Amazon Echo is one of the most powerful hands-free speakers that you can control with your voice. It connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, answer questions, read the news, set alarms and timers, control compatible smart home devices, and so on. Amazon Echo has the ability to hear you from any direction, even while music is playing. It uses beamforming technology, noise cancellation schemes, and solid microphones to pick up the sound.

Amazon Echo

With Amazon Echo powered multi-room music, you can play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms. Using nothing but the sound of your voice, you can play music, search the Web, create to-do and shopping lists, shop online, and get instant weather reports. You can all these without having to press any button on your smartphone or tablet. It also offers you the opportunity to use your voice to adjust equalizer settings or pair with another Echo – (2nd Generation) for stereo music.

We shall have a look at a few tips about your Echo devices. This will enable you to understand how Amazon Echo works and the best ways to control the device.

Q.: Can I Turn Off the Microphones on Amazon Echo Devices?

A.: Yes. Echo devices come with a Microphone Off button. When you press the button, the power to the microphones is disconnected and a dedicated red light lits up. Note that when you turn off the microphones, the Echo device will not be able to record and stream audio to the Amazon cloud.

Q.: How Do I Know When Echo Devices with a Camera are Sending Images or Video to Amazon Cloud Storage?

A.: Just look out for an on-screen indicator. There will be an on-screen indicator whenever Echo devices with a camera are streaming images or video to Amazon cloud. If you have an active video call, for example, the device’s screen will display a picture-in-picture view of the video being streamed to the cloud or will display a green “call in progress” bar at the bottom of the screen.

Q.: How Do Echo Devices with a Screen Know to Turn On the Screen?

A.: Echo devices are very responsive especially when you use any of the wake words such as Alexa, Echo, Amazon or Computer. Amazon Echo devices with a screen will turn on the screen when they detect the wake word or motion in view of the camera or when you interact with the devices’ display or buttons.

Q.: Can I Turn Off the Camera on Echo Devices with a Camera?

A.: Yes. If you press the Microphone/Camera Off button on your device, the power to the camera and the microphones will be disconnected and a dedicated red light will appear. When you turn off the camera, the Echo device will not detect motion in view of the camera anymore. You will also not be able to use any features that rely on the camera. Video calling is one of such features.

Q.: How Do Echo Device Recognize the Wake Word?

A.: By default, Echo devices are configured to detect only your chosen wake word such as Alexa, Echo, Amazon, Computer. The device detects the wake word by identifying acoustic patterns that match the wake word. Once the word is detected, audio begins streaming to the cloud. It is important to note that no audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects the wake word. Another method is to activate Alexa by way of pressing a button.

Q.: How Do I Know When Echo Device is Sending Audio to the Amazon Cloud?

A.: When your Amazon Echo device detects the wake word or when you press the Action button available on some select Echo devices to activate Alexa, a visual indicator appears on the device indicating that the device is recording your request to send to the cloud. For example, a light ring on the Echo will turn blue or a blue bar will appear on Echo Show. You can also configure Echo devices to play a short audible tone any time audio is sent to the cloud within Settings in the Alexa app. By default, Echo device such as the new Echo Input comes with the short audible tone enabled.