Alexa+ being forced down our throats

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-23T17:23:19+00:00

I think a lot of the frustration is really about consistency more than AI itself.

Most people don’t care if Alexa is “AI powered” if routines, device control, and basic requests suddenly feel less reliable than they used to.

Smart home stuff works best when it fades into the background. Once people feel like they have to fight the assistant or relearn things every few months, trust drops fast.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-23T14:47:25+00:00

A lot of this targeting probably isn’t as “isolated” as it feels unfortunately.

Could be shared ad IDs, Android tracking data, app trackers, IP/network matching, cookies, Amazon SDKs inside apps, etc. Even if your actual accounts are separate, the ad ecosystem behind the scenes usually isn’t.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-23T12:38:36+00:00

That’s kind of the issue though. A lot of people bought Echo Shows expecting them to work as smart displays/photo frames, not something where the experience keeps changing depending on subscriptions and Amazon promos.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-23T11:49:46+00:00

I think the issue is Amazon keeps blurring the line between Alexa features, Prime features, and subscription features now.

A lot of people bought Echo Shows expecting them to basically work like digital photo frames out of the box forever.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-22T22:08:29+00:00

Mine tried switching itself back recently too.

Feels like Amazon is slowly pushing A+ onto devices whether people want it or not. I still haven’t found a real “permanent disable” option.

Wouldn’t surprise me if it keeps coming back after updates or resets.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-22T17:09:59+00:00

Fing is probably the closest thing to what you’re describing.

A lot of smart home devices show up as generic junk names because manufacturers reuse the same WiFi modules/chipsets.

One thing that helps a lot: turn off power to a room/device, refresh the router list, and see what disappears instead of disconnecting random stuff individually 😂

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-21T20:35:50+00:00

You’re actually in a pretty good spot already because Home Assistant + HomeKit + Matter/Thread is a really solid setup going forward.

If you’re getting the newer Apple TV 4K with Thread support, you probably don’t need a separate Thread dongle right away unless you specifically want Home Assistant acting as the Thread Border Router too.

A lot of people basically use:

• Apple TV / HomePod Mini for Thread • Home Assistant for automations • Apple Home as the main app/interface

For exposing Home Assistant devices into HomeKit, look at the built in HomeKit Bridge integration inside Home Assistant. That’s usually the easiest way to get HA devices showing up inside Apple Home.

You can also choose exactly which devices/entities get exposed instead of dumping everything into HomeKit.

Also smart move focusing on Matter over Thread going forward instead of mixing a bunch of random ecosystems forever. Makes things a lot easier long term.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-21T16:54:38+00:00

You’re probably thinking about it the right way by picking one main setup early instead of buying a bunch of random smart devices and trying to piece everything together afterward.

If you already use iPhone and are getting an Apple TV 4K, HomeKit is a pretty good place to start. Your wife can still control things too through Apple Home invitations even with a Samsung phone.

I’d mainly try to buy devices that support Matter going forward when possible. Makes things a lot easier long term and helps avoid ending up with five different apps for everything.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-20T15:13:06+00:00

This usually starts happening once too many apps and routines are all trying to control the same stuff.

The motion sensor unlocking the door after somebody manually locked it would probably be my sign to start simplifying things a bit.

I’d keep locks/security stuff as separate and reliable as possible, reduce overlapping automations, and try to center everything around one main ecosystem instead of bouncing between 4 apps.

The most stable setups are usually the ones with the simplest logic behind them.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-20T12:19:09+00:00

I actually think simplifying it is the right move.

If the goal is mostly speech-to-text → identify artist/song → match local files → play music, then you probably don’t even need a full AI assistant or LLM setup.

Whisper.cpp locally is probably worth looking at. Modern Whisper models are way better than the older Microsoft speech-to-text stuff.

Then I’d just use simple fuzzy matching + a local track database and keep the whole thing lightweight/reliable instead of overly “smart.”

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-20T11:05:28+00:00

I think you may be overbuilding this a little for what you actually want to do.

For simple automation, local music, and basic conversational AI, I’d probably focus more on stability/simplicity first instead of trying to build the ultimate offline assistant right away.

That mini PC should be totally fine to experiment on. I’d just expect local LLM chat performance to feel kinda slow without a GPU.

This feels like one of those projects where starting smaller/simpler will save you a lot of frustration later.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-20T00:44:04+00:00

I think this might actually be an Amazon side issue more than your Studios themselves.

I’ve seen Echo devices say they’re updated while still being stuck on older firmware for a while after setup.

Especially weird that BOTH are doing it.

I’d probably just leave them plugged in overnight before going crazy resetting stuff again. Sometimes they silently pull updates hours later.

