internet of things

Dan has an aunt who lives a reclusive life and there are times she can't get up to open her door. Dan is wondering if there's a remote option that will allow her to open the door? Leo says sure, but she will also probably want a camera and monitor so she can see who's at the door before she opens it. That would require Wi-Fi, though. Schlage makes one that opens via Bluetooth. Kwikset was the first company to do this.

Brian's Amazon Echo has been misbehaving since the New Year. It keeps failing and restarting. Leo says that indicates a faulty device. It may be overheating or is worn out. Amazon really doesn't have a good suggestion either, so Leo recommends contacting them about an RMA return. There is a reset button, though, so he could try that first. It's a little hole at the base of the device. He'll need to use a paperclip to press it in, and he'll have to hold that button down for a few seconds to reset it.

Dan wants to get his mother a home assistant and can't decide between Google Home or Amazon Echo. Leo says that both are very similar. If Dan's mom has Amazon Prime, then she'll get a free limited music service with it. Google, however, is better at facts, while Echo is good at skills. So it comes down to what she's going to use it for. Echo is also better with smart home devices (IoT stuff). Leo gave his mother the Echo, but it's important to train his mother how to talk to Echo. For most people, Echo is easier to use.

Nancy has an Android phone, her kids have iPhone. Which assistant should she get, Amazon Echo or Google Home? Leo says it doesn't really matter, but for Nancy, using the Google Home would be similar to Android's voice assistant. The Echo has been out for a few years now and it's a mature system, whereas Google Home just came out not long ago. Google Home is better for facts because of its search knowledge. Amazon Echo is better for home automation. It works well with a variety of Internet of Things devices. Google Home isn't quite there yet with Internet of Things.

Armando is trying to connect Wemo to his wireless router, but when he connects an additional one, it won't take his password. Leo says 2.4 Ghz is extremely congested now, so Leo recommends going into his router settings and changing it to allow his router to make changes automatically. That will enable it to choose the best channels. Doing it manually is tough and he'd need a Wi-Fi analyzer to do it. If he wants to do that, InSSIDer is a good one.

Lil joins Leo to talk about Amazon's latest Echo device, called the Echo Connect, which enables you to connect your landline to your Echo network. It also enables you to dial 911.

Ken wants to know about a new hardware gadget called Fingbox. Leo says that Fing is a good company, but this is their first internet of things hardware offering. The key here is, will it be kept up to date? Will it be maintained in the long term? It looks like a cool Echo type of device, but only time will tell.

Aaron wants to know how he can listen to the Tech Guy live on the Amazon Echo. Leo says that the Echo has a skill to listen to the Tech Guy on TuneIn. Just say "Listen to the Tech Guy on TuneIn" and it will start playing. If he has the Echo Show, he can watch the live stream by saying "watch the Tech Guy on YouTube."