🔴 Check out - Amazon Echo & Alexa 10 Everyday Uses 3.0 - ua-cam.com/video/g1eYYoFodKs/v-deo.html . This will help you with uses. It also has updates for this year.
this is amazing I'm looking to buy one with the moton censor but I never with a censor can we have the moton censor to activate between the hours of X and X while having a limit to how many times you allow it to while having them activate spacedout
I use mine in a long dark hall with the night light. It's good for getting info but what I really like is that it hears real well. I have Alexa scattered through the house for controlling a lot of smart devices. Best of all, my 92 year old dad can say Alexa help me and it triggers a routine to send an emergency message to my phone. I can check my cameras to see where he's at and call directly to the Alexa device nearest him. If necessary, I can let in my neighbor or EMS through the garage remotely.
I agree, this is not a device to listen to music through. This device is to extend the Alexa features in somewhere where you don’t need a higher end echo device.
I just got mine (with the light plug in) and I love it. I do find a questionable manufacturing point. I think it missed an opportunity to have a plug (with a dust cover) on the top of the device to be able to plug in both the light and the sensor.
I just wanted to say thank you for being a forward thinking professional and muting the "Alexa" activation word for us viewers. You know your audience and realize that it's annoying to have our speakers activate when watching a video about devices we likely already have in our houses.
It would be nice to have a speaker to plug into it, which would replace the one it has. I have two nightlights on smart plugs and I can see this replacing them or at least using the motion sensor to trigger them. Might have to grab a couple of them. Glad you focused more on its uses than its sound. I think people are missing the point of this device.
Why didn't they make the motion sensor with another usb slot on the bottom and therefore the ability to plug the light into it? A missed opportunity Amazon.
@@SmartHomeHASHTAGS I have a standard double socket and 2 flexes would work, the motion sensor on top of one flex and the night light on the bottom of the second one.
Hi Craig, I have a tip for you and all the viewers. I bought this setup with the light and used it in the bathroom in replacement to a little light sensitive night light. This light has a light sensor, so I thought this will be a direct replacement with the addition to having Alexa. So I set it all up, added it into the bathroom, which is also in a group called “inside lights” I have a good night routine setup that turns off “inside lights” I say “Alexa, good night” and later that night found out that the light sensor quite working for some reason. Turns out if you command the light it will disable the light sensor function for 12 hours. The solution I came up with was to create a new group named “nightlight” and I excluded that group from “inside lights” so it maintains full auto dim features, and I can still manually control if I want by calling out the name of the light. Hope this helps others. Thanks for the videos.
I use mine in the garage to let me know someone is here. The routine welcomes the person home and turns a light on in my den for 10 minutes. Works great.
Really nice and thorough review! My Flex finally arrives tomorrow. The nightlight for it already arrived. Going straight into my master bath where it will replace the old nightlight and be paired with a waterproof Bluetooth speaker I use there. Alexa will finally be able to hear me from the stall shower and not eat up any additional outlets or counter space! Working with Ring would also be helpful for folks who want to put the Flex in a remote area like a garage, shed, unfinished basement, etc. so they can still interact with anyone at the door. I suppose you could also use the motion sensor to alert you when the kids get home from school or your dogwalker's arrived, or anyone else who has access to your house, really. Save you a call when you're at work.
Arrived this morning and I'm really happy with it! It's a little larger than I had anticipated and the speaker isn't horrendous for spoken content, though it's not great. But it can hear me in the stall shower and control my waterproof Bluetooth speaker, which is what I wanted it to do. Both pieces set up automatically without my having to do a thing. The only tricky part was trying to make the Echo Show 5 in the bedroom forget the Bluetooth speaker so I could instead pair it with the Flex. Wasn't able to find a way to do that in the app or on the screen, so ended up having to unplug the Show 5 in order to pair the BT speaker with the Flex. Anyone figured out how to make a Show 5 forget a Bluetooth speaker?
Hey thank you for the video, I clicked on your link and ordered the one with the sensor. This is a life saver since now when someone comes downstairs in the night it will turn on the kitchen and hallway light. This way I don't have to leave them on.
A factoid about the light colors ... In the Navy, we used red lights everywhere on the interior at night ... for two reasons ... First the red wave length of light does not travel very far ergo when hatches were opened from the interior to the exterior of ships at night it was far less likely to be spotted by other ships (enemy) ... The second reason that red lights were used at night is that red would not negatively effect your night vision (not equipment, but your eyes). So, should you want a night light so you see see your way around the house at night and not be blinded by white light or disturb another in their sleep use the red light capabilities for a night light.
I just hope they make more add ons for it there is so much potential for this device. Maybe even a speaker add on for better sound... or a multi port USB charging hub that goes between the flex and another plugin.
Very cool! I love the compact design. This is perfect for the bathroom and entryway as well as the upstairs hallway. I am pleased to see that the night light changes colors, perfect for my kids rooms! You are right, the motion sensor is brilliant for routines as we walk in the house or downstairs. Yes, you should do an updated video for routines...I think it is a compelling feature. To me this is a game changer for how my smart home will be operating! Great review Craig! I am excited to get mine.
