This allows you to make subtle tweaks to bass, treble and midrange depending what you are listening to for optimal sound.

We have tested the feature out and as a simple as it sounds it does make a difference, especially increasing the bass!

If you are based in the UK you can access the new equaliser via the smart phone app.

• • Open the Alexa app.
  • Click the menu, top left
  • Tap Alexa Devices
  • Tap the device you want to change adapt the sound
  • Tap Sounds
  • Open equaliser

If you are based in the USA you can use Alexa to adjust the sound, using the commands:

“Alexa… turn up the (treble / bass / midrange)”

“Alexa…. set (treble / bass / midrange) to (plus / minus) (number 1 – 6)”
“Alexa…. reset equaliser ”

These commands only effect the Echo you are talking too, each has their own settings.

The post Amazon release Alexa equaliser feature appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

We thought this was an amazing idea and great fun for guest! Although you might want to consider also having a traditional table plan for those who hate tech or if there are a few guests.

Here is a simple tutorial showing how you can do it yourself, with no programming skills. Using a free amazing tool called Storyline.

Here is the video that inspired the tutorial.

How to make an Alexa interactive wedding seating plan!

The first thing you need to know is this is done via an Alexa Skill.

Skills are like apps that as you might have guessed, give Alexa more skills. These can easily be added via the phone app or just by asking Alexa.

What do you need?

• Google Account – Storyline links to your Google Login.
• Amazon Account
• Amazon Echo – Any will do!

Step 1. Create your table plan list

The first thing you need is your actual table plan, to make it easier later a simple list of who is on what table.

For example:

• Henry McLean – Top Table
• Danny Low – Table 2 – Gold

No need to do this on a computer if you prefer pen and paper as its only a visual reference for later.

Step 2. Setup your skill

Using your Google account sign into Storyline and select ‘Create Skill’.

Then select ‘New Custom Skill’ and give your skill a name, this will be the invocation name so choose something good, for example ‘Henry and Dannys Wedding’. Then select your time zone from the drop down and select No Template.

You will now see the Storyboard main screen, this shows all the blocks and default connections.

Step 3. Understand blocks

The next thing to understand is Stroyline works in blocks that connect together to create a Skill.
Blocks contain interactions with Alexa, either her asking you something or a user answering something.

The first block you will see is the welcome block, this is the block that opens when a user opens a skill. Think of it like a journey the user starts in one block and depending on how the user interacts with Alexa depends where they end up on their journey.

Click the Welcome Block – this is the first thing to load when the skills is opened.

Within the block you will see two types of icons:

• Speaker – These represent Alexa saying something, see the welcome message
• People – These represent a user saying something
• Arrows – This is to handle an unexpected reply, called else
• Music Note – This is to add an audio element
• Code Square – This is to connect it to a web service with programming.

Click the welcome message and edit it as this will be the first thing your guests hear

Step 4. Add Guests

Now you need to add your guests to your Welcome Block. To do this click the people icon inside the Welcome Block and add their name, for example: Henry McLean.

When their name has been added below the name you will see three stacked lines. This is to add variations of their name, for example ‘Tom’ might say ‘Tommy’ or ‘Thomas’. You don’t have to add these if there aren’t any, for example Henry is just Henry

NOTE: If you are desperately looking for the save button in Storyline, don’t worry it autosaves!

Keep adding your guests until they are all listed inside your Welcome Block.

When they are all added click the plus arrow top right to add a new regular block.

Name this block Not found guests this will be used if Alexa cannot understand the guest or cannot find them.

Next click the grey speaker icon and add something for Alexa to say.

Then go back to your Welcome Block, and click the arrow icon else and connect to Not found guests block.

Step 5. Add Tables

To do this we are going to make a new block for each table. Again click the square with the plus symbol in it, top right and select regular block. A block will be added.

Click the name of the block and name it, for example: Table 2 Gold

Now we need to make Alexa say the name of the table. To do this click the speaker symbol in the block and add your message for Alexa to read. You can use normal punctuation and Alexa will just read it.

To add a bit of suspense you can add a delay by using <break time=”0.1s” />

If you make a mistake and want to remove a table click the dots top right and click remove block.

Step 6. Allocate the guests.

