Amazon Echo

A colorful representation of how you feel and like your previous post, it brings no actual value to the thread. The actual quote I was referring to was:


If you read it closely, it is actually a comment about the people that buy the device and not the device itself. I would not take exception to thoughtful criticism of the actual device, but even then, your comment saying that it is a "cheap speaker and microphone" is based on what? The microphone is a 7 piece microphone array and is designed to do it's job very well and can accurately pick up commands from two rooms away and the speaker sounds excellent for its size. I speak from direct personal experience with the device. BTW, there is an active development community out there and the Echo actually integrates with many other services other than Amazon, such as my Wink smart home hub, Pandora and IFTTT.

The thread has value? Wow. Color me impressed. I didn't know. ;)

As far as "seven microphone array" goes? Yawn. Old tech. "Good for a small speaker"? Again yawn. I've got real stereo gear wired to play whatever I want all over the house with a tap on a smartphone. And it sounds like it was intended to.

He rest all appears to be aimed at being too lazy to walk to a light switch or keep a pencil and notepad in the kitchen at a total cost of $0.50 tops.

Yay. It's a Clapper and a notepad. LOL. Haha.
 
Will it call Flight Services and get a briefing?
 
Fake scarcity makes people want to buy stupid things.

Just like guns and ammo, eh Nate?

I'm guessing a weekend of killing paper with lead will easily burn up the cost of an Echo, correct?

To each their own....


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People pay a lot of money for a device that allows them to spend more money. How smart!

Another great analogy for guns and ammo. Keep 'em coming....


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I have an Echo and just ordered the Echo Dot. At first it was a nice bluetooth speaker. Additionally, I have Amazon Prime so calling up playlists and streaming them is nice. Getting the weather is also nice. Ok, none of that is killer. Killer is its use in the kitchen. Unit conversion turns out to be useful. When your hands are messy and you just used the last of the flour you can add flour to the shopping list. Timers are very convenient. The big killer app is smart device integration. I have an extensive Wink and Hue system. This includes 9 floods in the kitchen. The microphone array on the Echo is great at pointing to where you are and listening in a noisy environment. I can turn lights on and off from the family room. Kitchen on turns on all 9. Sink on turns on the three lights over the sink area. Sink 1 on turns on only the one light. Floods on turns on the outside flood lights. At first I thought it would be a gimmick but it is my preferred way to control the lights. Better yet my girlfriend loves it and she is definitely on the non-techie side.

The Echo Dot is a request from my girlfriend. I have a bluetooth sound bar in the bedroom so no need for the good speakers in the full size echo. My girlfriend just wants to control the lights and be able to turn off the downstairs lights when it is bedtime and we forgot.

I'm interested in the home automation aspect.

Are you controlling all those lights with individually-addressable LED bulbs? Please, tell more about the stuff you're using, save me bleeding money by buying the wrong things!
 
I'm interested in the home automation aspect.

Are you controlling all those lights with individually-addressable LED bulbs? Please, tell more about the stuff you're using, save me bleeding money by buying the wrong things!

I'm using the Insteon Hub with switches (gas fireplace, and a few switched lights), as well as the plug in modules for lamps. I'm going to order the garage door kit. Insteon has numerous devices available including fan controllers, leak detectors, cameras, etc. I use this in our beach house. Amazon has the starter kit reasonably priced.

"Alexa, TV Room Lamps 50%"....
 
I'm interested in the home automation aspect.

Are you controlling all those lights with individually-addressable LED bulbs? Please, tell more about the stuff you're using, save me bleeding money by buying the wrong things!
Kitchen and outside floods are GE Link. Family room is Phillips Hue. Others are dumb off of Quirky TAPT (don't recommend) or Lutron Casetta dimmers (love). I also have two Wink Relay units. I'll write up in detail when I'm not on the iPad.
 