I can really see this being a great option in a kids room. Although I really like the motion sensor idea for it, would be great in the kitchen for when I get home from work at night.
I use it with motion sensor to control overhead fluorescent lights and garage opener power in my garage. I bought one for a Christmas present and that person uses it to trigger morning routines when he enters his bathroom every morning. No music required nor is it the purpose of the device. They made a winner with this device.
I have one in each room. Both bedrooms,bathroom,kitchen I did this because I’m in a wheelchair and now if I fall I can call for help. I have all 3 additions night light, motion sensor,ir remote.
You didn't even mention it comes with a built in light sensor that automatically triggers the night light on and off based on ambient light. You should also mention that the mic pickups are really bad and that you will have to speak loudly and clearly directly at it for it to pick up voice commands.
I had mine delivered too. Obviously not great for music but I got it for my bathroom where my dot is a little inconvenient with the power cord on my counter. I moved the flex to the kitchen where it’s perfect! Out of the way and very useful when I’m in the kitchen. I will probably order another one to go back in the bathroom. When I’m in the shower listening to music, quality isn’t priority so it’s great. Over all, I’m very happy with the convenience. Hopefully they will get a nice discount before Christmas. Once again, thanks for the review and new ideas! Happy holidays!
@@Bungle2010 I actually have 3 echo flexes now and they are great additions to the echo experience. I also got the clock accessories to use on 2 of them that I have in bathrooms. I also do use a nice Bluetooth speaker for one of the flexes I have in a bathroom and it works great.
I have one in my guest room, primarily so I wouldn't have to yell out to my Echo Show in the other room... but I love it. Not the greatest sound quality, but my expectations for that weren't very high anyways... it's miniscule compared to how convenient and resourceful the Flex is. I'll give it a 3.8-4/5.
wow how time flies. 2021 marks the year that Amazon discontinued the Echo Flex, according to the Amazon 4 star store I talked to. Can you find us a replacement for both the plug in and the motion sensor that has Alexa inside?
I have an Echo Flex on the landing upstairs and a dot in the living room, I mainly got the Flex upstairs so Alexa could hear me when i'm out of ear shot of the one downstairs. I have a Ring Alarm system in my house and there is a motion detector on the landing, I am going to buy one of the nightlight extensions for the flex so that when the Ring motion detector detects motion during the night it will turn the nightlight on!
That is what is nice about the echo flex is the flexibility to change it into something different like a night light. Very cool got it set up and put to use. Thanks for watching.
Love your style, I've said it, and will repeat 😃 Just one little suggestion about classical music. Some pieces have a very wide dynamic range, so it can sound very low to very loud. The comparison should have been using the same classical piece of music.
Got it with the motion sensor. Wanted to see if I could use it with a usb extension cable. Seems to work like a charm. Not sure if it works with a multiple port USB option, but may have to test that. Like others I think it'd be nice to have the usb port still useful while using the usb devices since for the first gen options they aren't built in as extra port while using the main port.
@@jpaden8515 So, do you use the sensor part (remotely attached by it's extension cable) to activate something on the Echo Flex or have you got it triggering a routine involving other Alexa compatible devices? Sorry for picking your brains - last question, I promise!
How I use my Echo Flex .. I have an Internet Radio that does not allow me to listen to Audible and Apple Music .. so, I got the Echo Flex to and connect to the radio via Bluetooth and voila, it opens up more possibilities for listening! After listening to this video I ordered the "nightlight" (looks interesting)
It would be amazing if the 3.5mm jack had a toslink mini/optical combi to connect to a DAC or receiver, unless you can use the USB port to connect a USB dac
I was thinking about all you said. Something else nice is if it's in the bathroom, you can interact with it while you're in there, right? Like if it's set up as a night light, could you still have it play music, or drop in on others if you need somebody, like if you need more paper?
Thanks. It’s so funny how you made this video. I just bought a bunch of dots just so I didn’t have to talk louder while in a different room to control various functions. Guess all I needed was the flex lol. Oh well lol
I miss the option where you could activate the motion sensor with your voice. So you tell Alexa you leave the house and the motion sensor starts working until you open the door again. Hopefully they'll implement this.
Nice video brother. I just came across your channel and I thought your review is short to the point and meaningful. I subscribe. By the way how long have you been uploading videos? I am in the similar space and I’m always wondering what level of hustle does it take to get to that point
Hello, thank you very much. I appreciate you subscribing. I have been uploading almost 3 years. At least once a week I upload. Some weeks twice a week. Thanks for watching.
Hey, it’s basically a cheaper (with Black Friday pricing) version of the “echo input” that has way more options.... for one: it’ll work without pairing to another speaker, has that USB pass through to charge phones, light add-on, the motion sensor add-on.. I think it’ll be great in my bathroom next to the toilet as it’s only $20 now on amazon : small speaker works for news updates while I pee and will provide me a dimable light : may even regift my echo input in my guest room with one as it’ll be cheaper than buying an input for my niece as I already have a Bose speaker in that room to pair with.
