(NEW) Echo Dot (4th Gen)

This Dot 4 replaces a clock radio and a Dot 3 in my bedroom. We live in an area that most radios don't work well due to lack of reception. I did have a clock radio on my night stand primarily to see the time during the night. I also had a Dot 3 on my dresser to access the the various features of Alexa devices. The clock radio didn't play music well due to lack of reception and often the time was not correct. I used the Dot 3 primarily to for the alarm and to play sleep sounds that help me to get a better night's sleep. Since my bedroom doesn't have a usable electrical outlet connected to the wall switch, the Dot 3 also controlled all of the lighting in the room. The problem with the Dot 3 for commands was that it seemed to need a direct line of communication for it to hear commands. Since the Dot 4 is in my bedroom, I use it primarily for the alarm and to play sleep sounds. All of the lights in my bedroom are plugged into smart plugs connected to Alexa, and I have them set up in groups, i.e., dresser, night stand, butterfly (a light on the dresser). I can turn them on or off independently or as a group. Although there are buttons on the top of the Dot 4 to control volume and turn off or on the microphone, this can also be done with voice commands. What I like about the Dot 4 over the Dot 3 are: 1) A direct line of sight is not needed for the Dot 4 to hear me. It hears and understands voice commands much better than the Dot 3 2) I don't have external speakers attached and the sound quality is much better than the Dot 3. Granted there is not a booming bass, but the sound quality is much better and tends to fill the room better. 3) Although I am sensitive to light in the room when I sleep, the light from the time on the Dot 4 does not bother me at all. 4) I can easily see the time when I wake up in the night, but the light doesn't bother me when I sleep. 5 So easy to set up since all of my preferences and settings are stored in the Alexa app. Just had to name the device. Overall, I very much like this Dot 4, and it has replaced a clock radio and a Dot 3. I bought one for my husband, and he also loves it. One downside I can think of is that it's too easy to turn off alarms to sleep longer. The other is that I am without lights in my bedroom when the internet goes down which doesn't happen very often. UPDATE 09/09/23: I have been using this Echo Dot for about 1 1/2 years, and I still love it. I depend on it for my alarm to wake me, and can set different wake times for different days if I want to. At times, I have had to get up earlier to make an appointment and can easily change the wake time for only the next day. Alexa will ask if I want to change the wake time for every day. If I say "No", the wake time is changed for only that day. You can choose to be woken to a chosen alarm sound or you can choose a specific song to wake you. For a couple of days, I tried "Eye of the Tiger" thinking it would get me out of bed faster, but it didn't work for me. As mentioned previously, all of the lighting in my bedroom is controlled by Alexa. Sometimes I wake in the night and don't feel like turning over to look at the clock on this Echo dot, so I just ask Alexa what time it is. It is so easy to become dependent on the conveniences offered by electronics. I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update this review if my opinion changes.