I only realised it happened when I heard the kitchen one say it. Mum wasn't impressed at all, I found it quite funny though  :D


us Offline ezdog

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #50 on: December 19, 2018, 01:57:39 PM
Talk about First World Problems! :like:


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #51 on: December 19, 2018, 02:33:56 PM
Talk about First World Problems! :like:

Isn't it just  :rofl:


us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #52 on: December 19, 2018, 11:46:10 PM
Here’s something a little funny concerning one,
The Mrs was going out to dinner with a friend, so she asks the one in the living room to drop in on the little guys up in his room so she could say goodbye, well, he unplugged the one on the living room to plug something else in to charge, yet the one in the kitchen overheard her but not word for word, so it said something else and she got mad and told it to shut up, only thing is it heard something else and says back, “I don’t know of a Alexa bathroom shut up” :doh:
She looks at me and was like whatever,
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #53 on: December 20, 2018, 02:07:23 PM
We are really liking the Google Home Mini so far.  So much in fact that everyone is getting a Home Mini for Christmas.  :D

My brother has gotten Alexa for his house, but I think I may send one of my nephews a Home Mini for Christmas so they can duke it out head to head.  :D

Def
Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #54 on: December 20, 2018, 02:45:31 PM
alexa dots are now backordered until late feb via amazon.es

I probably should have grabbed one of each minis when they were on the black friday sale...
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nl Offline Serena

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #55 on: December 20, 2018, 06:33:27 PM
I have Siri, does that count?


ie Offline Don Pablo

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #56 on: December 20, 2018, 07:06:41 PM
I have Siri, does that count?
I have Google Assistant. :shrug:
Hooked, like everyone else. ;)

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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #57 on: December 21, 2018, 12:39:33 PM
Stories like this are hilarious:

https://gizmodo.com/the-amazon-alexa-eavesdropping-nightmare-came-true-1831231490?fbclid=IwAR2OKUQ0IJBiobwGWT21FrbONAvNKY2DcdPTIdP5-Gmnb4B4173DjbkXQqo

A magazine, trying to get a story decided to stalk this poor bugger rather than simply writing about the concerns and respecting this person's privacy.  It was a mistake on behalf of Amazon- these things happen, especially with new technology.  I'm not saying it was right, but it was, in my opinion at least, made much worse by someone desperate to make a name for themselves by writing a story to take a shot at a giant.

I also wonder if there is any potential legal issues for the Amazon user who realized he received the improper information, then willingly passed that info on to another party?

Again, in my opinion, it isn't the tech that is bad, it is the lack of decency on behalf of the users, and society in general.   :facepalm:

Def
Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


cy Offline dks

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #58 on: December 22, 2018, 02:54:01 PM
ALEXA rules!
Kelly: "Daddy, what makes men cheat on women?
Al : "Women!"

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us Offline ezdog

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Re: Smart Home devices
Reply #59 on: December 22, 2018, 03:44:50 PM
« Last Edit: December 22, 2018, 03:46:11 PM by ezdog »


 

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