internet of things

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."

Olga and her husband are blind, and she wants to know how the accessibility is for the Mellow Cooker with her iPhone. Will it tell her what to do when she links the two together? Leo says the Mellow has no controls, so it would be controlled with an app. The app will walk them through it. They can just flash the Wi-Fi info from the phone, and then they'll be able to control it from the app.

Ellie got the latest Google Home Assistant and she thinks that as it gets smarter, it may even surpass the Amazon Echo in capability. Leo says that Google is pushing it pretty hard towards that goal. Leo also says that it could be beneficial for those with eyesight issues.

Joe wants to know which Amazon Echo he should buy. Leo says that the Alexa Echo has its own speaker and costs $100. The more affordable Echo is under $50 and he would need to connect a speaker to it. Should he buy Google Home instead? Google does a lot of the same things, but it isn't as advanced and mature as the Echo in terms of skills. But the Google Home is smarter for answering questions. Leo says he prefers the Echo, so he should get that.