New Dot

[stusviews]

I currently have four accounts with one portal. The limit is five. Each account has its own set of commands. That way I can ask for the light (or fan or anything else) to be turned on without specifying the room if I am in that particular room.

 

In other words, if I'm in the living room, then the living room light turns on when I simply say, "turn on the light." Similarly, the bedroom light turns on with the same command when I'm in the bedroom. If I'm not in the specific room, then I do need to specify which light I want turned on.

[Scottmichaelj]

The thing I am most excited about is the software update to do a better job of selecting the echo nearest the user!!  I already have 4 echos and I often get anywhere for 1-4 timers going at once because they all hear me.  Annoying.  

 

BTW, they are giving $10 credit for people who already bought Gen1 dot (me).  Also, they give a $50 discount on a 6 pack, $250!!!  With both credits, I am getting a set of 6 for $40 each!!

Where do you see/get the $10. I am too a Amazon DOT owner from previous. I actually got my DOT right before they discontinued it.

[TheFallenAngel]

I still have two first gen DOTs unopened in boxes. Had not seen the $10 discount but glad to hear there is something. I bought them first day before the reviews came out stating that there was noise/popping on the audio out, which defeats the purpose of having an input to a high end stereo. Do the new DOTs fix that, I wonder?

I use my 2 Dots all the time and haven't once heard what your described..

 

Cheers,

Alex

[ScottAvery]

Glad to hear the audio issues may have been overstated.

 

As for my unclear statement/question above, I was wondering if they have added an echo ID to commands sent through the API such that we wouldn't need any complicated workarounds such as Stusviews employs to have context-sensitive commands.  If 12 DOTs in 12 rooms all controlled their local lights with the command "Alexa, lights on," with the native API, that would make much more sense.  The only reason I can think that they have NOT implemented this ages ago is that only a tool such as an ISY could use it, which would put to shame all the simple devices from the big players they have partnered with.

[TheFallenAngel]

What happens when you issue smart home commands for the ISY?

 

And it seems like you're able to only have four portal accounts because of the fact that two of your six devices have different trigger names (Alexa, Echo, Amazon) than the others. Do I understand that correctly?

 

How many Amazon accounts so you have for those six devices? Four?

 

Thanks.

 

Mark

 

 

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Mark,

I have 1 Echo and 2 Dots. Right now all 3 area under the same Amazon Prime account (so all 3 can pay Amazon Prime music), and all 3 are under the same Portal account.

 

The only time you would need different Amazon accounts is if you have household members, who would like to use their own calendar shipping and to do lists etc. This is not related to the number of Echo and Dots you have, you could switch the accounts in one device or on many..

 

The only time you'll need different Portal accounts is when you want each echo/dot device to have separate sets of spokens and/or devices/scenes/programs controlled. For example you have one Dot in Bedroom and one in your Office. And instead of "turn on bedroom light" or "turn on office fan" in each room you can just say "turn on lights"..

 

Cheers,

Alex

[giomania]

Glad to hear the audio issues may have been overstated.

 

As for my unclear statement/question above, I was wondering if they have added an echo ID to commands sent through the API such that we wouldn't need any complicated workarounds such as Stusviews employs to have context-sensitive commands. If 12 DOTs in 12 rooms all controlled their local lights with the command "Alexa, lights on," with the native API, that would make much more sense. The only reason I can think that they have NOT implemented this ages ago is that only a tool such as an ISY could use it, which would put to shame all the simple devices from the big players they have partnered with.

 

The ISY always has put all the "big players" to shame, in my book!

 

 

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[Teken]

I may be over simplifying this but if two devices hear something it obviously goes to the cloud to be processed. What the Amazon team should be doing is simply ignoring / cancel out the other devices within ear shot.

 

Don't know why that would be so hard to accomplish considering its just a comparator? The system already tracks what you say and is recorded for later historic recall. All they need to do is track that voice command and ignore any others in range.

 

No??

[giomania]

Mark,

I have 1 Echo and 2 Dots. Right now all 3 area under the same Amazon Prime account (so all 3 can pay Amazon Prime music), and all 3 are under the same Portal account.

