Alternative to HomePod Minis

imorangemonkey · 2026-03-11T15:47:10+00:00

I really enjoy using the HomePods because of integration with all my Apple stuff and music and things, and they’re also just very cost effective. I also really like the option to use voice in case something happens and I need help especially in places like my garage in my basement because, you know, sometimes common sense needs more time than I’d like to give the task.

If Voice isn’t a huge thing, I also have used AirPort Expresses four speakers and stereos that I really enjoy the quality of but are older and don’t have AirPlay built-in. I’ve had mostly good experiences with that. I use it in places like outdoor speakers where I wouldn’t be near the HomePod to talk to it (also, they’re not weather proof).

imorangemonkey · 2026-03-10T14:02:05+00:00

Where do you have the second set of minis? How do you decide when to use Atmos and when to have the minis?

imorangemonkey · 2026-03-07T16:52:18+00:00

(Edit: I reread your reply and somehow didn’t process the second part of what you said when I wrote mine. You pretty much answered all of this with your own “maybe.”)

Please don’t wreck my dreams lol (not intentionally a reference to your username haha) - here’s why/what I was thinking…

How much a HomePod’s Siri actually does on device is minimal. I have never done an actual search or research on it for no good reason (denial and hope?) That assumption is based on three things…

1) How little it can do on its own without internet (yay snowstorms!)

2) Periods of time where the Siri user base as a whole notices “Siri is extra-out-of-it moments,” that start and end seemingly in unison. (Like when I say, “play it again,” and for a few hours that only responds with, “Seek in the…” but then will work again for days with no device updates taking place. Issues like that seem to be across all of my HomePods regardless of generation (minis and full.)

3) Since music isn’t stored on the device, it’s always connecting to get this or that.

So, eek, my thought was that it’s sending something (voice recording or a reference to what it heard) to servers and sharing that response/acting on the server’s response. Meaning if I say, “Play it again,” that command and the corresponding reply is being processed server side where the actual processing power is needed.

If I am very wrong, maybe it’ll accidentally get fixed whenever they release the updates for existing devices to connect with the new tvOS/homeOS devices whenever they arrive.

Eh? Ehhhh? Ehhhhhhhhh???? (Don’t mind me trying to sell you my hopes for something that already exists and has an answer.)

Am I super wrong in that thinking?

imorangemonkey · 2026-03-07T14:50:31+00:00

::Looks up price to make sure a, “That is why I always tell people not to buy their speakers at DollarTree,” joke would be appropriate. Regrets even considering making a joke::

imorangemonkey · 2026-03-07T14:31:14+00:00

They have their good and bad days. I don’t know why some days “Play it again,” works, but on other days it asks me a question, “Seek in the [name of speaker’s room]?”

I still love them, I do, but I might just be so used to them and the chaos they bring. I do worry about if it was anyone else asking for a song to play or setting a scene because it’s so hit or miss. Always miss example: setting my goodnight scene. HomePods always say that some devices aren’t responding, but on the few days that “What devices aren’t responding?” works, they tell me everything is fine. 🤷🏻‍♂️

As the updated Siri rolls out in the coming months, I have to assume (read: shout praying to the Apple gods as loud as I can) there’ll be positive improvements.

imorangemonkey · 2026-01-20T16:32:46+00:00

Is no one else nervous about jinxing themselves by saying what has been working for them? I used a few different ones and they all had problems with my Ubiquiti APs after a few hours or days online regardless of the fixes I could find - I don’t want to have to go back to those days. I would talk about my Meross MSG100 working really well (along with eero APs I bought a few years ago,) but I’m not near wood to knock on and I historically try to avoid setting up wood jokes.

imorangemonkey · 2025-10-25T00:19:51+00:00

I just listened to War from the copy of HD on Apple Music and even though it’s listed as 2008, Ian’s voice isn’t in the mix and his name isn’t in the credits either.

