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Prior to starting your set up, you’ll want to choose the best location for your device. Be sure to place it in a central location, like your kitchen countertop, living room or bedside table. You’ll want to position your device so that it has a clear path to receive Wi-Fi signals — free from walls, baby monitors and microwave ovens, all of which can impact optimal functionality. It's cheap, it's easy to use, and it'll let you turn anything you plug into it on and off just by asking Alexa.
For example, if your garden lights are on a smart plug you can call it "garden lights" and so on, which it better than asking Alexa to "turn on my smart plug two". Because you've setup your smart home devices and told Alexa what they are, you can then search for them. One advantage of choosing lights and plugs from the same brand is that they all use the same hub and app, so that keeps things tidy when it comes to setting up. At the same time you might end up paying more for your bulbs and plugs than you actually need to. There are a number of different Echo models, but they all feature Alexa and they all offer the same Skills and voice controls.
Saving Live Views with Alexa
In our head-to-head review of the Echo Show 10 and the Echo Show 15, we ultimately gave the Show 15 the W. That said, there are plenty of reasons to consider the Show 10, especially if you already have a command center like the 15 and simply want a bigger, badder display for the kitchen. And if you have an Echo Spot or an Echo Show, you’ll be able to monitor your home from the screen on those devices.
If you're planning to give an Echo or Echo Dot to your kid, here's how to enable FreeTime so he or she uses Alexa appropriately. Shop your favorite products and we’ll find the best deal with a single click. The app will assign the right channel to one and the left channel to the other, but you can tap Swap Speakers to toggle the options, then tap Next.
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The Echo's main competitor -- Google Home -- does let you group speakers for synched audio, so Alexa's trailing behind here. Alexa is not yet able to recognize Groups that were created in the Wink App. New groups can be created in the Alexa app which are compatible with voice commands. Click ‘Create group’ in the Connected Home Settings in the Alexa app, select the devices you would like to group and save a name for the group. You will now be able to tell Alexa to turn on or turn off this group name. The Vivint Smart Thermostat connects with voice assistants to allow you to control your home’s temperature hands-free using just voice commands.
The Blink Mini security camera works indoors so that you can keep track of what’s happening around your house from anywhere and at any time. Whenever the camera detects motion, it will send you an alert via Alexa. The camera also boasts a built-in speaker so you can hear what’s going on and talk to whoever you see in the live footage.
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There are many commands you can use to change the brightness by certain increments. You can also say “Alexa, Brighten ” to brighten your device by 25%. You can adjust any device to a brightness of your choosing by saying “Alexa, set to (number between 0-100)." If you’re spending your evening in the living room, there’s no point in heating the entire home.
Monthly $1.48 cellular network maintenance fee applies. Plus, professional monitoring keeps watch and is ready to contact police, fire or medical professionals if there’s an emergency. And there’s no contract, no pushy sales guys, no hidden fees, no fine print. SimpliSafe has everything you need to protect your home with none of the drawbacks of traditional home security.
Alexa, scan for devices
You can get this for free on Android, iOS, and Fire OS. However, if you have a recent version of the Fire tablet, the application will likely already be installed. Through voice command, follow along with a cooking video or music lyrics is a must. However, there are wifi-enabled light bulbs that CAN work with Alexa and don’t need a hub. But these run around $20 each, and last about as long as a normal light bulb, so this isn’t a very cost-effective way to light up your house. If you find Alexa can't hear you over your TV, the best way to mitigate the problem is with the Voice Remote. As always with planning out a smart home set up, your best bet is to start small with one or two Alexa devices to see how you and your family will really use them.
Similarly, you can trigger other smart home devices based on time, smart sensors , voice commands, etc. to automate your house. Once you’ve selected the device, use your Alexa app to find the appropriate skill to control the device. Click “enable” and the devices will automatically pair, giving you complete control of your smart home devices through Alexa, which is even easier than the touch of a button. Since Alexa is a fully automated voice technology, the sound of your voice is all you’ll need to enjoy the convenience of your smart home. Just like other Echo devices, you can control the Echo Show 5 with your voice, along with all your Alexa-enabled devices from your TV to your smart plugs. And, because it has a screen, the Show is especially useful for showing you security camera footage and a real-time picture of what your smart doorbell is seeing.
Before you can do that, though, you'll need to set the device up like normal. Like with most smart home gadgets, the companion app will walk you through the process in a matter of a minutes. The latter of which is almost certainly your best bet.
Use a Voice Remote for any peripheral areas where you don't care about music, but you still want to issue commands to Alexa. I used to recommend a Tap for family members interested in a device in their own space near a center room, but now you can pick your always-listening device of choice. The Tap loses some of the charm of the other two since it's not always-listening.
Open the Alexa app, tap Devices on the bottom menu bar, then tap the plus sign (+) in the upper right corner. 6.Tap OK when a pop-up lets you know it might take a few minutes to change over, then either back out of that menu or close the app. Those old third-gen hockey puck Echo Dots make perfect speakers for your garage, hallway or other less frequently used spaces.
If you want to change where the reminder is announced, select Announces from and choose the relevant device. You can also set reminders to announce from every Alexa-connected device here. Alexa can also remind you based on your phone’s location. Change At a time to At a location, and tap Add location.
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