Got Echo Show as gift from my son last Christmas. At first we had it in our bedroom but after realizing that Alexa is “watching and listening to us all the time” we decided to place our Echo Show in our living room. I have also installed smart switches and plugs to control lights in various parts of the house and also paired the Echo with different bluetooth speakers. The problem is I have to go near the Echo to give Alexa the command. If I want to listen to music in our bedroom I have to go out of our room and be near Alexa to ask her to play music and switch to bluetooth speaker In our bedroom. Now with Alexa Voice Remote I can give command while I’m on bed. To make sure Alexa is listening first command is to ask her to connect to bluetooth speaker on my bedside table or to my TV soundbar (need to call out specific speaker name that was registered in Echo during tha pairing process). From then on I can talk to Alexa as if Echo is my side and I don’t have to worry that Alexa is listening ‘coz you need to press talk button for Alexa to hear you (lol). By the way, the instruction that comes with the Alexa Voice does not include pairing with Echo Show and so for a moment Ithought it was made to Echo and Echo Dot only and will not work on Echo Show but It did not take long for me to find the instruction from Amazon Device Support. I’m truly happy with this purchase.
I don't write many reviews unless the product in question is extremely bad or extraordinarily good. In this case I am happy to say this was the later.
If you enjoy playing with you echo dot, But find yourself screaming to get alexa to stop, you will love this remote. If you hooked your echo dot to a big home stereo and use it like a voice activated jukebox (only way better!!!) you will love this remote. The range is awesome it goes through all the walls in my house. I can turn off the lights in my bedroom by voice even though the echo dot is in the front room. You just have to remember that when you use the remote you do not have to say the "trigger" Alexa just push the button with the microphone icon on it hold it down for a second so that it has time to trigger the dot, and say Play Led Zepplin stairway to heaven or whatever you desire to do. Or whatever wifi things you have configured for your echo. I have tplink lights in several rooms so I can just say "my bedroom off" or "my bedroom on" etc. Plus the remote has a pause fast forward play and rewind on it so if you are playing your song library you can just hit pause or go to the next song with it or hit the mic button and say next. I think the negative reviews I have read in the past were because people did not understand how it works
Great remote but offer the magnetic cradle, even as a separate purchase would be fine, but that was the best cradle ive ever had and cant get it anywhere! Just offer them somewhere and I'll buy 10 of them! So great to have a place to put the remote down on without it falling off the table or having to fumble around looking for it! That thing was great and like everything else if its awsome they discontinue it!
So far, this is doing what I wanted it to. I purchased it for having Alex hear me from my bedroom and my dining room. At times when I am playing music louder or just wanting her to do a command, I have to repeat myself louder. I usually keep the remote in the bedroom to give her commands but I will move it when I have company and am sitting down to eat or with guests in living room. I can practically whisper the command using the remote whereas without it, I have to shout the command out to the other room. Also, did not find opening the back to insert batteries that difficult. Did take a few tries to pair it. I ended up replacing the batteries that were sent with Duracell
The Amazon Echo devices are awesome. They can do a plethora of things. Playing music, reading books, playing games, and more besides. When playing music, there comes a time when you want to skip a song, or stop playback altogether. If you have the Amazon Echo device alone, and your music is playing loud and clear, you virtually need to holler "Alexa, next song" or "Alexa, Stop" to be heard.
That is where this little beauty known as the Alexa Voice Remote becomes a necessity. Simply put, the Alexa Voice Remote for Amazon Echo and Echo Dot stops you from hollering at your Amazon Echo device. Simply hold down the microphone button on this remote to control your Amazon Echo device. The play/pause button, combined with the left and right track buttons, are used for playing music on your Echo device. The plus and minus buttons are your volume up and volume down controls. Powered by two triple A batteries, this remote is the Amazon Echo equivalent of a Star Wars lightsaber.
This remote goes perfectly with your Amazon Echo device like pepper and salt, peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, even love and marriage. In short, you can't, and shouldn't, have one without the other.
