Voice assistants are quite mundane nowadays, but Amazon’s Alexa is great for more than requesting for weather updates and songs. Compatible Amazon Echo smart speakers and displays grant you access to lots of possibilities – you can know who is entering your premises and even switch on the light immediately you enter your room. In this article, we explore a list of best Amazon Alexa devices.
Amazon launched its 1st Amazon Echo speaker 6 years ago, and since then, voice commands have become vital in the way we relate with our smart home devices.
Google Assistant and Siri joined in the fun recently with their own smart speakers and voice control, however, the Alexa voice assistant started the voice integrations movement in the smart home. I want to know the most effective Alexa-enabled smart home devices right now.
1. Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
Amazon included a LED clock in its 3rd-gen smart speaker for the creation of the Echo Dot with Clock, and it is a very decent speaker for its price. It does not just have an amazing sound for its humble look, it also lets you access important information like the time, timers and the outdoor temperature, visible in a seamless manner.
2. Arlo Pro 3
It might be quite expensive but this is a brilliant security camera that features local storage and top-quality 2K streaming. It comes with quick alerts and other features like a built-in siren, color night vision and 12x zooms.
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Your camera stream can also be viewed on Echo smart displays, even if Arlo’s previous 1-week free event-based cloud storage option has been scrapped.
3. Ring Peephole Cam
This is a special product for the Amazon-owned company. Instead of mounting it to a doorframe or anywhere else at the side of your door, the Peephole Cam replaces a regular peephole.
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Meaning, it is amazing for those staying in apartments and crave for a smart doorbell but do not want one that is hardwired or is difficult to install.
4. Ecobee Smart Thermostat
Still, on the topic of best Amazon Alexa devices, This is a connected thermostat with a lot of features. Your smart thermostat can be controlled through the Ecobee application while using Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice commands to make adjustments to the temp of your smart thermostat.
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Alexa’s voice control is quite unique because the thermostat comes with a built-in Alexa smart speaker.
5. Amazon Echo Show 8
This is Amazon’s newest smart display. For a decent price, you receive an 8-inch screen with amazing resolution, a camera shutter plus every smart that is available in previous Amazon smart displays. This device comes with a built-in Alexa speaker, meaning, it can be controlled through Alexa voice commands. It also provides advanced compatibility with Alexa-enabled security cameras.
6. August Smart Lock Pro
This is a proper smart lock and there are no difficult installations with it. This lock allows you to access and control your smart lock remotely, outside of Bluetooth range.
It possesses an open/close sensor as well that gets attached to the door where your Smart Lock Pro is installed. By so doing, the application will not just notify you on if the door is locked or unlocked, it will also alert you when it is open or closed.
7. SimpliSafe
This is a useful DIY home security system with various accessories, therefore you can scale the system up as required. The starter kit comes with a keypad, keychain fob, 1 motion sensor and 1 door/window sensor. It can function with Alexa, so the system can be used with easy voice commands.
More Information About Alexa:
Amazon Alexa, known simply as Alexa, is a virtual assistant AI developed by Amazon, first used in the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot smart speakers developed by Amazon Lab126.
It is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information, such as news. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation system.
Users are able to extend the Alexa capabilities by installing “skills” (additional functionality developed by third-party vendors, in other settings more commonly called apps such as weather programs and audio features).
Most devices with Alexa allow users to activate the device using a wake-word (such as Alexa); other devices (such as the Amazon mobile app on iOS or Android and Amazon Dash Wand) require the user to push a button to activate Alexa’s listening mode, although, some phones also allow a user to say a command, such as “Alexa” or “Alexa wake”.
Currently, interaction and communication with Alexa are available only in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Hindi. In Canada, Alexa is available in English and French (with the Quebec accent).
Amazon developers chose the name Alexa because it has a hard consonant with the X, which helps it be recognized with higher precision. They have said the name is reminiscent of the Library of Alexandria, which is also used by Amazon Alexa Internet for the same reason.
In June 2015, Amazon announced the Alexa Fund, a program that would invest in companies making voice control skills and technologies.
The US$200 million funds has invested in companies including Jargon, ecobee, Orange Chef, Scout Alarm, Garageio, Toymail, MARA, and Mojio. In 2016, the Alexa Prize was announced to further advance the technology.
There you have it – a comprehensive list of 7 of the best Alexa devices. If you have any personal favorites or other recommendations, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.
1 Comment
Nice post man