There are many people who say that you don’t need an Amazon Echo to use Alexa, but this is not always the case. In some cases, you may be able to use Alexa without having an Echo. For example, if you have a Google Home or a Nest Learning Thermostat, then you can use those devices to control your home’s temperature.
What Alexa Is (And Isn’t)
Alexa is a cloud-based personal voice assistant that can answer questions, control your smarthome devices with voice commands, and give you traffic and weather updates, among many other things. The voice assistant service is completely separate from the hardware.
Where You Can Access Alexa
There are three distinct product tiers within the family of Alexa-enable devices. The Echo line, push-to-command line (like the Tap, Fire tablets, and Fire TV), and third-party devices with Alexa support.
The Echo Line: Hands Free Control
The Tap, Fire Tablet, & Fire TV Line: Push-to-Command
The Fire TV ($85) and Fire TV Stick with voice remote ($50) work on the same principle. While your device and television are on, you press the microphone button on your voice remote to issue commands to Alexa. The Fire TV lineup also has the bonus feature of displaying the output of most commands as cards on your TV screen.
The Third-Party Line: Room For Growth
The recently-released Triby bluetooth speaker ($170) features complete integration with the Alexa system, including wake word detection like the Echo. There’s currently no set terminology for third party devices to identify themselves as voice-controlled or push-to-command, so it’s up to you to carefully read the product description to ensure you get a product that meets your needs.
Ford is also integrating Alexa into its Ford Sync platform, and there’s even a cool-looking lamp made by GE that includes Alexa.
Where It’s Difficult To Access Alexa
With any confusion over where you can and can’t use Alexa out of the way, it’s time to focus on the fun stuff you can do with Alexa–like controlling your entire Kodi media center with your voice.