I live in a disabled friendly home so my sockets are all at waist height which would have made setting up my Alexa based home a lot easier with the Echo Flex. The problem I can see with normal homes is people putting bags or stuff in front of the sensor and having the light accessory near the floor isn’t that helpful. My home is set up so that the bathroom, hall and kitchen lights are turned on by motion sensors and turn off again when no movement is detected. I’ve had home automation (self made and programmed) since the late 80’s but the Amazon setup is the best yet.
Hey Craig, great video. Just bought one of these since Amazon had it for $12.50! Appreciate the review of it and gave me an idea where and how to use it. I think I'll buy the light attachment and use this in the guest bathroom. Currently have a 2nd gen Dot with 3rd party mounting fixture (kinda ugly).. that I can now replace with this slick unit. Granted the sound sucks... but hey... it's just for guests and if they don't like it they can check into a hotel! haha Cheers bud!
I was thinking about buying one of these. I’d only use it for the night light tho for the bathroom. Great review like always. Every tie I watch your videos I usually end up purchasing the product right after
I wonder, If the flex can be used as a cat deterrent on kitchen counters? Any ideas of making a skill when motion is detected on the kitchen counter and a screeching sound could come out of the flex and scare the cat off the counter?..I would SO LOVE this!!!
@@zxccxz164 You can use a Sylvania/Osram Smart+ Motion Sensor directly with an Echo Plus, no need for Smarthings at all (mine is set so when I first come down the stairs in the morning it turns on my kettle).
I thought so too, but how does the sensor know when you are coming or going? I would like to set it up so when I leave it runs routines, but it will also run these all day long when it detects motion.
@@zxccxz164 To be honest I'm starting to lean towards Home Assistant on Rasberry Pi to keep things (kind of) local, and give me more control, I'll keep the Echos though to issue commands to them. Funilly enough I've just had a internet outage for around 3 hours and the need for local control has become way clearer.
btw, location services on Alexa doesn't work here in the UK, another thing that annoys me about Amazon touting things like "you can use guard while you're out *not available in UK".
Google is a great ecosystem. I think it’s cool you can recognize this as an awesome product. We should all appreciate the different ecosystems. Happy Holidays.
I like the idea of an off the counter plug-in Echo but would require an internal speaker as capable as the Echo Dot before I bought one. The point would be to have one device that is sufficient all around and not have to connect another speaker. It would live in the bathroom.
this is useful for hallways and rooms where you don’t stay in for long such as a dining room so you can turn on lights etc. but it’s not useful for music at all
I just got into Echos with the Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals, and I really appreciate you not saying her name. Other videos that say her name keep triggering my new echos :)
yes a USB on echo's would be good After playing with my wife's new dot3 I Can't believe they haven't added a WPS button in the app or used the mic button as one And why not use the lights to show WiFi signal strength or again in the app or even say it or beep it That would help with placement And its got fa%t sounds but no email or dictating app Also I recommend your channel to a lot or people your so down to earth I can't believe you have the time to run this and Craig's list ;-) Though I think Craigs list US and UK are two very different things
I have to say I’m an Alexa nut....if it’s Alexa anything I have it or I’m going to get it....I think it’s amazing...I will be getting this also. Thanks Craig for all your videos...
With that kind of motion sensor. What happen if you have multiple people living in the house . When it detect movement for example it does a routine so it will do the same routine every time someone else come In the room (house) even if your already there . Could become bothering to hear Alexa saying hi and you event on calendar or whatever you want every time someone arrive
i watch your videos and learn allot i just purchased the echo flex clock..i love my echo flex night light. can you do a video on the clock and let me know what you think of it?
I plan to replace an ecobee switch+, which is horrible, with the new flex. It's better than an Input because it doesn't need any cables, it's a step up in audio, they both need an external speaker for reasonable sound.
I preordered one but then realised that the power points through my house where I was planning on putting a Flex with night light are only 8 inches off the floor and often behind a piece of furniture. Plus I have a cat, so motion sensor also not an option. Order cancelled and waiting for tomorrow (Black Friday) to check other Echo options.
I would like if they put another USB on the top or on each accessory so you can have the nightlight and motion plugged in at the same time. Wonder what would happen if you plugged in a USB splitter then both devices? Or if you could just plug in a USB extension and place the motion in a different location as the device.
Is It possible to tell the echo flex in a bathroom that the echo dot in my living room should connect with my Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom? So I can listen to amazon music unlimited (just for one device)?
Once you've paired a BT speaker to an Echo, that Echo will automatically reconnect to it whenever you turn the BT speaker on and it's in range. So to do what you're asking, you would pair the BT speaker to the Living Room Echo, turn it on, and then yes, you could tell the Flex to play music on the Living Room Echo and it would play on the BT speaker. I have the Individual Plan so can't test your exact scenario, but don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
@butera records Right, but for some situations, it would be much cleaner than an echo input. If you just had, say, a boom box on the counter it would look much nicer to have the flex plugged into the outlet and leading to the boom box than to use an echo input.
