Amazon's new Echo Studio can watch your home like a nanny cam, and the new Echo Dot can act as a smart home hub and a Wi-Fi extender.
Amazon has announced new Echo speakers that do more than play music. The Echo Studio with Home Camera lets you check on family and pets through a live view. The smaller Echo Dot now works as a smart home hub and can stretch your Wi-Fi to reach more of the house.
The Echo Studio is Amazon's premium speaker. The new version adds a camera. The Echo Dot is the small, everyday model. It gets two new jobs: a built-in smart home hub and a built-in Wi-Fi extender.
Amazon says the camera also gives Alexa "visual intelligence." Alexa can see what is in front of the camera and help. Hold up a board game box and ask for the rules. Hold up a cereal box and Alexa can recognize it and help you reorder.
A smart home hub is the box that connects and controls compatible devices such as a smart thermostat, lights and locks. Until now, you may have needed a separate one. The new Dot has one built in.
The Wi-Fi extender is made by Eero, Amazon's Wi-Fi brand. It adds up to 1,000 square feet of coverage. It works with an existing Eero network, so it is not a fix for any router. The Dot also runs on Amazon's own AZ3 chip, which Amazon says allows faster, more natural conversations with Alexa Plus. It has a fourth speaker too.
The Studio keeps its focus on sound. It has a woofer for deep bass, three full-range speakers and Dolby Atmos for room-filling audio. Advanced Room Adaptation tunes the sound to your space. Adaptive Volume changes the volume based on how close you are, which helps if you move around while cooking or cleaning.
A camera in a speaker is handy, but it also puts a camera in your living space. Decide where it will sit and who will be on view. The material does not say how video is stored or what privacy controls exist, and it gives no ship dates. Those are worth checking before buying.
One Echo speaker may now cover a pet cam, a smart home hub or a Wi-Fi boost, but think hard before putting a camera in your living space.
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