Amazon Echo (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Will there be a way to stream music from my PC to the Echo whenever it arrives? I have iTunes installed on my Windows PC, and also have my music setup in the Amazon Music application running on the same PC.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Scott,


I am going to wait for someone else to chime in on this to verify...


I *believe* you can only stream off the Amazon Prime music service as well as Spotify and a few other online radio services.


From iTunes music library, I *believe* you cannot.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My Echo shipped yesterday, and is expected to arrive on Monday.

 

[Scott-S]

Enjoy!


I know I am still really loving mine.


I am still researching the Home Automation stuff so I haven't been able to play with lights, etc. But Even as a simple voice controlled speaker I think I got my moneys worth.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have it operating my Home Theater lights (Philips Hue). Really cool. I simply say, "Alexa, turn on Home Theater Lights" and all my lights come on in the basement.


I am thinking of replacing standard light switches in my home and going with WeMo switches, which Echo supports.

 

[Scott-S]

Awesome Ron...


How long is the lag between saying the command and the lights turning on?


The IFTTT demo on the Echo I saw online made it seem like it as 10 to 20 seconds. This was the one where he had a servo pour a glass of milk. I think that the items directly supported might be really fast, but if you try using the IFTTT aps, there is a lag. Just a guess on my part.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Will there be a way to stream music from my PC to the Echo whenever it arrives? I have iTunes installed on my Windows PC, and also have my music setup in the Amazon Music application running on the same PC.

I've had mine since last fall and love it. You can Bluetooth any device to it. Say"Alexa pair my device" and stream away!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I've had mine since last fall and love it. You can Bluetooth any device to it. Say"Alexa pair my device" and stream away!

Thanks, Noel. Unfortunately, I want to stream from my home PC, where I have about 67GB of music stored -- not from my phone, which has no music. The PC is on my home network, so technically the Echo should be able to get to the PC via my home WiFi / ethernet network. However, it appears that is not possible due to limitations of the Echo application.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Awesome Ron...


How long is the lag between saying the command and the lights turning on?


The IFTTT demo on the Echo I saw online made it seem like it as 10 to 20 seconds. This was the one where he had a servo pour a glass of milk. I think that the items directly supported might be really fast, but if you try using the IFTTT aps, there is a lag. Just a guess on my part.

I paired Alexa with my Philips Hue lights (strips and Iris)


I then created a "group" where I add all 10 lights individually. I give that group a name: Home Theater Lights


I then say, "Alexa, turn on Home Theater Lights"


Alexa is silent for about 5 seconds, then responds with "okay"


I walk down two flights of stairs to the basement, and the lights are on. So, I would guess within 5 seconds the command is performed.


I can walk back upstairs and tell Alexa to turn the lights off.


I am really itching to install WeMo light switches so I can walk into the room and tell Alexa to turn on the lights.


Also hoping for NEST and LOGITECH REMOTE integration as well.


Alexa is excellent at picking up voice commands even from an adjoining room.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Thanks, Noel. Unfortunately, I want to stream from my home PC, where I have about 67GB of music stored -- not from my phone, which has no music. The PC is on my home network, so technically the Echo should be able to get to the PC via my home WiFi / ethernet network. However, it appears that is not possible due to limitations of the Echo application.

Hi Scott. But doesn't your PC have Bluetooth? For a key board or a mouse? Or is Alexa too far away?

 

[dpippel]

Most desktop PCs don't have built-in Bluetooth. Besides, Echo is a wifi-enabled device and IMO Amazon NEEDS to add TCP/IP music streaming capability. There's simply no reason for them not to. Not everyone wants to stream Spotify from a phone. I also have an extensive collection of ripped music on my computer that is currently inaccessible to the device. While they're at it, maybe they'll FINALLY add multi-day alarm and sleep timer functionality too. Why this basic stuff hasn't been implemented yet is baffling to me.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Hi Scott. But doesn't your PC have Bluetooth? For a key board or a mouse? Or is Alexa too far away?

Noel, my PC does not have any bluetooth capabilities. I never needed it for anything -- it's a desktop, not a laptop, and my keyboard and mouse are USB wired devices (I do not see the point of needing batteries for a wireless keybopard/mouse on a stationary desktop).