The device itself is not that interesting to me, but the fact that the USB slot has data communication capabilities to make the device expandable instead of being a dumb power port does make that part interesting. I would like to see if Amazon takes this further in future smart devices. I could see the possibilities of making an Echo flex with multiple USB slots to plug in 3rd party devices not invented yet. I bet those additional attachments would cost less as the manufacturer would not have to add in the Alexa smart assistant themselves. They would just need to have enough logic to communicate with the host Alexa device. Sorta like a PC with expansion slots where you can add additional peripherals to add additional capabilities. The expansion card would only need to focus on their device and not recreating the host computer. So the Echo Flex idea can be very interesting. I see this as a version 1.0 for now.
Echoflex is also the best music caster you can find. It will never loose setup like Google Chrome Cast Audio does, will always appear in the available speakers list of Spotify, wether on phone, tablet or PC (Wich is NOT the case with google cast stuff), and you will then be able to control it totally by voice, which again is NOT the case for a Chrome Cast Audio. For about the same price (25$ in Canada) its way better then google bs !
@@lollymanna its a "thing" that allows you to send music wirelessly to whatever speakers you decide to. As the Echo Flex has a jack, you can plug to it whatever speakers you want, powered or not, and thus send music from your phone, pc, nas, etc... to these particular speakers.
I set a routine with flex and motion senor to turn on bathroom lights and play smooth jazz on amazon: problem, smooth jazz restarts with every motion in the bathroom. I know you have a fix for this!
Hello James, I believe I might actually have an answer for you. If you go into the routine under “when” and between “Alexa will”, you should see anytime. Under anytime you can limit when the routine triggers and you can limit how long before it can be triggered again. If you put a time to wait for the estimated time you will be in there it should not trigger with every motion. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays.
@@CraigsTechTalk Craig, you're awesome! I had the same issue that needed a solution. I'm playing music, too, but for 10 minutes. Now I'm waiting to figure out if the Ecobee Switch can replace a boring analog switch in the same bathroom, and play music for 10 mins. If Ecobee Switch can do that, I'll repurpose these Flex's elsewhere. No such thing as too many Echo's in the home! 😁
interesting, but at the same price point as the echo dot 2nd gen and at a way lower volume i think i'll stick to keeping the 2nd gen dot in my bathroom. I can use a skill to keep the light on the dot on as a nightlight and have better shower karaoke sounds.
🔴 Check out - Amazon Echo & Alexa 10 Everyday Uses 3.0 - ua-cam.com/video/g1eYYoFodKs/v-deo.html . This will help you with uses. It also has updates for this year.
this is amazing I'm looking to buy one with the moton censor but I never with a censor
can we have the moton censor to activate between the hours of X and X while having a limit to how many times you allow it to while having them activate spacedout
I use mine in a long dark hall with the night light. It's good for getting info but what I really like is that it hears real well. I have Alexa scattered through the house for controlling a lot of smart devices. Best of all, my 92 year old dad can say Alexa help me and it triggers a routine to send an emergency message to my phone. I can check my cameras to see where he's at and call directly to the Alexa device nearest him. If necessary, I can let in my neighbor or EMS through the garage remotely.
mkoon13 this is why I love this tech, so much potential for people to be independent. Should be free for older and disabled people
Hello mkoon13 that is a great use of the echos. That is valuable safety help. Thanks for sharing this and watching.
Hello Simon, I like that idea I’d free for older or disabled people who could use the help. Thanks for watching.
I like that idea how can I make mine do the same things . I can call the echo dot device and talk to someone near it?? How
Thanks so much
My email is pasadenaron@gmail.com
Would like info how to use it for my elderly dad
Thx
It's starting to get expensive watching your videos my man... I'm basically buying everything you review..
I describe it as expensively addictive or addictively expensive. Same same either way.
Hello buddy, sorry for costing you a bunch of money. Hopefully it has been worth it😀👍. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Hope you are having a great day.
When he starts reviewing cars with Alexa built-in, you're screwed buddy.
And making him money via affiliate links/marketing and paid reviews.
Had mine for two weeks. Have it in my shed and its perfectly usable to listen to radio. Its cheap enough that I don’t worry about it.
nibunker exactly what I was thinking. I have the dot three atm and I’m like I might just flex 💪
I agree, this is not a device to listen to music through. This device is to extend the Alexa features in somewhere where you don’t need a higher end echo device.
Luis L my Samsung Soundbar has Alexa so I can use it to control and play music through that
Would this be ok for my mum to listen to radio on? She currently has a £25 radio and she’s happy so she’s not after superb sound quality
Luke Bradley just get a dot 3. The sound quality is really good and its only £40 ish rn
I will have to ask Alexa for permission to buy one. She runs my life.
Purchase rubber doll parts ASAP 😅😘
This comment wins the internet 🤣
🥰
Lol, I like the fact that you mute 'Alexa'
Last time I was watching another alexa video and my alexa started going crazy, I can't do that... smart!
Thank you Assad. I am glad you appreciated that. I try my best not to set off devices. I know it drives people crazy.
I really like the versatility of this device, it feels like a truly practical addition to the Alexa line up
I just got mine (with the light plug in) and I love it. I do find a questionable manufacturing point. I think it missed an opportunity to have a plug (with a dust cover) on the top of the device to be able to plug in both the light and the sensor.
