Top positive review
6 people found this helpful
Perfect for Beginner entry into Smart Home with limited Internet Infrastructure
By wildwoodla on Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017
There are many excellent reviews of the new Echo Plus here, so this review is from the POV of someone with limited connection infrastructure, e.g., very rural area, no internet or cable, only satellite service offered, but no signal due to heavy tree cover, beginner smart home user. I never dreamed an Echo would work for me, much less the Echo Plus or smart home. I broke down & purchased an Echo on Prime Day June, 2017 just to try. I receive my internet service solely through an AT&T Velocity hotspot device, typically with only 1 bar of service. I was so excited that the Echo worked perfectly & decided to go out on another limb, purchasing the Echo Plus w/included Hue bulb on Cyber Monday, as well as a Fire TV Stick, figuring I was really pushing the envelope that any would work. All devices worked perfectly! I now have the meager beginnings of a smart home as well as Alexa functionality. I can't tell you how surprised I am! There is an 8-device limit for the hotspot, so wi-fi smart devices are out of the question for me & not sure I have enough signal for any to work anyway. Using the Echo Plus as my only hub, the included Hue bulb connected in seconds, while also tying in with my 1st Echo. So I can use either of the 2 Echos to control the light bulb, connected to a lamp in my living room. What is ideal for my situation is that the Hue bulb does not "count" as a wi-fi device, so does not go toward my device count/limit on the hotspot. Apparently, it is connected directly to the Echo Plus hub. Currently, with one bar of hotspot service, I'm running the Echo Plus, Echo, Fire tablet, Fire TV Stick & Galaxy Express 3 cell, & every now & then, an Echo Tap--all at one time with excellent results! Everything works as if I have hard wired cable or internet, which is simply amazing. Movies, music, etc. run flawlessly. ALEXA - I don't have a lot of space on my cell, so all I need is the Alexa app to control the bulb when away from home, no need for a separate app AND I already have the Alexa app on my tablet & of course, use Alexa on both Echo's & a Tap. SMART HOME - The Echo Plus has opened up the smart home market for me. Although it appears limited to the Zigbee IoT protcol, the available choices are varied enough that there are switches, more bulbs, door locks & plugs I'll be able to use now. This thing just came out, so as time goes by, I'm sure more & more skills & IoT stuff will become available. I'm sure the folks at Amazon will make improvements to capabilities as well. And I can do it all with just 1 Echo Plus - no need for additional hubs or devices with my limited internet! SOUND - I found my 1st Echo sound pretty decent. I am by no means an audiophile, but IMHO Echo Plus sound greatly improved over the Echo. Much richer, more robust & MUCH better bass - yay! My 1st Echo sounds "tinny" now, compared to the Echo Plus. I am beyond delighted with the performance of the Echo Plus & kudos to Amazon for this "upgrade" to the Echo. I would highly recommend the Echo Plus, especially for those just entering the smart home market with internet challenges. I LOVE MY ECHO PLUS!!!!!
Top critical review
1,541 people found this helpful
Good... just good. Not that much better than previous generations
By RPL on Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
If you already have an Echo, I'm not sure there much, or any reason to upgrade to this new echo. First, for those people buying this Echo in order to get rid of your current hubs, that may or may not be possible. If you have a Hue hub, this Echo Plus is not a direct replacement for it. In addition to bulbs, the Hue hub supports motion sensors, dimmer switches, and tap switches. It also supports Apple Homekit. If you deregister your Hue peripherals from the Hue hub, and try and connect them to the Echo Plus, while the bulbs will connect, the motion sensors and dimmer switches will not. Also, you will lose Apple Homekit support. You will also lose all the automations the Hue hub supports like sunrise to sunset and other automation. Also, if your internet goes out, your Hue hub will continue to work and you will be able to control your lights with the Hue app. If your internet goes out, the Echo Plus will not be able to control your lights by voice, or the Alexa app. Lastly, all the 3rd party Hue apps are designed to work with the Hue bridge, not the Echo Plus. So, those apps will also not work. If your current hub is Z-Wave, then the Echo Plus will also not be a direct replacement for it. You will need to keep that hub as well the Echo Plus does not have a Z-Wave radio in it. If you want to do simple things like turn a ZigBee bulb on and off, and dim it, then the Echo Plus works fine. If you want to do more complicated scenarios, then you will need to keep, or buy a another hub. Since Zigbee is the only protocol that is supported at this time, you need to look for light bulbs, and some other peripherals, that use that protocol in order for it work with the Echo Plus. But with that said, there will be some devices that use Zigbee that will still need their manufactures hub to work. So, again, it will not be as simple as looking for a ZigBee device and expecting it work with the Echo Plus. Since there is currently no supported list of devices, trial and error is going to be your best bet in trying to figure out which ZigBee devices work with the Echo Plus and which do not. As for sound, that part if more subjective. I like a little more base in my music. The Echo Plus sacrifices bass for treble in this new design. So, to me, it does not sound as great as the previous Echo. To me, it sounds a little flat. My old Echo sounds much richer and fuller than the Plus. So, if you like your music with more bass, then you might be disappointed here as well. Apart from the above, the Echo Plus does everything the old Echo does, so I'm not going to repeat everything here as you can read about those features in reviews of the last generation Echo. The microphones on the Echo Plus seems more sensitive to the previous generation though. It appears to be able to hear me more, even when the music is turned out loud. Where the old Echo had issues doing that. Also, the Plus has a 3.5 mm audio jack. Therefore, you can more easily connect it to your stereo, external speakers, etc. with a wire, if Bluetooth is not an option. So, all in all, the Echo Plus is good device, but I don't think it's that much better than the previous generation to warrant an upgrade. If an upgrade is wanted, then depending on you hub needs, the smaller newer Echo might be the better choice. If you are new to the smart home arena, then try and figure out what you want your smart home to do, then pick the best system(s) that get you want you want. Don't assume the Echo Plus will solve all your smart home needs.
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