 

The only time you would need different Amazon accounts is if you have household members, who would like to use their own calendar shipping and to do lists etc. This is not related to the number of Echo and Dots you have, you could switch the accounts in one device or on many..

 

The only time you'll need different Portal accounts is when you want each echo/dot device to have separate sets of spokens and/or devices/scenes/programs controlled. For example you have one Dot in Bedroom and one in your Office. And instead of "turn on bedroom light" or "turn on office fan" in each room you can just say "turn on lights"..

 

 

Cheers,

Alex

 

Why isn't this information in the the UDI Wiki? They go to great lengths to point out the complicated steps necessary to have multiple Echo devices, and I wasted a lot of time trying to get past one intricacy (linking separate Amazon accounts) not properly identified in said Wiki!

 

Argh!

 

 

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[Teken]

Why isn't this information in the the UDI Wiki? They go to great lengths to point out the complicated steps necessary to have multiple Echo devices, and I wasted a lot of time trying to get past one intricacy (linking separate Amazon accounts) not properly identified in said Wiki!

 

Argh!

 

 

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LOL, please create a new thread and it will be added in to said WiKi. Michel and team are pretty good at updating the information if something glaring is missing / omitted. 

[G W]

I ordered 6 Dots last night. I'm going to ask Amazon if they will give me the $10 without cancelling and reordering.

 

I'm at SGN waiting to start a long 24 hour trip.

 

Taken, I expect to have much to read when I get home.

 

Short and to the point.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

[stusviews]

The only time you'll need different Portal accounts is when you want each echo/dot device to have separate sets of spokens and/or devices/scenes/programs controlled. For example you have one Dot in Bedroom and one in your Office. And instead of "turn on bedroom light" or "turn on office fan" in each room you can just say "turn on lights"..

 

You don't need more than one Portal account to accomplish that, only different Amazon accounts.

[giomania]

LOL, please create a new thread and it will be added in to said WiKi. Michel and team are pretty good at updating the information if something glaring is missing / omitted.

I had a thread going or maybe I posted in A thread with a similar topic and Michel was posting in there and then when I finally realized that I had to login to the secondary ice my portal account for linking then he was like oh yeah that should've been clear I don't think the wiki was ever updated

 

The very first thing in the Wiki about the Echo devices should be if you're spoken's are going to be identical you can use the same Amazon in the same ISY portal account that was definitely not clear to me at least.

 

Anyway now I know I can use one Amazon account and one ISY portal account given my situation.

 

Mark

 

 

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[Teken]

I ordered 6 Dots last night. I'm going to ask Amazon if they will give me the $10 without cancelling and reordering.

 

I'm at SGN waiting to start a long 24 hour trip.

 

Taken, I expect to have much to read when I get home.

 

Short and to the point.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

 

Have a safe flight and bring me back a few umbrella drink sticks! 

 

Ha . . .

[jtara92101]

I may be over simplifying this but if two devices hear something it obviously goes to the cloud to be processed. What the Amazon team should be doing is simply ignoring / cancel out the other devices within ear shot.

 

 

Both line-of-site and echoed (bounces off of interior surfaces) sound waves will arrive at each device at different times and at different volumes. it shouldn't be difficult to distinguish which device was closest to the sound source. This can be determined by some mathematical analysis of each sound signal captured at each device.

[stusviews]

I ordered 6 Dots last night. I'm going to ask Amazon if they will give me the $10 without cancelling and reordering.

 

My experience with Amazon is the you need to cancel the order and create a new one. Even speaking to a customer rep won't fix that, but the rep will cancel the order for you and even help you create a new one

[Teken]

Both line-of-site and echoed (bounces off of interior surfaces) sound waves will arrive at each device at different times and at different volumes. it shouldn't be difficult to distinguish which device was closest to the sound source. This can be determined by some mathematical analysis of each sound signal captured at each device.