...or night light and Third Reality clock, etc..
I just wanted to say thank you for being a forward thinking professional and muting the "Alexa" activation word for us viewers. You know your audience and realize that it's annoying to have our speakers activate when watching a video about devices we likely already have in our houses.
YES a new updated 2021 routine would be nice.
It would be nice to have a speaker to plug into it, which would replace the one it has. I have two nightlights on smart plugs and I can see this replacing them or at least using the motion sensor to trigger them. Might have to grab a couple of them. Glad you focused more on its uses than its sound. I think people are missing the point of this device.
Why didn't they make the motion sensor with another usb slot on the bottom and therefore the ability to plug the light into it? A missed opportunity Amazon.
The attachments are all made by third parties, so that's an opportunity for those vendors who create new ones.
I know. You'd like to think there was some consultation between the parties involved though.
Or maybe even asking the end user what they'd like to see. Can't be that difficult to put a survey on Amazon homepage.
Charlie Hamilton I was thinking that aswell. Motion with a night light.
@@SmartHomeHASHTAGS I have a standard double socket and 2 flexes would work, the motion sensor on top of one flex and the night light on the bottom of the second one.
Hi Craig,
I have a tip for you and all the viewers. I bought this setup with the light and used it in the bathroom in replacement to a little light sensitive night light. This light has a light sensor, so I thought this will be a direct replacement with the addition to having Alexa. So I set it all up, added it into the bathroom, which is also in a group called “inside lights” I have a good night routine setup that turns off “inside lights” I say “Alexa, good night” and later that night found out that the light sensor quite working for some reason. Turns out if you command the light it will disable the light sensor function for 12 hours.
The solution I came up with was to create a new group named “nightlight” and I excluded that group from “inside lights” so it maintains full auto dim features, and I can still manually control if I want by calling out the name of the light. Hope this helps others. Thanks for the videos.
I use mine in the garage to let me know someone is here. The routine welcomes the person home and turns a light on in my den for 10 minutes. Works great.
Really nice and thorough review! My Flex finally arrives tomorrow. The nightlight for it already arrived. Going straight into my master bath where it will replace the old nightlight and be paired with a waterproof Bluetooth speaker I use there. Alexa will finally be able to hear me from the stall shower and not eat up any additional outlets or counter space!
Working with Ring would also be helpful for folks who want to put the Flex in a remote area like a garage, shed, unfinished basement, etc. so they can still interact with anyone at the door. I suppose you could also use the motion sensor to alert you when the kids get home from school or your dogwalker's arrived, or anyone else who has access to your house, really. Save you a call when you're at work.
Arrived this morning and I'm really happy with it! It's a little larger than I had anticipated and the speaker isn't horrendous for spoken content, though it's not great. But it can hear me in the stall shower and control my waterproof Bluetooth speaker, which is what I wanted it to do. Both pieces set up automatically without my having to do a thing. The only tricky part was trying to make the Echo Show 5 in the bedroom forget the Bluetooth speaker so I could instead pair it with the Flex. Wasn't able to find a way to do that in the app or on the screen, so ended up having to unplug the Show 5 in order to pair the BT speaker with the Flex. Anyone figured out how to make a Show 5 forget a Bluetooth speaker?
Hey thank you for the video, I clicked on your link and ordered the one with the sensor. This is a life saver since now when someone comes downstairs in the night it will turn on the kitchen and hallway light. This way I don't have to leave them on.
A factoid about the light colors ... In the Navy, we used red lights everywhere on the interior at night ... for two reasons ... First the red wave length of light does not travel very far ergo when hatches were opened from the interior to the exterior of ships at night it was far less likely to be spotted by other ships (enemy) ... The second reason that red lights were used at night is that red would not negatively effect your night vision (not equipment, but your eyes). So, should you want a night light so you see see your way around the house at night and not be blinded by white light or disturb another in their sleep use the red light capabilities for a night light.
How do you fix the lighting? Mine reset and the settings are not there
Nice video, would be nice if the Echo Flex accessories where stack-able.
Was thinking the same ;)
I was thinking the exact same thing!
Amazon could've fuse these two accessories into one device.🙄
It would be nice if they were combined. I am surprised that it is split up. Thank you for watching.
Options.
I just hope they make more add ons for it there is so much potential for this device. Maybe even a speaker add on for better sound... or a multi port USB charging hub that goes between the flex and another plugin.
Would definitely use this for areas of the home that my echo cant normally hear me and just make a better sounding echo the preferred speaker.
Very cool! I love the compact design. This is perfect for the bathroom and entryway as well as the upstairs hallway. I am pleased to see that the night light changes colors, perfect for my kids rooms! You are right, the motion sensor is brilliant for routines as we walk in the house or downstairs. Yes, you should do an updated video for routines...I think it is a compelling feature. To me this is a game changer for how my smart home will be operating! Great review Craig! I am excited to get mine.
Connect to aux socket and its a really cheap and great internet radio as well as all the other features. Great device
Would love to be able to put the nightlight and motion sensor both on.....
