I recently purchased my second Amazon Echo and came across a great use for my wireless voice-activated speakers from Amazon.
I can use them as a home intercom system! No more yelling down the stairs.
All I have to say is, “Alexa, drop in.” (If you use a wake work other than Alexa, insert it.)
She’ll then ask if you want to drop in on that device. If you have multiple Echo speakers in the house, you might just want to say the name of the device, “Alexa, drop in on Bob’s second Echo.”
Alexa will make a notification noise and turn green. When you speak, your voice will be heard on the selected devices and people in the room will be able to respond to you.
You can also drop in using the Alexa app on your smartphone. Open the app and either tap the round button or just tell Alexa to drop in if you have voice control activated on your phone. You can do this from anywhere.
Tell Alexa which device you’d like to drop in on and she’ll make a phone call.
You’ll then be able to have a two-way conversation. When you’re finished talking, just hit the red icon to end the call.
It’s already saving me a lot of yelling down the stairs. Sometimes I just randomly tell the cats to “get down” when I’m out and about.
If you’d like to check out an Amazon Echo, click here: https://amzn.to/2BEvMPb
They’ve even got a deal going to save $30 bucks off the $85 price if you purchase two. As an Amazon associate site, we do receive a few pennies if you purchase your device after following the link. But you can also find the Echo in the following retail locations:
ABT Electronics
B and H
Best Buy
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Electronic Express
Fred Meyer
Fry’s
HH Gregg
HSN
Kohl’s
Meijer
Nebraska Furniture Market
QVC
RC Willey
Sears
Shopko
Staples
Target
We use the “announce” and “broadcast” commands too. It’s not conversational, as the other party has to use the command to reply. But for us it’s generally a one-sentence thing anyway… like “announce to den hey Babe the shower’s open”