dubbs Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Like many other households this Christmas we got an Echo this year and finally started setting it up last night. Of course it's easy to do and we've got it doing the basics but I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for those who want to share any tips or ways to do more complicated stuff like controlling a smart tv or speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted December 31, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) Quite pedantic, but it's an Amazon Echo not Android Echo. I have one, controls my heating, lights and home cinema equipment. Thought it would be quite gimmicky but we use it daily. Edited December 31, 2017 by PieFacE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 Sorry! Got android on the brain. Been looking round and I reckon I need to buy a Harmony Hub to get it to control the tv. Seen YouTube vids showing people using it to control their tivo boxes which would be cool. Will get hold of the smart lights soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted December 31, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted December 31, 2017 2 hours ago, dubbs said: Sorry! Got android on the brain. Been looking round and I reckon I need to buy a Harmony Hub to get it to control the tv. Seen YouTube vids showing people using it to control their tivo boxes which would be cool. Will get hold of the smart lights soon. Yeah it works really well. Our hub controls Xbox, TV, PS4, AMP, Nvidia Shield, makes life easier. Say "Alexa turn on Xbox" and it will set the TV to the right channel, put it in game mode, change the AMP to the right input, turn the Xbox on and dim the lights. Tis handy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 10 hours ago, PieFacE said: Yeah it works really well. Our hub controls Xbox, TV, PS4, AMP, Nvidia Shield, makes life easier. Say "Alexa turn on Xbox" and it will set the TV to the right channel, put it in game mode, change the AMP to the right input, turn the Xbox on and dim the lights. Tis handy. Is that all through a Harmony Hub? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted January 1, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted January 1, 2018 Yeah apart from the lights which is done through Hue Hub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Brought a Harmony earlier today. To say it's temperamental when used with Echo is an understatement. Guess the more is used the better it gets. Still teeing to get it to work with our theatre kit but at least it turns the tv and tivo on and off and changes the channel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted January 7, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted January 7, 2018 I setup devices and routines in harmony software, then get Yonomi to create Alexa commands. Yonomi made the whole process easier for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 we got one for Xmas so far all I've really taught it is "pull my finger" and dad jokes , but it's useful for reminders and the like looks like I need to explore Harmony & Yonomi ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 On 1/7/2018 at 17:58, PieFacE said: I setup devices and routines in harmony software, then get Yonomi to create Alexa commands. Yonomi made the whole process easier for me. Cheers. Im downloading it now so expect a few questions in the next hour or so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Echo or Google Home? If Echo, then normal Echo or Echo Plus? (not Dot). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubbs Posted January 11, 2018 Author Share Posted January 11, 2018 Echo here although I noticed the weekend if you buy Phillips Hue starter kit at Argos they're giving throwing in a Google thingy for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottaloo Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) I'm thinking about buying an echo 2nd gen and I'll confess here that I'm a plug and play type and not too techy....anyway, my question is, do I need a subscription if i want random music playing ? I have Amazon prime account as it is. Also, is it as easy as the forums suggest if I want to listen to obscure radio stations across the globe, simply by asking alexa to play jazz fm from Detroit ? Edited November 19, 2018 by mottaloo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 We've got one and the kids use it quite a lot for music ..was thinking of getting them a dot each for xmas so they can listen to music in their rooms rather than downstairs ... plus we can use it to call them down for tea and save my poor legs as I usually have to go up about a hundred times before they come down !! if we had 3 devices can they all play different songs at the same time and would i need 3 music subscriptions ? (I've got Amazon prime at the moment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 46 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: plus we can use it to call them down for tea and save my poor legs as I usually have to go up about a hundred times before they come down !! Cheaper to buy a belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted November 19, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, tonyh29 said: We've got one and the kids use it quite a lot for music ..was thinking of getting them a dot each for xmas so they can listen to music in their rooms rather than downstairs ... plus we can use it to call them down for tea and save my poor legs as I usually have to go up about a hundred times before they come down !! if we had 3 devices can they all play different songs at the same time and would i need 3 music subscriptions ? (I've got Amazon prime at the moment) They would need separate subscriptions as only 1 account can listen to music at any moment. But, you can get family deals. Spotify is 5 accounts for £15 a month. Edited November 19, 2018 by PieFacE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted November 20, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted November 20, 2018 (edited) I think they're really cool but I reckon it would sit in the corner of my lounge and never get used. Apart from playing music I don't think i'd ever use it. And I already have bluetooth speakers, which granted are slightly more effort, but still. Edit: probably going to buy a house next year so will look into it again when I can have everything controlled by a hub. May then be worth it. Edited November 20, 2018 by Stevo985 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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