I can really see this being a great option in a kids room. Although I really like the motion sensor idea for it, would be great in the kitchen for when I get home from work at night.
I use it with motion sensor to control overhead fluorescent lights and garage opener power in my garage. I bought one for a Christmas present and that person uses it to trigger morning routines when he enters his bathroom every morning. No music required nor is it the purpose of the device. They made a winner with this device.
Thanks for muting the alexa command...
I have one in each room. Both bedrooms,bathroom,kitchen I did this because I’m in a wheelchair and now if I fall I can call for help. I have all 3 additions night light, motion sensor,ir remote.
Very cool. Glad to hear that they are there to help if you needed.
It's a shame that the accessories aren't stackable!
I guess they couldn't conceive of anyone wanting a night light linked to motion.
You didn't even mention it comes with a built in light sensor that automatically triggers the night light on and off based on ambient light. You should also mention that the mic pickups are really bad and that you will have to speak loudly and clearly directly at it for it to pick up voice commands.
Suggestion on using as nightlight. Choose red. That gives illumination but does not affect night vision
I had mine delivered too. Obviously not great for music but I got it for my bathroom where my dot is a little inconvenient with the power cord on my counter. I moved the flex to the kitchen where it’s perfect! Out of the way and very useful when I’m in the kitchen. I will probably order another one to go back in the bathroom. When I’m in the shower listening to music, quality isn’t priority so it’s great. Over all, I’m very happy with the convenience. Hopefully they will get a nice discount before Christmas. Once again, thanks for the review and new ideas! Happy holidays!
Great stuff, Craig. I have both options (night light & motion sensor). I like it!!
All in one device would be great - the light, the motion detector all integrated
That would be great. It would be nice to see a V2 with both integrated.
I didn't think the speaker sounded that bad. Seems like it'd be ok for bathroom or something like that. 🤷♂️
@@Bungle2010 I actually have 3 echo flexes now and they are great additions to the echo experience. I also got the clock accessories to use on 2 of them that I have in bathrooms. I also do use a nice Bluetooth speaker for one of the flexes I have in a bathroom and it works great.
I have one in my guest room, primarily so I wouldn't have to yell out to my Echo Show in the other room... but I love it. Not the greatest sound quality, but my expectations for that weren't very high anyways... it's miniscule compared to how convenient and resourceful the Flex is.
I'll give it a 3.8-4/5.
wow how time flies. 2021 marks the year that Amazon discontinued the Echo Flex, according to the Amazon 4 star store I talked to. Can you find us a replacement for both the plug in and the motion sensor that has Alexa inside?
I have an Echo Flex on the landing upstairs and a dot in the living room, I mainly got the Flex upstairs so Alexa could hear me when i'm out of ear shot of the one downstairs. I have a Ring Alarm system in my house and there is a motion detector on the landing, I am going to buy one of the nightlight extensions for the flex so that when the Ring motion detector detects motion during the night it will turn the nightlight on!
That is what is nice about the echo flex is the flexibility to change it into something different like a night light. Very cool got it set up and put to use. Thanks for watching.
Love your style, I've said it, and will repeat 😃
Just one little suggestion about classical music. Some pieces have a very wide dynamic range, so it can sound very low to very loud.
The comparison should have been using the same classical piece of music.
LOL that Dot 3 and the wool sock audio: "Mumble bzzz mumble Apple mumble." Kills me every time!
There is an EQ in the app...but the sound still is weird.
That’s funny Bob, I know you really don’t like the sound of the Echo Dot 3. You have definitely been vocal about that. I appreciate it though.
The EQ helps some. My personal favorite device now is the Echo 3rd gen. It will be on sale for $60 soon. Thanks for watching.
Got it with the motion sensor. Wanted to see if I could use it with a usb extension cable. Seems to work like a charm. Not sure if it works with a multiple port USB option, but may have to test that. Like others I think it'd be nice to have the usb port still useful while using the usb devices since for the first gen options they aren't built in as extra port while using the main port.
Do you mean you can have the motion sensor Flex attachment some way distant from the Flex by attaching the two with a USB cable?
@@batintheattic7293 exactly!
@@jpaden8515 So, do you use the sensor part (remotely attached by it's extension cable) to activate something on the Echo Flex or have you got it triggering a routine involving other Alexa compatible devices? Sorry for picking your brains - last question, I promise!
Could you please make a video "how to make/have alexa welcome you" when you get home, thank you. Great channel! 👍🏽
I'm soo glad I ran across your channel. You give some great reviews & tips.
Just got my flex. Thanks for some of the ideas. Would be interseted if you did an up date on routines
OMG! What an awesome opening!!!
I’d like to see an update routines video.
How I use my Echo Flex .. I have an Internet Radio that does not allow me to listen to Audible and Apple Music .. so, I got the Echo Flex to and connect to the radio via Bluetooth and voila, it opens up more possibilities for listening! After listening to this video I ordered the "nightlight" (looks interesting)
It would be amazing if the 3.5mm jack had a toslink mini/optical combi to connect to a DAC or receiver, unless you can use the USB port to connect a USB dac
I was thinking about all you said. Something else nice is if it's in the bathroom, you can interact with it while you're in there, right? Like if it's set up as a night light, could you still have it play music, or drop in on others if you need somebody, like if you need more paper?