I have a Wink hub and various smart switches (mostly GE Z-Wave, which I recommend). I have a few other lamp modules that plug into the wall and the lamp plugs into them (also Z-Wave). All those are controllable from the Echo and you can create groups, to allow you to control multiple lights at once. I don't have any smart bulbs, as they seem counterintuitive to me (you have to leave the light switch on for them to work and I just know my GF will try to turn them on and off with the switch). The switches work like normal switches and also allow automation with no conflict.

I have the Chamberlain MyQ garage door controller (works with any brand of opener), which integrates to the Wink hub and will let me open and close from phone app and will send an alert if it is open more than 15 minutes, but I cannot control the garage door from the Echo (they feel it is a security risk). I have a Honeywell smart thermostat, which also integrates with the Wink hub, but at this point doesn't seem to integrate with the Echo. I believe the NEST thermostat works with the Echo, but I did not like the heuristic element of the NEST (learning aspect).

Edit: It looks like Amazon is adding integration for my Honeywell thermostat this month http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/3/11148624/amazon-alexa-nest-honeywell-thermostat-control
 
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Here is a detailed description of my system. I have 7 Phillips Hue lights (BR30) in the family room along with a Phillips Tap switch. The Hue system has been flawless. The Phillips Tap switch is convenient in that it can be set on the table next to the love seat for convenient control. However, the Hue system is ridiculously priced. I only recommend it if you really REALLY want the fancy color effects.

The kitchen has 9 GE Link PAR38 bulbs. These replace 60 watt spots. They consume less power but are much brighter and add the ability to control each light individually. I also use 6 GE Link PAR38 bulbs as outside flood lights. These are nice lights. They connect to a Wink hub. Additionally I have two Wink Relay units - one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. When I first put the lights in, I quickly found out that an old style physical light switch was easier than taking out the phone to use the app. So... in went a Relay. The Relay is nice and works well. However, if the hole it goes in is more than one switch wide you will see the sheetrock cuts. I modified a 3-gang switch plate such that it looks fine. If someone decides to get a Relay let me know and I will send a doc file showing the issue and the fix. The Relay is an expensive solution. Yeah, it shows time and temp and gives you access to all the stuff in the phone app but it is still a pricy solution. It does look cool.

The Relay in the bedroom was so I could easily turn off all of the lights in the house when going to bed. It also has a shortcut to turn on lights in the morning.

I tried using the geofencing so the floods would come on when I came home. Initially it worked well all the time until one day when it didn't. That was about a year ago or more so it might work better now. The issue seems to be with the phone. Phones don't keep GPS on all the time. GPS burns too much power. Instead cell towers are used for initial location. Somehow, in my house, it started thinking that going from the first floor to the second is me coming home. It would turn the outside floods on when I went upstairs to go to sleep as opposed to when I drove to the house.

The Wink system initially had many issues. Lately, however, it has been great. Very recently Wink released a big deal update. It lets the phone app talk directly to the hub. That means that the Relay units and the phone app can control the lights even when the Wink servers are down or internet service is down as long as all are on the same local network. This is huge.

The rest of the lights are regular dumb bulbs. They are controlled either by Quirky TAPT switches or Lutron Cassette dimmers. The TAPT switches look great, have excellent packaging and great overall functionality. If they were reliable they would be great. They aren't. They lose pairing with the Wink hub easily. A recent firmware update is supposed to fix this. Forcing that update is a pain that involves throwing breakers. I haven't gotten motivated to go through the pain of this so I don't know yet if the fix works. Most of my TAPT switches are currently unpaired. The Lutron Cassette switches are a different matter. They are awesome. To pair you need to place the hub in close proximity but once paired they work great no matter where the hub is. The GE Link lights and other smart devices form a mesh network so full house coverage is easy to obtain. Even if you don't use the Cassette dimmer for smart home control, they are the best way I have found to put a dimmer on a 3-way switch. One end of the 3-way is tied off (all wires together) and the other wall switch connects to the Cassette dimmer like a regular dimmer. The tied off box gets a wireless Cassette remote that mounts in the box like a regular switch but needs no power. It links to the main switch. The result is the ability to dim the lights at the top of the stairs and the bottom. Pairing both dimmer and remote to a Wink hub means adding in remote control.