Now you should have all your guests in the welcome block and all your tables set up as separate blocks. The next thing to do is assign guests to tables.

On your Welcome Block click a guest, you will see an arrow to connect a user. From the drop down select their table.

Go through each guest selecting a table.

Step 7. Essential blocks

Next you need to customise the required blocks, to do this click the block and edit the text.

The required blocks are:

Help – This block opens if a user asks for help at any point, as part of it you must have a Yes and No. By default the yes goes back to the start and the no goes to the Stop Block.

Stop – This is if a user says stop at any point.

That is it, hard work done.

Step 9. Test the skill

The quickest way to test the skill is in browser clicking the play button top right. Hopefully it should work exactly as you wanted. However note this is only a simulation.
If not you can edit and adapt your skill before publishing. If your stuck let us know in the comments below and we will try to help.

Thats it, your hard work is done!

Step 10. Go live!

We suggest you only publish it to your own Amazon Echo as this keeps it as a surprise. If you really want to you can publish from Storyline into the full Alexa Skill Store but then anyone can access it. The other benefit to keeping ‘local’ is you can do it instantly NOW and do not need to complete forms or design icons or wait for Amazon to test and approve it.

To go live on your own Amazon Echo you release the skill as development. To do this click the upload to Alexa button top right. You will now be asked to connect to an Amazon Developer account, if you do not have one don’t worry its free and you can sign in with Amazon to make one.

This will add it to your registered Amazon Echo and keep it private. A green tick indicates it has been uploaded. If you open the Alexa app on your phone and click your skills scroll far right, you will see it under dev skills.

Now you can ask Alexa ‘Open Henry and Dannys Wedding’ or whatever you named your skill to try it in real life.

Let us know how you get on with your skill in the comments and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The post Create your own Alexa Seating plan appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

1. Check your Drop-In settings

Drop in is a brilliant feature that allows users to call each other or as Amazon call it ‘Drop in’ on each other. The potential security concern is by default anyone in your contacts and anyone in your household can drop in – without warning.

Drop in is controlled on a device level, this means if you have multiple Alexa devices you will need to change the settings for each.

If you never plan on using this feature the easiest option is to disable it. This can be done inside the Alexa app: Settings > Alexa > Drop In > Off

If you like the idea of it but want to secure it you have two options:

• • Household only, this limits it to users within your household account
  • On, however check to see who has permission and restrict those you do not want

Drop in permission per contract be found in the app: Contacts > Permissions > Allow Drop In.

All contacts that are black have an Amazon Alexa, all greyed out contacts do not.

2. Think about voice purchasing!

Being able to buy with your voice is something straight out of a Hollywood film. The potential concern is anyone could order expensive unwanted items.

If you never plan on voice purchasing you can disable the feature in the app: Settings > Alexa Account > Voice Purchasing > Purchase by voice > OFF

If you like this feature and just want to secure it this can be done with a 4-digit pin number. Found in the app: Settings > Alexa Account > Voice Purchasing > Require voice code > Enter a 4-digit code.

Note as this is only a 4-digit code it is not very secure but better than nothing. As with all passwords avoid sequential and repeated numbers and anything easily guessable like date of births. If in doubnt use a password generator like Norton password generator.

3. Enable Alexa request sounds

Alexa is listening for its trigger word, by default Alexa. If it incorrectly identifies a word as Alexa she will either perform an action it thought it heard or prompt the user for input.

The potential security concern here is if it incorrectly hears Alexa and starts an action, listening to the conversation.

The best solution is to take steps to make you aware if Alexa is triggered, this way you know it is listening and can tell it to stop. Saying Stop to Alexa cancels any action or innput.

This is done by enabling Alexa request sounds, Alexa then makes a chime everytime it is triggered.  This is done in the app: Setting > Sounds > Request Sounds > Start of Request > ON

When you now use her trigger word you will hear a notification sound.

4. Check your history

Alexa keeps a record of all interactions. If you have concerns or if Alexa just mishears you and awakes you can check in the app to see what happened. This can be found in: Alexa > History. You can also report false activations to Amazon.

5. Learn how to disable your Alexa microphone

Due to the nature of Alexa it has a built-in microphone to ensure it is on hand when you need it. This can however be disabled if you are specifically security conscious and enabled again when you want to use Alexa. Disabling it does however stop Alexa being invoked so this is a temporary action as it will not work when disabled.