Did not realize it has a audio jack. Seems like a interesting device
Thanks. It’s so funny how you made this video. I just bought a bunch of dots just so I didn’t have to talk louder while in a different room to control various functions. Guess all I needed was the flex lol. Oh well lol
He bleeped the forbidden word
I miss the option where you could activate the motion sensor with your voice. So you tell Alexa you leave the house and the motion sensor starts working until you open the door again. Hopefully they'll implement this.
Is there a way to do that through Routines?
@@erinescence2095 I haven't figured it out yet. Anybody?
Good stuff - Amazon need to make a waterproof version, for outdoor use - now that would be handy (depending on the price of course)....
Nice video brother. I just came across your channel and I thought your review is short to the point and meaningful. I subscribe. By the way how long have you been uploading videos? I am in the similar space and I’m always wondering what level of hustle does it take to get to that point
Hello, thank you very much. I appreciate you subscribing. I have been uploading almost 3 years. At least once a week I upload. Some weeks twice a week. Thanks for watching.
We're either living in the ultimate age for choice or teetering ridiculously close to enslavement by trivial devices. I can't figure out which it is.
Enslavement by trivial devices. I love tech, but Alexa really really scares me.
would have been great if the motion detector had a light built in so it would turn on when motion was detected
Hey, it’s basically a cheaper (with Black Friday pricing) version of the “echo input” that has way more options.... for one: it’ll work without pairing to another speaker, has that USB pass through to charge phones, light add-on, the motion sensor add-on.. I think it’ll be great in my bathroom next to the toilet as it’s only $20 now on amazon : small speaker works for news updates while I pee and will provide me a dimable light : may even regift my echo input in my guest room with one as it’ll be cheaper than buying an input for my niece as I already have a Bose speaker in that room to pair with.
Do like it for audio books in bathroom. Sounds fine for talking.
I live in a disabled friendly home so my sockets are all at waist height which would have made setting up my Alexa based home a lot easier with the Echo Flex. The problem I can see with normal homes is people putting bags or stuff in front of the sensor and having the light accessory near the floor isn’t that helpful.
My home is set up so that the bathroom, hall and kitchen lights are turned on by motion sensors and turn off again when no movement is detected. I’ve had home automation (self made and programmed) since the late 80’s but the Amazon setup is the best yet.
I like your presentation style, Craig. Subscribed 👍 and greetings from Wales, UK 🏴
Hey Craig, great video. Just bought one of these since Amazon had it for $12.50! Appreciate the review of it and gave me an idea where and how to use it. I think I'll buy the light attachment and use this in the guest bathroom. Currently have a 2nd gen Dot with 3rd party mounting fixture (kinda ugly).. that I can now replace with this slick unit. Granted the sound sucks... but hey... it's just for guests and if they don't like it they can check into a hotel! haha Cheers bud!
If u say
"Hey alexa" 3 times she will show up in your bathroom mirror
Naked
@@adiposerex5150 sweet! Im gonna try it again!
Candyman... Candyman... Candyman
Redrum. Axela
lol
I was thinking about buying one of these. I’d only use it for the night light tho for the bathroom.
Great review like always. Every tie I watch your videos I usually end up purchasing the product right after
I wonder, If the flex can be used as a cat deterrent on kitchen counters?
Any ideas of making a skill when motion is detected on the kitchen counter and a screeching sound could come out of the flex and scare the cat off the counter?..I would SO LOVE this!!!
I just got a Bluetooth speaker connect sound great
That motion sensor really opens up so many opportunities
@@zxccxz164 ?? Sorry I don't know that much about smart home stuff, SmartThings is Samsung's stuff right?
@@zxccxz164 You can use a Sylvania/Osram Smart+ Motion Sensor directly with an Echo Plus, no need for Smarthings at all (mine is set so when I first come down the stairs in the morning it turns on my kettle).
I thought so too, but how does the sensor know when you are coming or going? I would like to set it up so when I leave it runs routines, but it will also run these all day long when it detects motion.
@@zxccxz164 To be honest I'm starting to lean towards Home Assistant on Rasberry Pi to keep things (kind of) local, and give me more control, I'll keep the Echos though to issue commands to them. Funilly enough I've just had a internet outage for around 3 hours and the need for local control has become way clearer.
btw, location services on Alexa doesn't work here in the UK, another thing that annoys me about Amazon touting things like "you can use guard while you're out *not available in UK".
I'm on the Google ecosys, but this product is surely awesome
Google is a great ecosystem. I think it’s cool you can recognize this as an awesome product. We should all appreciate the different ecosystems. Happy Holidays.
Sounds like the fire tv cube
Your are right. Good point. I had not thought about that. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing. I was thinking about getting a fire tv cube. Are they any good? I was undecided between the Mibox 4 S and the fire tv cube.
I know this device has a lot of potential. I am just waiting for black friday if I can score some deal! Great review!