Now comes Alexa (Amazon Echo). Up to this point the home automation had a lot of cool factor but nothing killer. My girlfriend liked the ability to turn on the outside lights before getting to the house. She also liked the increased light in the kitchen and the ability to turn on only some of the kitchen lights. Adding Alexa took it to another level. All of a sudden she started talking about how great the system is. She now wants an Echo in the bedroom. There is no way a conventional switch setup could give the individual light control the kitchen now has. Alex makes it easy to turn on just the lights you want. An example would be loading the dishwasher. I can have Alexa turn on the appropriate light without having to touch any switches while my hands are full. It all sounds silly until you do it day after day. I liken Alexa to using voice control in the car to dial the phone. It's easier and hands free.
 
Just like guns and ammo, eh Nate?

I'm guessing a weekend of killing paper with lead will easily burn up the cost of an Echo, correct?

To each their own....

Nope. Never purchased a firearm or ammo with any concerns about fake scarcity. I'm sure someone has, but not I.

I was simply explaining the standard Amazon marketing model. It's a common one.

There's idiots buying the "Legion" series Sig Sauer pistols too. All happy to be in some elite club where you get to get a challenge coin tosses your way for overpaying by $300 for the same pistol you could assemble yourself with parts from Sig.

At least Amazon's marketing isn't that much of a rip off.

As far as shooting prices go, at current prices, nope. Echo is more expensive. Goes up and down, like gas. No biggie.

Haven't ever given a crap if anyone else likes my hobbies. If yours is hollering at some device on a table, have at it. It's all good.

It's nothing to worry about if someone else doesn't like the thing. That's all I was saying to someone touchy about it.

The analogy falls apart at that point though, since I'm not exactly out lobbying for "Echo control" or making up definitions so the big Echo can be called an "Assault Echo". LOL.

And I've certainly not posted any whiny posts complaining that no one should ever talk about Echos here like we saw on Nick's post about selling a pistol earlier this week. Haha. That was precious.
 
Here is a detailed description of my system. I have 7 Phillips Hue lights (BR30) in the family room along with a Phillips Tap switch. The Hue system has been flawless. The Phillips Tap switch is convenient in that it can be set on the table next to the love seat for convenient control. However, the Hue system is ridiculously priced. I only recommend it if you really REALLY want the fancy color effects.

The kitchen has 9 GE Link PAR38 bulbs. These replace 60 watt spots. They consume less power but are much brighter and add the ability to control each light individually. I also use 6 GE Link PAR38 bulbs as outside flood lights. These are nice lights. They connect to a Wink hub. Additionally I have two Wink Relay units - one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. When I first put the lights in, I quickly found out that an old style physical light switch was easier than taking out the phone to use the app. So... in went a Relay. The Relay is nice and works well. However, if the hole it goes in is more than one switch wide you will see the sheetrock cuts. I modified a 3-gang switch plate such that it looks fine. If someone decides to get a Relay let me know and I will send a doc file showing the issue and the fix. The Relay is an expensive solution. Yeah, it shows time and temp and gives you access to all the stuff in the phone app but it is still a pricy solution. It does look cool.

The Relay in the bedroom was so I could easily turn off all of the lights in the house when going to bed. It also has a shortcut to turn on lights in the morning.

I tried using the geofencing so the floods would come on when I came home. Initially it worked well all the time until one day when it didn't. That was about a year ago or more so it might work better now. The issue seems to be with the phone. Phones don't keep GPS on all the time. GPS burns too much power. Instead cell towers are used for initial location. Somehow, in my house, it started thinking that going from the first floor to the second is me coming home. It would turn the outside floods on when I went upstairs to go to sleep as opposed to when I drove to the house.