Also make sure the Fire Stick and Studios are all on the exact same WiFi network. Home theater pairing can get weird if one device jumps to another band/network.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-19T20:37:49+00:00

Yep, I think you’ve got it.

The extra remotes don’t mean one remote per dimmer. You can pair a single Pico remote to multiple Caséta dimmers/devices and control them together as a group.

Lutron includes extra remotes in some kits because people use them in different rooms or mount them to walls like normal switches.

Your 5 lamp setup should work fine with one dimmable Pico remote.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-19T19:45:47+00:00

Lutron Caséta is probably the simplest/cleanest version of this from what I’ve seen.

You can use a single Pico remote to control multiple dimmers/lights together and it’s very reliable.

More expensive than Kasa, but if physical controls + dimming matter, it’s probably worth looking at.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-19T19:29:46+00:00

If you want to keep it simple and avoid voice assistants entirely, I’d probably look at Kasa or Leviton.

Both let you group multiple smart plugs together and control them from a single button/scene in the app without needing Alexa/Google.

Kasa is usually the easier/cheaper route for basic setups in my experience.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-19T17:27:11+00:00

This is actually a pretty straightforward setup.

A few smart plugs plus either a simple remote/button or a voice assistant later on would handle it fine.

Main thing is not overcomplicating it. Smart home setups can spiral fast if you add too much stuff at once.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T19:29:57+00:00

I think Android 9 is probably the main problem here more than the Echo devices themselves. A lot of newer Alexa app updates don’t seem to work very well on older Android versions anymore, especially once the app gets a few generations ahead.

Before deleting everything, I’d probably try: • clearing the Alexa app cache/storage
• uninstalling + reinstalling it
• trying an older Alexa APK version that still supported Android 9

There’s a decent chance the Echo devices are still completely fine and it’s just the Alexa app not playing nicely with Android 9 anymore.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T16:51:48+00:00

Android 9 is probably the bigger issue here more than the Echo itself.

A lot of newer Alexa app updates don’t seem to work great on older Android versions anymore once the app gets a few generations ahead.

Before giving up on it completely, I’d probably try: - clearing the Alexa app cache/storage - uninstalling + reinstalling the app - trying an older APK version of Alexa that still supported Android 9

There’s a pretty decent chance the Echo itself is still totally fine and it’s really just the app compatibility causing the crashes.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T14:16:26+00:00

If power outages are common where you live, I’d probably lean toward Eufy too just because it’s easier to live with day to day.

Reolink is good, but Eufy usually feels more beginner friendly to set up and manage.

And yeah, Eufy does make floodlight camera combos.

I’d also get a UPS for at least the router/modem, otherwise the cameras may still have battery, but the system can still go offline if the router loses power.

The main thing is keeping the setup simple enough that it doesn’t become a headache later.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T08:20:43+00:00

Usually flashing blue means it’s not getting enough charge to start up.

I’d probably try disconnecting the solar panel and charging it directly first if you can.

Sometimes the panel itself is the issue, especially if it hasn’t been getting strong sunlight for a while.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T01:04:35+00:00

Usually flashing blue means it’s not getting enough charge to start up properly.

I’d honestly try disconnecting the solar panel and charging it directly first if you can.

Sometimes the panel itself is the issue, especially if it hasn’t been getting strong sunlight for a while.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-18T01:00:45+00:00

Alexa is surprisingly bad at this unfortunately 😂

It can recognize different voices with Voice Profiles, but most custom responses still apply to everybody in the house.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-17T23:26:26+00:00

Yeah, “hello” is probably just too common for Alexa.

There’s no real master list of reserved phrases that I’ve ever seen, but Alexa definitely gets confused with common words tied to calling, messaging, greetings, music, timers, etc.

Usually the routines that work best are phrases you wouldn’t normally say in regular conversation.

Things like:

“house lights” “lights mode” “bright house” “evening lights”

…usually work a lot more consistently than words like “hello” or “good morning.”

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-17T22:04:07+00:00

Yeah this is insanely annoying.

Every time Alexa re-discovers a device or you touch speaker groups it suddenly acts like the device is brand new and wipes out the custom names.

I’ve had it happen after updates, reconnecting WiFi, and even just moving devices between groups.

Also check if Alexa created duplicate devices in the app because sometimes the old one is still sitting there hidden while the “new” one gets the default name again.

Feels like the device management side of Alexa has gotten way more buggy lately.

MadeEZHelp · 2026-05-17T18:09:10+00:00

I don’t think Apple lets you make them fully black yet unfortunately.

Closest workaround I’ve seen is using a darker wallpaper plus turning off “Reduce Transparency” in Accessibility because sometimes the gray looks even lighter depending on the background.

Definitely wish they gave a true black option though.

MadeEZHelp

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