 

I agree, having been involved with *Direct / Reflecting* technology with respect to sound for years. Lets see how Amazon's new OTA firmware update truly handles the real world sounds. As an aside when I was at Fort Worth TX and was watching the military's new sound detecting hardware during trials.

 

All I can tell you is wow - technology has progressed so far in sound detection and force deployment. Anyone who has ever been struck by a focused sound beam knows its incredible.

 

Much better than being blasted by their microwave beam . . . 

[stusviews]

The San Francisco Exploratorium has two seats surrounded by a cavern-like structure. That's all. No electronics at all, just the seats and the surrounding structure. They're at opposite ends (about 10-15' from the wall) of a large auditorium like room with many displays and usually a large, loud crowd mingling on all sides. My wife and I sat there and could barely see each other due to the number of people walking and talking between us.

 

Yet, even a whisper came through loud and clear. That was more than two decades ago. I don't know if it's still there.

 

They're still there. I just found a link: https://www.exploratorium.edu/xref/exhibits/listening_vessels.html

[Teken]

I would love to go there one day. It would be interesting to learn and perhaps measure not only direct / reflection but the decay rate, attack time, and reverberation factors.

 

 

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The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.

[kgividen]

Has anyone hung a dot on the wall? I want to hang one in the back corner of my theater room where I have a plug but I don't want to put a shelf there. Is there a mounting hole or anything on them?

 

 

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[TheFallenAngel]

Has anyone hung a dot on the wall? I want to hang one in the back corner of my theater room where I have a plug but I don't want to put a shelf there. Is there a mounting hole or anything on them?

 

 

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Both mine are.. Using industrial strength Velcro (few bucks on Amazon). Just don't put babe in the corner - they don't like that..

 

Cheers,

Alex

[kgividen]

Both mine are.. Using industrial strength Velcro (few bucks on Amazon). Just don't put babe in the corner - they don't like that..

 

Cheers,

Alex

Good idea. I have some of that already and it won't affect the sound proofing.

 

 

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[stusviews]

Has anyone hung a dot on the wall? I want to hang one in the back corner of my theater room where I have a plug but I don't want to put a shelf there. Is there a mounting hole or anything on them?

 

 

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Yes, there is: https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Ceiling-Mount-Amazon-Black/dp/B01II35T6K/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1473895816&sr=8-15&keywords=amazon+dot

[giomania]

You don't need more than one Portal account to accomplish that, only different Amazon accounts.

 

According to the Wiki, you do need a another Portal account, but it is a sub-account:

 

·         Have your echos tied to 2 different amazon accounts.

• Create a secondary account on the original prime account using a different email address and password to log into amazon.  You must deregister the new echo from the primary account and then set it up on your secondary amazon account.

·         In the ISY Portal:

·         Create a sub-account

·         Add your ISY to this sub-account, and approve access to it in the admin console.

·         Create a user profile in this sub-account for the second echo

·         Link this user profile with your second echo's amazon account.  This is where the Wiki instructions were not clear (at least to me).  You must be logged into the sub-account when you link the second Echo device.

·         To edit spokens for your second echo, switch to your sub-account first

·         To edit spokens for your first echo, switch to your root account first

 

Once again...Argh!  

[blueman2]

I ordered 6 Dots last night. I'm going to ask Amazon if they will give me the $10 without cancelling and reordering.

 

I'm at SGN waiting to start a long 24 hour trip.

 

Taken, I expect to have much to read when I get home.

 

Short and to the point.

Best regards,

Gary Funk

 

No need to cancel. In fact, there is no code or anything you need for the $10.  Anyone who already owns a dot, and buys one before the release date, gets $10 store credit automatically.  Nothing you need to do. 

[blueman2]

You do realize you will need six separate Amazon accounts and six separate ISY portal accounts right?

 

Mark

 

 

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???  I have 4 echos now, all on one account.  They work fine controlling my lights and answering questions about the status of my ISY devices and variables.  But then, I run my own Hue emulator and wrote my own Alexa skills.  So I do not use the portal.  I like having the extra control over the Echo and the ability to tailor things a bit more.