Latest news with #EchoDot
Mint
5 days ago
- Mint
Your step-by-step guide to a smart home in India under ₹15,000, with installation tips for each gadget
Smart homes aren't just a techie's fantasy anymore. Today, even if you're living in a regular 2BHK or a bustling family flat, you can bring a touch of intelligence to your space without raking in a new EMI or worrying about the finances of the following month. The idea isn't about showing off to your neighbours or making your house look like a sci-fi movie set. If you want to make your life a bit smoother, safer and sometimes just a little more fun, this list is for you. And with Amazon's range of budget-friendly gadgets, you can set up a genuinely useful smart home kit for under ₹ 15,000. Let's break it down, product by product, and see how each one fits into your daily life. Think of the Echo Dot as your friend who's always ready to help. It can play music, news, reminders, or to control other gadgets with your voice. It sits quietly on your table, but don't be fooled - Alexa can manage timers, answer questions, and even crack a joke when you need it. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Just plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi with the Alexa app, and you're set. Even your parents can do this in ten minutes. Still watching cable? The Fire TV Stick Lite plugs into your TV and opens up a world of streaming - think Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and more. You can even ask Alexa to find your favourite shows. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Plug it into your TV's HDMI port, connect to Wi-Fi, follow a few on-screen steps, and you're done. No need to call the neighbourhood techie. This little plug turns your regular appliances smart. Want to switch on the geyser from bed or check if you left the iron on? Just tap your phone or ask Alexa. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Plug it in, set it up with the app, and link it to Alexa. It's as easy as setting up a new WhatsApp account. Worried about what's happening at home when you're out? This camera lets you peek in from anywhere. You get night vision, motion alerts, and two-way talk—handy for checking on pets or deliveries. Installation difficulty: 2/5 Mounting it is optional. Plug in, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the app. Slightly more steps, but nothing you can't handle. Change the mood of your room with a tap. These bulbs let you adjust brightness and colour, set schedules, and control everything from your phone or with your voice. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Screw in like any bulb, connect to Wi-Fi, and you're ready. No electrician needed. Still using old-school remotes for your AC or TV? This gadget lets you control them from your phone or with Alexa. Great for those times when the remote is always missing. Installation difficulty: 2/5 Plug in, connect to Wi-Fi, and set up your remotes in the app. Takes a bit of patience but is very doable. Total: ₹ 13,545– ₹ 13,645 You still have some change left for a smart night light or an automatic water dispenser. With these smart tools, you can get a little more control over your day. Most of these products are plug-and-play, so you won't need to drill holes or call an expert. The best part? You can start small and keep adding as you go.
Mint
5 days ago
- Mint
Your step-by-step guide to a smart home in India under ₹15,000, with installation tips for each gadget
Smart homes aren't just a techie's fantasy anymore. Today, even if you're living in a regular 2BHK or a bustling family flat, you can bring a touch of intelligence to your space without raking in a new EMI or worrying about the finances of the following month. The idea isn't about showing off to your neighbours or making your house look like a sci-fi movie set. If you want to make your life a bit smoother, safer and sometimes just a little more fun, this list is for you. And with Amazon's range of budget-friendly gadgets, you can set up a genuinely useful smart home kit for under ₹ 15,000. Let's break it down, product by product, and see how each one fits into your daily life. Think of the Echo Dot as your friend who's always ready to help. It can play music, news, reminders, or to control other gadgets with your voice. It sits quietly on your table, but don't be fooled - Alexa can manage timers, answer questions, and even crack a joke when you need it. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Just plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi with the Alexa app, and you're set. Even your parents can do this in ten minutes. Still watching cable? The Fire TV Stick Lite plugs into your TV and opens up a world of streaming - think Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and more. You can even ask Alexa to find your favourite shows. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Plug it into your TV's HDMI port, connect to Wi-Fi, follow a few on-screen steps, and you're done. No need to call the neighbourhood techie. This little plug turns your regular appliances smart. Want to switch on the geyser from bed or check if you left the iron on? Just tap your phone or ask Alexa. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Plug it in, set it up with the app, and link it to Alexa. It's as easy as setting up a new WhatsApp account. Worried about what's happening at home when you're out? This camera lets you peek in from anywhere. You get night vision, motion alerts, and two-way talk—handy for checking on pets or deliveries. Installation difficulty: 2/5 Mounting it is optional. Plug in, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the app. Slightly more steps, but nothing you can't handle. Change the mood of your room with a tap. These bulbs let you adjust brightness and colour, set schedules, and control everything from your phone or with your voice. Installation difficulty: 1/5 Screw in like any bulb, connect to Wi-Fi, and you're ready. No electrician needed. Still using old-school remotes for your AC or TV? This gadget lets you control them from your phone or with Alexa. Great for those times when the remote is always missing. Installation difficulty: 2/5 Plug in, connect to Wi-Fi, and set up your remotes in the app. Takes a bit of patience but is very doable. Total: ₹ 13,545– ₹ 13,645 You still have some change left for a smart night light or an automatic water dispenser. With these smart tools, you can get a little more control over your day. Most of these products are plug-and-play, so you won't need to drill holes or call an expert. The best part? You can start small and keep adding as you go. A smart home goes beyond fancy tech and should be about making your space work for you. And with this kit, you're well on your way.
