Hardly anyone knows these Alexa functions

monitoring your health home with Alexa

The fact that interested parties can connect Alexa to compatible surveillance cameras is not new, but an Amazon Echo alone is sufficient to increase security in your own health home. There are two particularly practical Alexa functions:

Echo can react to sounds

Users can activate sound detection on their Amazon Echo device. For example, the Echo speaker then reacts to barking dogs, beeping household appliances or water noises. We see this as a practical way to be informed of possible water damage or active smoke detectors when you are not at health home. The noises do not act as an activation word, but are selected in an if-then sequence via routine.

How this works exactly, we explain in our Amazon Echo start noise detection – that’s how it works.

Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | anthracite 

All Alexa functions, high sound quality and integrated ZigBee hub

Take a peek inside your health home with Echo Show

In addition to Echo speakers, smart health home fans can also opt for an Echo Show. Practical: The integrated camera is not only used for video telephony, but can also be used to take a look at the apartment via the Alexa app. The dog is alone? The children wait until the parents are back from shopping? No problem, because users can use their smartphone to check whether everything is ok at health home.

However, if you are afraid of being spied on unknowingly by family members, you do not have to worry. If a person uses the function, this will be visible as a message on the display of the Echo Show device. Alternatively, the camera can be covered with a sliding latch.

We show you which steps are necessary for camera surveillance in our guide Using the Echo Show as surveillance – this is how it works.

The new Echo Show 8 (2nd gen.) 

HD Smart Display with Alexa and 13 MP camera that automatically follows users during video calls

Use Alexa Cheat Code – this secret voice command is necessary

Smart health home fans who own smart devices always want to get the most out of them. This also works with Alexa devices. They increase comfort and safety and, depending on the component, help to save energy. But many users do not know the Alexa Super mode.

Unfortunately, there is no futuristic function behind it that relieves users of every day work without exception, but gamers should at least enjoy the special voice command: “Alexa, up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.”

The cheat code can also be called up via the Alexa app and ensures funny reactions

(Screenshot: Alexa App) 

The spoken sequence is a key combination from the game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by the well-known developer Konami. A cheat especially nostalgic will remember. The answer, which will probably also result in a few laughs, will therefore surprise you.

There is more information about Alexa Super mode here.

Alexa can recognize faces and play personalized content

While this feature isn’t unheard of, it’s only been available since Echo Show 15. Therefore, they probably won’t know that many users. The Echo Show 15 is the latest Echo Show model to date. The large Smart Display is the first device from Amazon that can optionally even be hung on the wall.

The special: Users can create their own visual ID. Alexa scans the face from all sides and then recognizes which person is in front of the device. We rate this as practical, especially for large households. If desired, the daughter can then be shown a different playlist than, for example, the mother. Vegetarian roommates automatically do not receive any meat dishes as a recipe suggestion with an adjusted profile. This makes interaction with Alexa even more individual. If the function is no longer wanted, it can be deactivated just as easily as it was set up.

The visual ID guarantees an even more individual use of Alexa

(Melanie Baumann / health home&smart) 

Tip: We tested the function in our Echo Show 15 Review. The face recognition reacted reliably in the Review. If you don’t have an Echo Show 15, you can still look forward to the feature, because the function should also be available via update on Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10. (Status: 02/2022)

Alexa can change her voice color

Alexa’s voice is one of the great recognition values ​​of voice control. The shipping giant has therefore held on to the original, female vocal color for a long time. On the other hand, it has long been possible to change the voice color of Google Assistant, for example, between a male and female-sounding voice.

Anyone who wants a bit of a change from the typical Alexa voice can also change it with just a simple voice command from winter 2021. All you need to do is say a voice command: “Alexa, change your voice”.

If you would like to know more about the unknown feature, you can find more information here: Change Alexa voice – this is how it works.

Change Alexa’s name – Change wake word

Alexa is not only the name of Amazon’s language assistant, but also the so-called wake word. After all, Amazon’s AI only listens as soon as users say “Alexa” before a sentence or command. With the popularity of voice control, however, it has become established that relatives and friends often joke around when an Echo device is in use.

So that this doesn’t work or users get a bit of a change from the name, Amazon offers an often unknown function. Because the name of Alexa can be changed if desired. Amazon gives users the following choice of alternatives:

  • alexa

  • Amazon

  • echo

  • computer

  • Ziggy

We show precise instructions on how to change the activation word in our How-To: Changing the Alexa name – this is how it works.

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