Feature Product
- Official remote for Echo (1st and 2nd generation), Echo Dot (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation), Echo Plus (1st and 2nd generation), Echo Show (1st and 2nd generation) and Echo Spot.
- Connects to Echo products via Bluetooth
- Includes an integrated microphone for when you are too far away or it's too noisy for Echo to hear you
- Dedicated buttons for volume up, volume down, play/pause, previous, and next
- Remote works with one Echo at a time
Description
Before You Give Up On the Remote, Check the Batteries.
Unlike Most Remotes, It Drains Juice When Not In Use.
According to My DC Current Meter:
~7ma at All Times and ~39ma When Transmitting.
Installed the Amazon AAA's that Came With the Remote on Feb 08,2018.
They Died Today, July 15 2018, Almost Completely Drained (<20% left) = 5 Months With Modest Use (4-5 Times per Day).
Just Installed Rechargeables & They Work OK. I'll Report Back Later To Report On How Long They Lasted.
Update:
Rechargeables Lasted 2 Months Until September 20 2018
Aside from This Fact, It's A Great Remote for This Purpose.
As other reviewers I wish that the remote still came with the handy magnetic base like the first ones did. It does, at least, come with the battery still. Because I know the remote will disappear to a never been seen again realm without a home I have decided to swallow my irritation it doesn't come with a dock and buy one to use with it. From my research it looks like this is the best bet - TotalMount Fire TV Remote Holder. The Fire TV remote appears to be the exact dimensions of the Echo remote, so I'm hopeful this will be a great solution even though it irks me to spend another $10 on a solution for something that used to be included! **Update: I ordered the TotalMount Fire TV Remote holder and it works great with Echo Remote.**
We have a few Alexa units in the house and aside from the original one that came with a remote I haven't felt the need to buy another remote. Unless you blast your music it is normally fairly simple to engage with Alexa (at least how we have our rooms setup) even without the remote. However, my 3 and 4 year old have recently become quite the Alexa fanboys - checking the time, asking for jokes, listening to their playlists we've set up.... one of them can articulate clearly and Alexa responds, and the other can not. Before frustration got to a crazy level I decided a remote for the unit they normally talk to was the key.
They (and I) love that you don't have to say Alexa *just* right to get a response with the remote. You simply hold down the microphone button and start talking (no wake word needed). Happy campers now. The range is great, the Alexa unit connected with this remote is in the middle of the house upstairs and no problems with using the remote anywhere upstairs (about 2000 square), as well as from two floors down in the crawl space - tested simply to see if it would work, and it did! We use Alexa on a daily basis and the remote is a great tool to go with it.
If you've got an Echo, don't sleep on the remote. Although they never feature it in commercials, I find it indispensable. Echo beats Google Home in several ways, and the remote is at the top of the list. GH doesn't have one.
When Amazon boasts that even when you got music cranked to 11 Alexa will hear you, well, that's wishful thinking at best. With the remote, no problem.
There are also times when you want to tell Alexa to do something on the down-low. You can literally whisper into the remote and Alexa will respond. Pretty amazing.
Just got it yesterday. Had to Google for pairing instructions since the included instructions say "go to settings and select Echo...". Echo is the name of my kitchen dot and that's not the one I was trying to pair with so it was confusing for a while. The instructions should say "select the device you want to pair it with" or some such. Finally got it paired with White Dot. Sometimes it works but more often it doesn't do what I tell it to. I will work with it for a few more days and if it doesn't improve, back it goes. Will update once the results are in.
9/26 - sending it back. When it works it's GREAT but most of the time it won't work and that's just too frustrating. I really like the concept so I ordered another. Others have good luck with it so maybe I end up with one yet.
9/30 - got one that works most of the time and I LOVE it. It's one of those things that once you have one (that works) you wonder how you ever lived without it. lol. Changed to 4 stars since it's not 100% working but close.
It works great. I can be in the bedroom..........30 feet away from Echo and tell it to shut off the alarm without screaming throughout the house or what the weather is outside before I decide whether I want to get up or roll over and tell Alexa to reset my alarm LOL
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