To disable the microphone, press the microphone button on the device, the outer light will now turn red to alert you its disabled.

For more top tips make sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

The post 5 Simple steps to secure your Amazon Alexa! appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

The trial will be across the full range of Amazon Echo devices. Hotel guests will be able to use Alexa to control the rooms smart lighting, set alarms as well as call reception and even order room service. Amazon shopping will be disabled.

The integration doesn’t require guest to have their own account. However Amazon commented “soon” users will be able to temporarily sign into their own accounts allowing them to play their own music or listen to Audible books. Cleverly the sign in will be connected to the guests check in, automatically removing the account on check out.

Amazon commented the hotel will not be able to hear what Alexa has been asked or listen to interactions. This suggests a commercial management tool has been created as the current domestic solution does allow history playback.

It is unknown which smart lighting solution Marriott or Amazon are using for the trial. It will be interesting to see what solution is used as at present market leader Philips Hue does not have a commercial solution. Another option would be Alexa enabled smart light switches. This world potentially be cheaper to retro fit as no need to replace existing lights.

It’s also unknown how many rooms are in the trial or if it will ever make its way to the U.K.

If you are lucky enough to stay in an Alexa enabled hotel room we would love to hear about it!

The post Amazon Alexa hotel trial appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

The question everyone is asking is which doorbell is the best and what is the difference of Nest Hello Vs Ring!

To make it a fair comparison we used Ring’s latest model the Ring Doorbell 2.

(Note: Ring does have a Pro model but it’s not as popular as their Ring 2)

As you can see specification wise they are very similar.

What are the differences between video doorbells Ring and Nest Hello?

Looking at the specs side by side you can see a few key differences:

1. Size & Design

The first being the Nest Hello size and design. Nest Hello is much thinner and more discreet than the Ring 2. This is mainly due to the fact Ring has a battery in it you can remove and does not require a hard wire like Nest Hello. Ring also comes in a few different finishes to match your design.

2. Video

The second key difference is the video, both are HD however Nest Hello has not gone for 1080p but instead UXGA. This means it has a longer full person view:

You can clearly see the different size when the Ring and Nest video is compared:

(Thanks to Jojo Galang‎ for the photo)

3. Facial Recognition & Subscription

Nest Hello has facial recognition, a pretty interesting feature. To use facial recognition you need a subscription. The subscription cost is slightly higher with Nest Hello than Ring but at this level is negligible.

However Ring did update their user agreement ( see https://smarthomegeeks.co.uk/news/ring-just-announce-facial-recognition/ )

in December to cover facial recognition so hopefully it’s a feature coming!

4. Connectivity

Ring 2 only supports 2.4GHz whilst Nest Hello supports 5GHz. Ring have probably done this by choice as 5GHz is much faster and currently less congested however the range is not as good. Not many users will have a WiFi point right by their front door so it could be argued 5GHz is not the best option.

Nest Hello vs Ring – Conclusion?

At this stage its very hard to tell which is better, as the above clearly shows they are very similar products with small differences.

One big difference we didn’t compare  is the fact one is Google and one Amazon. At present this is not such a big deal however as always we suspect Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa will be integrated more and more with this smart home tech.

If you have already invested in Google smart home tech you might be wise looking at Nest, however if Alexa is your friend have a look at Ring.

When we get our hands on a Hello Nest we will update with anything additional we find!

For further information their websites are:

Nest
Ring

The post Video Doorbell: Nest Hello vs Ring appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

Lying in bed about to fall asleep when Alexa on my Amazon Echo Dot lets out a very loud and creepy laugh… there’s a good chance I get murdered tonight.

— Gavin Hightower (@GavinHightower) February 26, 2018

Having an office conversation about pretty confidential stuff and Alexa just laughed. Anybody else ever have that?

It didn’t chime as if we had accidentally triggered her to wake. She simply just laughed. It was really creepy.

— David Woodland (@DavidSven) March 1, 2018

Some users have turned off their Alex devices as a result for fear they have been hacked or some other foul play or malware is behind it.

@amazonIN @amazon Has the random laughter of #alexa been fixed? Echo turned off for Now!