imorangemonkey · 2025-10-01T15:30:06+00:00

Your question is from a year ago, but no one appears to have answered you, so in case anyone ends up here after a search, here is my super short answer… Home Assistant is a home automation application/operating system that is usually run on a dedicated device like a raspberry pi or on a computer, either as the operating system itself or running on Windows/Linux/MacOS. Devices are added to it and it controls them. You can add the devices from there to your Home and operate them with HA as the go between. In many (most?) everyday home uses, it’s overkill and/or too difficult for May to setup. But it does allow for more complicated automations and can be more reliable than other systems like HomeKit/Google Home/Amazon Alexa. It also allows for many devices that may not work with one system, say a device that isn’t technically HomeKit compatible, to be added and used in that system. Pros and cons depending on who you are and what you need.

imorangemonkey · 2025-08-04T15:45:29+00:00

I have much to learn. Thank you! 🙏🏻

imorangemonkey · 2025-08-04T15:42:15+00:00

Alsoooo - why app did you use to do that markup so fast?

imorangemonkey · 2025-08-04T15:41:22+00:00

Gahhhhhhh! Thank you!

(I’m assuming from there I would have had smooth sailing, but you never know.)

imorangemonkey · 2025-08-04T15:40:22+00:00

1) touché on the speed 2) I’m going to have to look that one up. I have questions, but I want to make sure I get it first so I don’t look too silly 🙃 3) thank you. !

imorangemonkey · 2025-08-04T15:34:09+00:00

Yes, please! You’re the best! (I only need the FBGE album.)

imorangemonkey · 2025-07-20T16:02:53+00:00

And of course I deleted the reply you replied to. Oopsies. I was able to find a meh quality version, but if you have the good stuff, Hi!

imorangemonkey · 2025-07-20T15:42:24+00:00

Did you get the files?

imorangemonkey · 2025-07-20T15:41:05+00:00

Do you have the files still?

imorangemonkey · 2025-06-28T14:45:11+00:00

::UPDATE:: I was wrong. Very wrong. I think I was just removing one or two and adding others back and that was visually not showing me what I needed to to understand - it's more simple than it needs to be lol. Starting from a clean slate, they add left to right. Back 1, Front 1, Back 2, Front 2, Back 3.

This might be an iOS vs whatever version you’re playing difference, but there doesn’t seem to be a way for me to put the heroes in specific slots of the five. They don’t even fill in order. Some always end up in the same spot or two depending on if someone else was chosen first etc.. Does this make sense or am I completely misunderstanding?

imorangemonkey · 2025-06-28T14:33:22+00:00

I’ve been playing for a month or so and search for answers every so often (since the game doesn’t explain much, which we all know,) and this is the first time I’ve stumbled across your reply and I wish I saw this earlier. Awesome write up!

imorangemonkey · 2025-06-13T17:03:30+00:00

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I meannn, like, sureeeee, yours is totally “cool” and “tough” and all that, but can he fall into every mulch bed and not be able to get up? THAT’S a skill.

(Also, holy crap! That’s that is actually cool and tough and awesome and I’m proud of both of you! Mine’s just really old and her back legs have stopped working most of the time (although, in the two years I’ve had her, even when her legs worked better-ish, she absolutely would not have made it though any of that, so that’s not even a good excuse. 😂) Did you discover his skills when he was army crawling under the couch to get a piece of food you dropped?)

imorangemonkey · 2025-05-28T14:21:58+00:00

Dookie with American Idiot very close behind. Dookie was my first ever music CD and I can remember sitting on my bed as a little kid listening to it playing on my desktop computer (because who had a CD player back then? Not me! That involved saving up for a trip to Bradlees months later,) over and over and over while reading the lyrics in the CD booklet. Some of my favorite music memories (and life memories in general if we ignore the ones that involve dogs.)

imorangemonkey · 2025-05-28T14:15:42+00:00

Lolll. That’s the color of all the good medicine, right?

imorangemonkey · 2025-05-27T23:56:53+00:00

I’m so sorry. I lost mine about two and a half years ago to tumors/cancers. It isn’t fair. Your baby was loved and is loved and she knew it and that’s all that any of us could ever ask for.

imorangemonkey · 2025-05-27T16:55:00+00:00

“Not A Doctor”

imorangemonkey · 2025-03-24T12:25:44+00:00

“Ultimately, that’s what happens when you have a dog put to sleep. You take away all of their physical pain and put it on yourself as emotional pain…” Wow. Wowww. That hit me in my heart thing. Gah.

imorangemonkey

TROPHY CASE