Amazon Echo Club

[John F]

Originally Posted by Catlady

But it is stupid. Since I wanted to avoid voice commands because of their being long, annoying, and open to misinterpretation, why in the world would I look under voice commands for a routine? Sorry, but that's counterintuitive and, I repeat, stupid. Why doesn't the app at least indicate at the outset on the main Routines page that any routines can ALSO be accessed by pressing a button next to them? How is a user supposed to know that without being told?

So, there is a play button to the right of a routine, and you think there needs to be some further indication that the pLay button should be pressed to execute the routine?

Learn to crawl before you walk. Find out how routines work in general, and then try to apply it to what you want to do.

You said you made routines before. You never noticed the play button to the right of your routine in the routine list? When you said you did your Christmas lights, I assumed you were comfortable with them and knew the basics.

Again, I think it is a mindset. How can you have a routine, and not have a way to play it, that would be stupid.

Full disclosure, I was a programmer in a former life.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by ApK

One of these days were going to learn that OtinG speaks with a thick Scottish brogue or something.

Well I guess some people can’t make a differentiation between a similar word activating an Echo device, meaning it turns on the blue ring on top and thinks about what was spoken, and triggering an actual verbal response. Those are two different things. Activating the Echo to perk up and think is not the same as actually triggering her to speak a response. As far as “relaxed”, Alexa is fairly successful at recognizing similar words to her wake word, but she seems to be very inconsistent about whether she verbally responds to a similar word as her wake word. Heck, sometimes she doesn’t even respond to her wake word. And each Echo device seems to be at least a little different in this regard with some doing better than others. It is Alexa’s inconsistency in responding that often makes her difficult to deal with.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Alexa is fairly successful at recognizing similar words to her wake word, but she seems to be very inconsistent about whether she verbally responds to a similar word as her wake word. Heck, sometimes she doesn’t even respond to her wake word. And each Echo device seems to be at least a little different in this regard with some doing better than others. It is Alexa’s inconsistency in responding that often makes her difficult to deal with.

I don't claim to know the tech detail of how alexa works, but I would suppose the idea is that her limited local wake word detection power (turning the light on) would need to be fairly loose to be practical, then when an utterance is close enough to get passed on to her bigger brain in the cloud, there is another opportunity to analyze and decide whether or not it was really intended for her, before going on to process the rest of the command. That being said, lately I can stand right next to an Echo in a quiet room, and clearly enunciate (with no brogue) a simple Alexa command, and I won't even get a light. She can be bizarrely inconsistent on both parts.
But so can Google. I use my phone with "OK Google" detection enabled when driving, and once or twice during any audiobook, the narrator will say something that sounds almost nothing like "OK Google" and trigger the Assistant. And since my book player is set to rewind a few seconds when the Assistant interrupts,it goes into a loop, and I have either skip over those few seconds, or talk loudly over it for a few seconds to mask the detection.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by John F

So, there is a play button to the right of a routine, and you think there needs to be some further indication that the pLay button should be pressed to execute the routine?

Learn to crawl before you walk. Find out how routines work in general, and then try to apply it to what you want to do.

You said you made routines before. You never noticed the play button to the right of your routine in the routine list? When you said you did your Christmas lights, I assumed you were comfortable with them and knew the basics.

Again, I think it is a mindset. How can you have a routine, and not have a way to play it, that would be stupid.

Full disclosure, I was a programmer in a former life.

Jeez. I made routines exactly ONCE, to turn my Christmas lights on and off. That was a scheduled timer, which meant I created it ONCE and never looked at it again. I did not need to activate it every day. I did not need to open the app for any reason. So, NO, I did not see a play button anywhere. Why the hell would I? And how the hell would I know that a voice command routine could be played any other way than by using a voice command?

Enough already.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Jeez. I made routines exactly ONCE, to turn my Christmas lights on and off. That was a scheduled timer, which meant I created it ONCE and never looked at it again. I did not need to activate it every day. I did not need to open the app for any reason. So, NO, I did not see a play button anywhere. Why the hell would I? And how the hell would I know that a voice command routine could be played any other way than by using a voice command?

Enough already.

I'm with you. I also had created exactly one routine before, and though I use it every day--by voice--I never noticed the play button until this thread either. Just in my case, I assumed from experience that there was something like it somewhere.
What really surprised me was that there was no option when creating the routine to select activating manually along with the choices for voice, schedule, Alexa button, etc.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Jeez. I made routines exactly ONCE, to turn my Christmas lights on and off. That was a scheduled timer, which meant I created it ONCE and never looked at it again. I did not need to activate it every day. I did not need to open the app for any reason. So, NO, I did not see a play button anywhere. Why the hell would I? And how the hell would I know that a voice command routine could be played any other way than by using a voice command?

Enough already.

Jumping jesus on a pogo stick.

I guess we are done.

[John F]

And another way to turn on/off a Alexa plug with a delay using an Amazon plug (or any plug) and a routine. Add actions:

Smart home - plug on
Delay
Smart home - plug off

Cat lady's posts got me thinking how I could use a timer on a plug. My father likes to watch the bird feeder, but doesn't like the squirrels. I bought a vesync outdoor plug. 1st I tried a siren, it worked the 1st couple of times, but then the squirrels ignored it. Then I put A sawzall by it, and that is working. I would use the app to turn the plug on then off. So now my father just needs to yell "Alexa, squirrel" to get rid of the squirrels.

I did try the vesync's app timer, but I could only get it to work every other time.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

And another way to turn on/off a Alexa plug with a delay using an Amazon plug (or any plug) and a routine. Add actions:

Smart home - plug on
Delay
Smart home - plug off

You mean in the smart home section of routine setup? The only options I see under there is my ADT alarm system and Home Guard. I don't see any of my other plugs or devices.

Then I put A sawzall by it, and that is working. I would use the app to turn the plug on then off. So now my father just needs to yell "Alexa, squirrel" to get rid of the squirrels.

You remotely activate a reciprocating saw? That sounds like a hilarious and terrifyingly dangerous setup.

ApK

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

You mean in the smart home section of routine setup? The only options I see under there is my ADT alarm system and Home Guard. I don't see any of my other plugs or devices.


...
ApK

Under smart home, did you click on "All devices"?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

Then I put A sawzall by it, and that is working. I would use the app to turn the plug on then off. So now my father just needs to yell "Alexa, squirrel" to get rid of the squirrels.

Originally Posted by ApK

You remotely activate a reciprocating saw? That sounds like a hilarious and terrifyingly dangerous setup.

Sounds as if the squirrels agree with @ApK.

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

...


You remotely activate a reciprocating saw? That sounds like a hilarious and terrifyingly dangerous setup.

ApK

as I recall, it was the only piece of power equipment I had that had a power lock.

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

You mean in the smart home section of routine setup? The only options I see under there is my ADT alarm system and Home Guard. I don't see any of my other plugs or devices.


You remotely activate a reciprocating saw? That sounds like a hilarious and terrifyingly dangerous setup.

ApK

And come to think of it, I should probably remove the blade.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

And come to think of it, I should probably remove the blade.

Unless you want to set up a camera and make squirrel snuff films.* There has to be a market for that on the Internet.

ApK

*No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

Under smart home, did you click on "All devices"?

I don't see that option.

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

I don't see that option.

Here is what I see on IOS.

Notice "All devices" under smart home and above lights.