I'm going to assume than anyone interested in this refurbished unit already knows everything great and wonderful about the Echo Dot itself (if not, it is great and wonderful), and is mainly just interested in how this refurbished unit stacks up with a brand new unit.
I was very hesitant to purchase a refurbished unit, but the discount at the time of my purchase was too good to pass up. I was fully planning on returning it if there was the slightest sign of an issue. I have had this unit for about a month now, and it has worked perfectly since I received it. Like a brand new unit. If you can get this refurbished for a substantial discount, I think it is totally worth the risk of not buying a new unit.
Edit (07/08/2017): My original refurbished Echo Dot is still going strong, and I received my second refurbished Echo Dot yesterday. This second one is just as "like new" as my first one. The packaging is similarly "like new". It has the same clear sticker covers surrounding it like a new unit, and I believe the power adapter, cable, and manuals are all actually brand new.
Edit (11/21/2017): I currently have two units purchased as refurbished and two purchased as brand new. At this point, I've forgotten which ones were new and which ones were refurbished. They are all working great, and I've had zero issue with any of them. I would not hesitate on purchasing another refurbished unit if the price was compelling.
Updated 3/11/18 - we have several echo units from dots to the newest echo+. they all work the same with the biggest difference being sound quality and no hub. wouldn't expect this price. as for being refurbished we have five dots, two of which were these. i have found no difference in functionality or appearance. they look and work as new. for this purchase we chose the white color.
Two years ago we had one echo device. Now with this we have a range of them. Whether new or refurbished the quality of the products for us has been 100% with zero problems. Regardless if the device is a two year old dot or a six month old echo+ when it comes to software updates they all get the same. Regular updates keep them fresh and up to date. Better still they are automatic so you never need think about it.
For controlling things, home automation, I might suggest starting with an echo+ due to the built in hub tech phobic so to speak. A hub which makes simple setup for devices even easier. It truly is designed so everyone from someone who lives and breathes tech to someone older like our mom who never could get the time set on her old VCR.
The possibilities for what you can do with Alexa continue to increase with frequent software updates. Example just a few days ago and update went out called ‘follow up.’ what that enabled was huge in regards to interaction. Before every time you would need to do anything you would need to say Alexa or whatever wake word you’d chosen. Now after that first instance you have five seconds to respond and continue the dialog. Wait longer and it thinks your chat session is over. But if as said before five seconds is up you can do for example, ‘Alexa what is today’s date?’ today is march 8th’ what is the weather for today then?’ sunny with snow later today. ‘Will the roads be impacted by the snow?’ Alexa responds…I say ‘set reminder to leave for work early tomorrow’ Alexa asks when. I tell ‘her’ she confirms, I say thank you, she says no problem that’s what I’m here for or you’re welcome, glad to help, etc.
All you need do for that option is to go into the Alexa app, settings, pick your echo device, and scroll down to the bottom. You’ll see ‘follow up’ just slide it over to ON and you are set. Do that for all your units. Even just being able to teach common politeness to kids who hear you say thank you every time with a response back, a teaching means too.
The possibilities for what these devices can do as said just gets better. Things like intercom, calling or texting people, besides the automation, reminders, calendar, news feeds, I could go on and on but our experience has been much better than expected!
Powered it on, alexa sounds like she got the bad case of the flu. She speaker is broken. Crackling and static!
Ordered a replacement! Will update once I get it.
----- update!!!
SO far the 2nd refurb unit works great. only time will tell! :D
We now have 3 dots and one echo. We needed another Dot for the basement so I purchased this one which was about $12 less than the regular one. It works just as good as the other Dots which were purchased new so I would not hesitate to save a few dollars and purchase a refurbished one. Amazon has a great return policy anyway so there is very little risk in saving some money. We love our Alexa - she's awesome!
The day of smart homes is upon us and Amazon isn't the only player anymore so should you buy an echo dot? Short answer, yes especially when it is on sale for $30.
Long answer:
AI is a new and upcoming technology that many people are sceptical of. So is this fear legitimate? Well no. AI is still in its infancy so don't expect a terminator rise of the machines any time soon.
So why buy the dot?
Well I one main reason people use Echo is for music. However the larger echo doesnt have a 3.5mm Jack so it can't be wired to your home stereo. With the dot you can. Many people scrutinize the dot for a bad speaker and ya it's trash, but that is not what Amazon intended it for. Amazon made the dot for one of two purposes, in my opinion. To have it as a quick rack device that tells you weather, schedules, or when a famous person was born. The second, and more useful, purpose is as a voice control for a home stereo.
Personally I use the dot for both aspects and love both aspects. I love being able to check the weather while running out the door or being able to use voice controls on my $400 stereo. In my opinion, if you have speakers the echo dot is way more useful than the full echo.
So in conclusion the echo dot is an excellent cheap alternative to the full echo granted you have speakers. I would fully recommend buying one or more because having Alexa in multiple rooms is awesome.
Feature Product
- A Certified Refurbished Echo Dot is refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like new
- Echo Dot (2nd Generation) is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, read the news, set alarms, read audiobooks from Audible, and more
- Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.
- Introducing Alexa calling and messaging, a new way to be together with family and friends. Just ask Alexa to call or message anyone with an Echo, Echo Dot, or the Alexa App.
- Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, locks, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
- Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music
- Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer; Amazon Echo is not required to use Echo Dot
- Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino's, and more
Description
I'm totally enjoying my Echo Dot! I have it synced to my Google Calendar and am able to let Alexa tell me what's on the agenda for the day. I can quickly ask her to set a timer or an alarm and easily find out about the local weather. I also have it synced to my Pandora account but you have to be specific about a saved station name when you want to listen to Pandora. I really wish I could just say "shuffle my Pandora stations". That would be awesome! The speaker on the Dot isn't as loud as I would like it but if I'm sitting close by, it's good enough I guess. I've seen an option to add an external speaker but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet. And my 6 yo grandson loves to ask her to tell him a joke! I live in a small town and am probably not able to utilize the full potential of Alexa but I'm not regretting my purchase.
I love my echo dot, I can't tell the difference between refurb and brand new. It goes well with my speaker tower too!
Side by side comparison of one of my new dots, absolutely no difference. I mainly wanted these to use for musical listening but can't believe how much more they do! An alarm clock, timer, reminder and so much more BUT the surprisingly best feature of all is the intercom. I have an elderly mother that I bought her one for a birthday present. Couple weeks later I buy my daughters one. Looking around on the internet someone posted about an intercom, or "drop-in" feature as amazon calls it. My mother who lives 6 miles away (distance has no bearing here, or is it baring?) but whose dot is on my prime plan and shows up on my Alexa app, can be dropped in on like an intercom from my phone or from my dots in my daughters rooms! It's so awesome to be able just to check on her, especially if she doesn't hear the phone ring when we try to call her. And to you conspiracy therory people out there that thinks amazon or the government people are listening to you from these devices, if I'm so happy about a freaking intercom how exciting do you think my life really is that they'd be interested. So I'm saying this will become a standard in my home and I'm sure we will have dots all over the house sooner or later! Have a great day and thanks for reading my review!
I have one Ehco and now two Dots. This white one goes great in the bathroom. And paired with my waterproof bluetooth speaker makes it a great addition to my home.
Everything works pretty great, doesn't always catch what I say.. But definitely worth the purchase. I am very pleased.
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