— Yatin Ubhaykar (@yatinu) March 8, 2018

This week Amazon confirmed the strange behaviour and stated they were investigating what was causing it and will find a solution.

Today Amazon said they have got to the bottom of it. In a statement they said:

Alexa can mistakenly hear the phrase ‘Alexa laugh’, we are changing that phrase to be ‘Alexa, can you laugh?’ which is less likely to have these false positives.

Hopefully that resolves the issue and Alexa stops its slightly scary behaviour!

If your Alexa had this issue we would love to hear from you, please get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or email.

The post Laughing Alexa solved! appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

Ring is an American startup, founded back in 2012.  Their first product was the Ring Video Doorbell. A smart WiFi enabled doorbell that allows users to see who is at their front door from any location via their smart phone app. The doorbell also connects to other smart home tech, for example lighting allowing automation and security rules.

The Ring video doorbell proved a success and it is now on its second version. They also expanded the range to a Pro line designed for commercial use.

Rings recent product lines have included smart cameras as well as innovative smart security lights.  All of which that connect to the same app as the video doorbell.

Prior to the acquisition Amazon had invested in Ring via its Alexa fund. A fund that Amazon created to drive development onto their platform.

In a statement Ring said:

“Ring is committed to our mission to reduce crime in neighbourhoods by providing effective yet affordable home security tools to our neighbours that make a positive impact on our homes, our communities, and the world.  We’ll be able to achieve even more by partnering with an inventive, customer-centric company like Amazon. We look forward to being a part of the Amazon team as we work toward our vision for safer neighborhoods.”

The future for Ring?

We are excited to see what Amazon has planned for Ring! At present we can only speculate but predict direct integrations with Alexa and the Amazon ecosystem.

Amazon themselves recently released a cloud based security camera, Cloud Cam, we also predict this will be eventually directly integrated into the Ring system.

We have asked Ring and Amazon for a comment and will update as we receive one.

The post Amazon acquire Ring Video Doorbell! appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

This is a We Own it review of the Kiwi Design Alex – an Echo Dot battery base.

What does Alex do?!

Alex is a is a battery base for a second-generation Echo dot.  It is only for the second generation because the Amazon Echo Dot fits perfectly inside Alex.

Alex has an impressive 10,000 mA/h battery – this means it can power the Echo Dot for 12 hours play time and 24 hours standby time. Standby is when it is just listening and waiting for you to invoke her.

Alexa is the super smart home assistant by Amazon, our favourite voice assistant in fact.

Until now Alexa has been stuck to where you have power as the Echo Dot requires mains power. Kiwi Design have just released Alex to fix that problem with their portable Alexa battery base.

It has four LED’s on the front to show how charged it is:

• LED 1 – Low
• LED 2 – Medium
• LED 3 – High
• LED 4 – Full

When empty it takes 8 hours to fully charge.

Once the Echo Dot is turned on the functionality of Alexa is the same, surprisingly music plays the same with no ‘muffling’ or distortion from the case. This is probably as the case is solid and doesn’t vibrate to the music.

To charge Alex you use the original Echo Dot cable and it can be on charge when in use.
The case does not cover the 3.5M audio jack so you can still use that when using Alex.

Dot 2 Battery Base, Charger for Dot 2nd Gen. 10000mah 17 Hours Continues Playing Music by Kiwi Design

How easy is it to setup?

Very easy, you place your dot into Alex – making sure they are aligned.

Connect the power connector.

Press power button and done. It comes partially charged, LED 2 lit, so it can be uses straight away.

How much does Alex cost?

The RRP is £59.99 and can be purchased via Amazon, we have an exclusive Amazon Discount code to save 20% SJLG4TQO  

What’s it like living with Alex?

Alex is handy as you now have a portable Alexa you can easily take from room to room without worrying about wires.

It was also handy to take to the garden to use as a voice control for the garden tech. However, neither Amazon Echo Dot or Alex are waterproof or at all IP rated so it cannot be left outside or used in the wet.

What are our final thoughts?
Alex is a well-designed bit of kit, care has been taken with the build and the design. Its handy now being able to take Alexa with you.

Alex the Amazon Echo Dot Battery base can be purchased from Amazon