Most desktop PCs don't have built-in Bluetooth. Besides, Echo is a wifi-enabled device and IMO Amazon NEEDS to add TCP/IP music streaming capability. There's simply no reason for them not to. Not everyone wants to stream Spotify from a phone. I also have an extensive collection of ripped music on my computer that is currently inaccessible to the device. While they're at it, maybe they'll FINALLY add multi-day alarm and sleep timer functionality too. Why this basic stuff hasn't been implemented yet is baffling to me.

My thoughts, too, Doug.


Well, my Echo arrived today and I was able to get it setup on my home network. It took a bit of work to find the MAC address of the device (I use MAC filtering on my WiFi router), but was finally able to find it via the router. I have not done much with it yet, but did get my Pandora account and Google calendar setup.

 

[schan1269]

Noel, my PC does not have any bluetooth capabilities. I never needed it for anything -- it's a desktop, not a laptop, and my keyboard and mouse are USB wired devices (I do not see the point of needing batteries for a wireless keybopard/mouse on a stationary desktop).


My thoughts, too, Doug.

Well, my Echo arrived today and I was able to get it setup on my home network. It took a bit of work to find the MAC address of the device (I use MAC filtering on my WiFi router), but was finally able to find it via the router. I have not done much with it yet, but did get my Pandora account and Google calendar setup.

Windows, since Vista, has Bluetooth support. You just need to buy a dongle. You need a dongle...even on laptops.

 

[dpippel]

Windows, since Vista, has Bluetooth support. You just need to buy a dongle. You need a dongle...even on laptops.

No, you don't. Many newer laptops have built-in Bluetooth radios, just like they have built-in wifi radios. The point is that desktop computers, with rare exceptions, do not support Bluetooth because they don't have the necessary hardware to do so.

 

[schan1269]

No, you don't. Many newer laptops have built-in Bluetooth radios, just like they have built-in wifi radios. The point is that desktop computers, with rare exceptions, do not support Bluetooth because they don't have the necessary hardware to do so.

1. I said "even laptops need them"(paraphrading myself), not "all laptops".

2. Yes there are desktop computers that have built in Bluetooth. I have two of them. One is a Lenovo, the other is an Apple(does "monitor and computer in one" count as desktop?).

Windows Vista supports Bluetooth. Period.

 

[dpippel]

Let's not argue semantics. The vast majority of desktop computers, Apple excluded, do not include hardware to support Bluetooth. Vast majority. It doesn't matter if the OS includes a Bluetooth stack if there's no Bluetooth radio in the computer. Sure you can buy one, but the point we're discussing here is that it would make a lot more sense for Amazon to simply leverage the transport technology that MOST people have in their home systems already - TCP/IP. Echo is a network-enabled device. Without that functionality it would be unworkable, which makes it a bit ironic that for now music streaming is restricted to Bluetooth.

 

[schan1269]

Hi Scott. But doesn't your PC have Bluetooth? For a key board or a mouse? Or is Alexa too far away?

Right now...

Only Amazon based music, TuneIn and Pandora(probably missing one) work over the Echo.

It has Bluetooth to act like "every other portable speaker".

Itunes users are probably always going to be shut out(just like they are on every other Amazon device).

I would have gotten one, but I'm waiting on Echo Jr. That would be a smaller one with a rechargeable battery. That is where this needs to go.

 

[schan1269]

Let's not argue semantics. The vast majority of desktop computers, Apple excluded, do not include hardware to support Bluetooth. Vast majority. It doesn't matter if the OS includes a Bluetooth stack if there's no Bluetooth radio in the computer. Sure you can buy one, but the point we're discussing here is that it would make a lot more sense for Amazon to simply leverage the transport technology that MOST people have in their home systems already - TCP/IP. Echo is a network-enabled device. Without that functionality it would be unworkable, which makes it a bit ironic that for now music streaming is restricted to Bluetooth.

A bluetooth USB dongle costs $1.50 on Ebay.

 

[dpippel]

 

[Scott Merryfield]

So, if I decide to get a cheap Bluetooth dongle for my PC, how do I tell Echo where to find the music on my PC? It is all imported to iTunes, plus I have the Amazon app installed on the PC, which also sees my locally stored music.Is it straight forward when I pair the Echo to the PC via BT?


Not sure I'll do this soon. It's not the cost, but just spending the time dealing with it. Plus, I am not sure where we will end up placing the Echo in the house eventually, so distance may be an issue. It still makes more sense to be able to do this via my home network -- too bad that is not enabled right now.


I will say that the audio quality is pretty impressive while streaming music from Pandora and Amazon.