The Wink system initially had many issues. Lately, however, it has been great. Very recently Wink released a big deal update. It lets the phone app talk directly to the hub. That means that the Relay units and the phone app can control the lights even when the Wink servers are down or internet service is down as long as all are on the same local network. This is huge.

The rest of the lights are regular dumb bulbs. They are controlled either by Quirky TAPT switches or Lutron Cassette dimmers. The TAPT switches look great, have excellent packaging and great overall functionality. If they were reliable they would be great. They aren't. They lose pairing with the Wink hub easily. A recent firmware update is supposed to fix this. Forcing that update is a pain that involves throwing breakers. I haven't gotten motivated to go through the pain of this so I don't know yet if the fix works. Most of my TAPT switches are currently unpaired. The Lutron Cassette switches are a different matter. They are awesome. To pair you need to place the hub in close proximity but once paired they work great no matter where the hub is. The GE Link lights and other smart devices form a mesh network so full house coverage is easy to obtain. Even if you don't use the Cassette dimmer for smart home control, they are the best way I have found to put a dimmer on a 3-way switch. One end of the 3-way is tied off (all wires together) and the other wall switch connects to the Cassette dimmer like a regular dimmer. The tied off box gets a wireless Cassette remote that mounts in the box like a regular switch but needs no power. It links to the main switch. The result is the ability to dim the lights at the top of the stairs and the bottom. Pairing both dimmer and remote to a Wink hub means adding in remote control.

Now comes Alexa (Amazon Echo). Up to this point the home automation had a lot of cool factor but nothing killer. My girlfriend liked the ability to turn on the outside lights before getting to the house. She also liked the increased light in the kitchen and the ability to turn on only some of the kitchen lights. Adding Alexa took it to another level. All of a sudden she started talking about how great the system is. She now wants an Echo in the bedroom. There is no way a conventional switch setup could give the individual light control the kitchen now has. Alex makes it easy to turn on just the lights you want. An example would be loading the dishwasher. I can have Alexa turn on the appropriate light without having to touch any switches while my hands are full. It all sounds silly until you do it day after day. I liken Alexa to using voice control in the car to dial the phone. It's easier and hands free.

I haven't tried it, but there is a geo tracking product that has a device that plugs into your ODB port on your car and has IFTTT integration. That might fix your geofencing issue http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/26/co...tic-gets-even-smarter-with-ifttt-integration/

The GE 12722 switch with Wink has worked perfectly for me and they are very well made. For three and four way, you need the 12723 add on, as well.
 
I haven't tried it, but there is a geo tracking product that has a device that plugs into your ODB port on your car and has IFTTT integration. That might fix your geofencing issue http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/26/co...tic-gets-even-smarter-with-ifttt-integration/

The GE 12722 switch with Wink has worked perfectly for me and they are very well made. For three and four way, you need the 12723 add on, as well.

Can the GE 12722 be set so load control is separate from the panel button functionality? That is what is useful on the Quirky TAPT. For example, take the outside floods. The bulbs are GE Link PAR38's. I don't want the load switching. I want the switch load to be controlled from the Wink app should I need to power cycle, but I want the button to be a smart control and just send a command to turn the floods on. I do NOT want the button to actually switch the load.
 
Can the GE 12722 be set so load control is separate from the panel button functionality? That is what is useful on the Quirky TAPT. For example, take the outside floods. The bulbs are GE Link PAR38's. I don't want the load switching. I want the switch load to be controlled from the Wink app should I need to power cycle, but I want the button to be a smart control and just send a command to turn the floods on. I do NOT want the button to actually switch the load.

I am not sure we are talking apples to apples here. The GE 12722 is simply a switch. It does not talk to the load. It replaces an existing switch, directly. Once you replace your existing switch with a 12722, you can then turn the switch on or off, either physically at the switch or through the Wink app. I just use standard LED bulbs in my fixtures, not smart bulbs. The 12722 switch can be pushed up for on and down for off, but goes back to the middle position after you press it. The Wink app is aware of whether or not the circuit is in the on or off state. The three/four way configuration is a lot nicer than traditional switches, as the add on switches (12723) operate the same way. Always up for on and always down for off. You no longer need to figure out whether the switch is in the down or up position. These switches will work independently of the Wink hub, so if the Wink hub is down for some reason, the physical switches still behave as described above. The switches do require a neutral wire to operate, which in older homes, may be a problem.
 