Evening Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Evening Standard
Best Alexa deals to shop in the Amazon Prime Day sale 2025
Amazon Prime Day is always when the best Alexa-powered gadgets get serious markdowns. The Echo Dot, Echo Show, and even Alexa-compatible bulbs and plugs are all included in this year's line-up, and they're often among the first products to sell out. Whether you're upgrading an older speaker or starting from scratch, this is the time to invest. The latest Echo models come with improved sound, more responsive microphones and increasingly clever features –plus they blend better with modern interiors.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
These 5 Easy Amazon Alexa Tricks Make for a Smarter Smart Home This Summer
With summer now very much around the corner, you've got better things to do than worry about your smart home. But with garden parties and the pool calling your name, there has never been a better time to make sure that your accessories are working for you, not against you. Smart home devices bring a lot of convenience to our day-to-day lives, but that doesn't mean they can't be improved. Amazon's Alexa" target="_self is one of the most popular choices, and you can tell it to turn the lights on or off, play your favorite music, set a timer for you while cooking in the kitchen and more. But you don't have to use the same Alexa as everyone else, and you can really upgrade your experience with just a few customizations. If you've got a smart speaker like the Echo Dot, an Echo Show 15, the powerful Echo Studio or the rotating Echo Show 10, there are plenty of ways to make Alexa feel more helpful and less like just another gadget. A few small changes can seriously improve your experience. From making hands-free calls to connecting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi or even using Alexa in the kitchen, there's a lot worth setting up. It might take a little effort to get everything just right, but once you do, your Alexa devices will feel like they're working for you instead of the other way around. Best Amazon Alexa Devices of 2025 See at Cnet When you ask Alexa to do something, such as play a song or turn on the lights, Alexa will say something like, "OK, turning on the lights." This is to help you determine why Alexa did something if it wasn't what you asked. If you don't want Alexa repeating what you just said, you can change that setting so that it plays a short sound instead of a voice response. To do so, open the Alexa app's More menu and select Settings > Talking with Alexa. Then toggle on the switch for Brief Mode. When you set up your Amazon Echo, the music service defaults to Amazon Music. If you use Spotify, Apple Music or another streamer, you may want to link your Echo to that instead. Go to Settings > Music & Podcasts, then link to a service. On the same page, tap Default Services and switch to your preferred music provider. Now the Echo will play from the music streaming service of your choice when you say, "Alexa, play music." Note that you can select defaults for family or personal listening. 'Alexa, Play Beyoncé': All the Alexa Music Commands You Need to Use See at Cnet If TV commercials keep triggering your Amazon Echo when they say "Alexa," you can change the wake word to something less likely to trigger the speaker. The other traditional options are Computer, Echo and Amazon, but there are several newer wake word additions you can use like Ziggy and Hey, Disney. If you want a change, just say, "Alexa, change the wake word" and make your selection. You can also open the Alexa app, go to Settings > Device Settings. Select your device, then tap the Settings icon and select Wake Word to make a choice. Unfortunately, you can't come up with your own name for the speaker, like "Tallulah" or "Digital Overlord." Best Smart Speakers for 2025 See at Cnet You don't always have time to search Amazon for something you're out of, like toilet paper. That's why it can be helpful to set up voice purchasing on your Amazon Echo, so Alexa can order products for you. To get started, you'll need to turn on voice ordering and 1-Click ordering. Open the Alexa app and navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing > Purchasing controls > Select who can make purchases. For instance, you can set up a voice code or profile so that only you can make purchases when you type in a four-digit code. If you have multiple people in your house, you'll want to set up voice profiles for each member who uses the Echo speaker. This will help Alexa learn your voice and distinguish you from others in the house. To create voice profiles, go to Settings > Your Profile & Family > Voice ID and follow the onscreen prompts. You can make sure your voice profile is correctly set up by asking, "Alexa, who am I?" The voice assistant will say, "I'm talking to [your name]." If you have favorite customizations and settings, share them in the comments. Now that you've updated these six Echo settings, here are five creative uses for your Amazon Echo device, five essential tips for your new Echo device and CNET's roundup of every Alexa command you can give right now.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Free furniture, home essentials offered to Wilmington families in need
A couch, a bed, a kitchen table — basic items many take for granted — are often missing when some Delaware families first move into housing. A new Wilmington-based initiative is working to change that. The Foundation Project, launched by Wilmington City Council member and business owner Alexander Hackett, provides free furniture and household essentials to first-time renters, homebuyers, seniors and residents receiving housing assistance. The goal is to help families build a stable foundation once they've moved into the home. Since its soft launch in June, Hackett says the program has already served more than 75 families with items like sofas, beds, dressers and nightstands. What began with deliveries from trucks and cars is now moving to a publicly accessible location. The Foundation Project will open its new hub inside the Wilmington Public Library's Dickinson Room at 10 E. 10th St. While large item deliveries will continue, residents will also be able to browse in person. HERE TO HELP: These Delaware programs bring essential resources directly to residents in need Available items range from electronics like Echo Dot smart speakers and Ring cameras to everyday essentials like soap, laundry detergent and deodorant. Both new and gently used furniture—like couches, beds, and tables—will be available, as well as kitchenware. The effort is supported by partnerships with local businesses and organizations, allowing the program, through its parent organization Community Cares, to distribute an estimated $50,000 to $60,000 in goods back into the community, Hackett said. But the initiative goes beyond material support. Hackett says the mission is about creating long-term stability. 'The first step is getting the housing,' he said. 'We want to continue to be part of the support system that helps build the foundation for our families in the state of Delaware.' The grand opening for the Foundation Project is set for June 21, with regular hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hackett encourages qualifying residents to visit the Foundation Project's new location and take advantage of the resources available. You can contact staff reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Free home goods project helps low-income Wilmington residents in need
