Basic Alexa by Robert Leneway

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Slide Notes

Welcome to the Basic Alexa. I am Bob Leneway, one of your instructors today. I am a recovering nerd having retired from the Educational Technology program at Western Michigan University. Let me introduce my co-instructor.
Alexa “who is Alexa?”

How many of you have some kind of Alexa or other smart speaker device. Please use the chat o tell me which device and what have you used it for?

Basic Alexa

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

BASIC ALEXA

ROBERT LENEWAY, PhD

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THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO

AS PLANNED

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/YvT_gqs5ETk

Play Video

FOR DOWNLOAD COPY

please email bob.leneway@wmich.edu

A Star Trek computer for your home.

When smart speakers first burst on to the scene in 2015, you would have been forgiven for labeling the whole movement a fad. It’s just another luxury item that doesn’t bring much value, you may have thought.

But since then, the smart speaker market has grown exponentially, and it’s showing no signs of slowing. In fact, Juniper Research recently published a report forecasting that by 2022, 55 percent of U.S. households will have at least one smart speaker installed

Much as the personal computers revoluatizes our lives at the price of reduced privacy, I predict that smart speaker will do much the same in transforming our lives in yet unimaginable ways.

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Over 100 million in U.S.

Doubled in sales in 2019 & 2020

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Market Share

70% steady

ALEXA

What is it?
How does it work?
Design & Setup
Navigating the Alexa app
Some Practical Application
Security and other issues
Your questions

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WHAT IS ALEXA

A voice command device
A question answer system
Controls smart devices
A household command & communication center
A personal assistant that needs an echo device

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10.

ECHO FAMILY

Smart speakers, also known as smart home speakers and digital voice assistants, are devices designed to sit in the home and react to voice commands.

The average smart speaker can help a user execute voice search commands to find answers on Google, check the weather, monitor traffic, control other smart home devices and tap into audio platforms like Pandora or a podcast app. They respond to comments directed at them, and can even tell a joke.

Alexa tell me a joke, although often not very good.

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Alexa Show & Spot

Look 189
Spot $89

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WHAT MAKES IT “SMART”

Voice recognition
Echo Spacial Recognition (ESR)
Bluetooth speakers
Alexa - A.I. in the cloud
Smart Hub
Skill apps

20.

Is Alexa always listening?

21.

MUTING & DELETING

22.

Security Issues

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/3QzmmeTEk30

Nick Thompson

Play Video

23.

DELETING YOUR RECORDINGS

Open Alexa app > Communicate Swipe left on the conversation you want to delete and select Remove
To delete all go to www.amazon.com/myx
Go to “Manage Voice Recordings”
Click on "Delete all my recordings.”

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"Don’t be worried about your smart device or TV spying on you. Your vacuum cleaner has been collecting dirt on you for years.

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25.

GETTING STARTED

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26.

GETTING CONNECTED

NEED A WIRELESS CONNECTION

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27.

Ring colors

Solid blue w/spinning cyan light - Starting up
All lights off - Active ready for request

28.

Ring colors

Orange light spinning - Connecting to your Wi-Fi network
Continuous oscillating violet light - An error in connecting to network

29.

Ring Colors

Solid Red - The Microphone is off
White light - Adjusting volume
Notifications - pulsating green light (and chirping sound (opt in feature)

30.

HOW TO SET UP

Download free Alexa app
Start Up -Blue then Orange
Connect to Wi-Fi
Alex app settings. Give device a name.
“Update WiFi”
Press Device’s action button 5 sec
Select your WiFi add Password
Ask “Alexa”......

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31.

ALEXA APP

32.

PERSONALIZE (w/Settings)

Your music
Your location for weather & travel
Your daily briefings
Voice training/household profile
Your lists & calendar
Measuring system

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Untitled Slide

34.

PROFILES

In Alexa app go to settings
Go to Account Settings & Recognized Voices to set up household account.
Follow instruction to add a second person to your household.
To change accounts say “switch accounts.”

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35.

SMART HOME

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36.

Untitled Slide

"Oh the things it can do and places it can take you." How do you use Alexa?

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39.

Untitled Slide

According to the CNET tech evaluation here are the 10 best things you can do with Amazon Echo.

Play Video

40.

Linking to Music

In app click on "More"
>Settings (Alexa Preferences)
>Music & Podcasts
>Link new services

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41.

MUSIC

Amazon music
Pandora
Spotify Premium
TuneIn
iHeartRadio
Audible
Kindle books

42.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Kitchen help
Daily briefing
Sports
Traffic
Time & weather
Translate
Trivia

43.

ALARMS & TIMER

Multi timers
Alarm with music
MyStopwatch app

Alexa, tell my stopwatch to start
to pause
to resume
to stop

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44.

SHOPPING

Amazon Prime account
Enable one click
Order & Reorder
Track order
Set up ordering code

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45.

SKILLS

THERE ARE OVER 100,000

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48.

FUN & GAMES

Song Quiz
Magic Door
Let’s chat
(Find in the Skills menu)

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49.

PHONE CALLS

Call a buddy & Call my phone

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Untitled Slide

51.

Alexa care hub

Link to Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/RCo9et38mDQ

Link to Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/P4-YyEnVv5E

Play Video

52.

Smart Home

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53.

GOOGLE CALENDAR & ALEXA

Open up Alexa App
Settings then > Calendar
Select Google Calendar
Link Google Calendar and enter Google Credentials
Add an event

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54.

AS A BLUETOOTH SPEAKER

Turn on blue tooth on device & set to pair.
Bring device close to Alexa & say “Alexa pair”
Open Bluetooth on phone & choose Dot or Echo
To terminate say “Disconnect”

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55.

Two is Better Than One

or more!

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56.

Multi-Room Music

Device ICON >GROUPS > Room

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Untitled Slide

58.

INTERCOM

“DROP IN (NAME ROOM)”

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59.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

Wireless connectivity
Alexa doesn't understand
Registration error
Keeps waking up - change wake word
Not communicating w/ other devices.

Connectivity issues first try a reboot alexa then reboot your router.

Does not understand Move 8 " from surrounding walls turn down external noise like TV radio etc.

Deregister on Amazon.com if giving Alexa away

If keep awaking up change the wake word in app

If not communicating go to app chose Smart Devices Then your devices and then Discover Devices. On a dual router, change from 5g to 2.6 g network choice.

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