The TAPT can switch a load just like a regular switch or under Wink control. Additionally, the front buttons can be set to NOT switch the load. The load then remains on. The load switch then is ONLY controlled remotely. The buttons on the front can now be assigned to a Wink device or group. The top button sends the group an ON command and the bottom an OFF. Here is an example. Assume 4 outside floods (2 front and 2 side) on one switch and two patio floods on another switch. Replace the two switches with TAPT switches and the bulbs with smart bulbs. Now you can program the one controlling the floods to turn the 4 floods on and off. Ok same functionality. However, you might program the patio TAPT to turn on the two patio floods and the two side floods. You still have the convenience of a wall switch but the full ability to do mix and match combinations if the bulbs are smart devices. Power to the smart bulbs is never switched off. The TAPT devices have a setting that tells it if it is controlling a dumb load or a smart device (or set of smart devices).
 
The TAPT can switch a load just like a regular switch or under Wink control. Additionally, the front buttons can be set to NOT switch the load. The load then remains on. The load switch then is ONLY controlled remotely. The buttons on the front can now be assigned to a Wink device or group. The top button sends the group an ON command and the bottom an OFF. Here is an example. Assume 4 outside floods (2 front and 2 side) on one switch and two patio floods on another switch. Replace the two switches with TAPT switches and the bulbs with smart bulbs. Now you can program the one controlling the floods to turn the 4 floods on and off. Ok same functionality. However, you might program the patio TAPT to turn on the two patio floods and the two side floods. You still have the convenience of a wall switch but the full ability to do mix and match combinations if the bulbs are smart devices. Power to the smart bulbs is never switched off. The TAPT devices have a setting that tells it if it is controlling a dumb load or a smart device (or set of smart devices).

I understand. I see mixed reviews. Did you say a recent hub update stabilized it? Right now I don't have a use case for that, but I can see where it allows you to add functionality to a switch by controlling other smart devices along with the "dumb" load. The 12722s are rock solid, but don't have that functionality. There might be something similar you could do with a macro. I would need to look into it.
 
Leave it to Nate to chime in with illegal activities to back up his slam on other peoples interests instead of just issuing a simple apology followed by paragraphs of mindless dissertation on why he couldn't possibly be wrong. Some things never change. Good grief it gets old though...

Thanks to those of you who posted your experience, my wife has been interested and I just might get her one.
 
The TAPT can switch a load just like a regular switch or under Wink control. Additionally, the front buttons can be set to NOT switch the load. The load then remains on. The load switch then is ONLY controlled remotely. The buttons on the front can now be assigned to a Wink device or group. The top button sends the group an ON command and the bottom an OFF. Here is an example. Assume 4 outside floods (2 front and 2 side) on one switch and two patio floods on another switch. Replace the two switches with TAPT switches and the bulbs with smart bulbs. Now you can program the one controlling the floods to turn the 4 floods on and off. Ok same functionality. However, you might program the patio TAPT to turn on the two patio floods and the two side floods. You still have the convenience of a wall switch but the full ability to do mix and match combinations if the bulbs are smart devices. Power to the smart bulbs is never switched off. The TAPT devices have a setting that tells it if it is controlling a dumb load or a smart device (or set of smart devices).

I see where you indicated above that the TAPT switches are supposed to be stabilized with a firmware update. Post back if you try that. I did take a look and you can create a Wink robot that will detect if a light is turned on/off and then turn on/off other lights/devices, so that might be a work around. The only robot I am using now, sends me an email if my garage door is open more than 15 minutes, and that works reliably (my GF occasionally forgets to close it on her way out).
 
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