In the US, it's $19.99 already through Alexa Voice Purchasing.
I like the idea of an off the counter plug-in Echo but would require an internal speaker as capable as the Echo Dot before I bought one. The point would be to have one device that is sufficient all around and not have to connect another speaker. It would live in the bathroom.
Love the easy install.
I think this would be smart to get to plus into a google home speaker. Like no joke it may make my living room a bit better
I have to know what you did to get the lighting behind your table --love it
this is useful for hallways and rooms where you don’t stay in for long such as a dining room so you can turn on lights etc. but it’s not useful for music at all
I just got into Echos with the Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals, and I really appreciate you not saying her name. Other videos that say her name keep triggering my new echos :)
yes a USB on echo's would be good
After playing with my wife's new dot3 I Can't believe they haven't added a WPS button in the app or used the mic button as one
And why not use the lights to show WiFi signal strength or again in the app or even say it or beep it
That would help with placement
And its got fa%t sounds but no email or dictating app
Also I recommend your channel to a lot or people your so down to earth
I can't believe you have the time to run this and Craig's list ;-)
Though I think Craigs list US and UK are two very different things
I have to say I’m an Alexa nut....if it’s Alexa anything I have it or I’m going to get it....I think it’s amazing...I will be getting this also. Thanks Craig for all your videos...
With that kind of motion sensor. What happen if you have multiple people living in the house . When it detect movement for example it does a routine so it will do the same routine every time someone else come In the room (house) even if your already there . Could become bothering to hear Alexa saying hi and you event on calendar or whatever you want every time someone arrive
i watch your videos and learn allot i just purchased the echo flex clock..i love my echo flex night light. can you do a video on the clock and let me know what you think of it?
I plan to replace an ecobee switch+, which is horrible, with the new flex. It's better than an Input because it doesn't need any cables, it's a step up in audio, they both need an external speaker for reasonable sound.
I'm more of a Google Home guy, but this might work for a project im doing for the bathroom.
I preordered one but then realised that the power points through my house where I was planning on putting a Flex with night light are only 8 inches off the floor and often behind a piece of furniture.
Plus I have a cat, so motion sensor also not an option.
Order cancelled and waiting for tomorrow (Black Friday) to check other Echo options.
Black Friday is next Friday ;)
Here in the UK Amazon starts the Black Friday sale tomorrow until next Friday. But thank you for the heads up 😉
@@franceswatts4001 Oh, wow... didn't know that. Learned something new :D Happy shopping!
Perfect for the kitchen! The mesh on the dot would get grimy there!
The best device for the kitchen is the show 5
I would like if they put another USB on the top or on each accessory so you can have the nightlight and motion plugged in at the same time. Wonder what would happen if you plugged in a USB splitter then both devices? Or if you could just plug in a USB extension and place the motion in a different location as the device.
Now, there's a clock as well.
You should give us a tour of your office!
Yes yes for flex and add ons
Craig is there a routine that will use motion to not only turn on lights but turn them off after you leave a room?
Please do a walk through for the flex and light and motion, Amazon does not do a good job to help this process. I still have not mastered them
Is It possible to tell the echo flex in a bathroom that the echo dot in my living room should connect with my Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom? So I can listen to amazon music unlimited (just for one device)?
Once you've paired a BT speaker to an Echo, that Echo will automatically reconnect to it whenever you turn the BT speaker on and it's in range. So to do what you're asking, you would pair the BT speaker to the Living Room Echo, turn it on, and then yes, you could tell the Flex to play music on the Living Room Echo and it would play on the BT speaker. I have the Individual Plan so can't test your exact scenario, but don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
@@erinescence2095 yes seems to work to control my echo dot in the living room via app, so maybe it's possible too with the flex
Great video thanks
I'd be excited to use it plugged into another speaker to make a nice-sounding echo on the counter.
@butera records Right, but for some situations, it would be much cleaner than an echo input. If you just had, say, a boom box on the counter it would look much nicer to have the flex plugged into the outlet and leading to the boom box than to use an echo input.
The device itself is not that interesting to me, but the fact that the USB slot has data communication capabilities to make the device expandable instead of being a dumb power port does make that part interesting. I would like to see if Amazon takes this further in future smart devices. I could see the possibilities of making an Echo flex with multiple USB slots to plug in 3rd party devices not invented yet. I bet those additional attachments would cost less as the manufacturer would not have to add in the Alexa smart assistant themselves. They would just need to have enough logic to communicate with the host Alexa device. Sorta like a PC with expansion slots where you can add additional peripherals to add additional capabilities. The expansion card would only need to focus on their device and not recreating the host computer. So the Echo Flex idea can be very interesting. I see this as a version 1.0 for now.
I don't know how Amazon would do this but what if echo dots could charge your phone by placing the phone on the top kinda like a wireless charger
Echoflex is also the best music caster you can find. It will never loose setup like Google Chrome Cast Audio does, will always appear in the available speakers list of Spotify, wether on phone, tablet or PC (Wich is NOT the case with google cast stuff), and you will then be able to control it totally by voice, which again is NOT the case for a Chrome Cast Audio. For about the same price (25$ in Canada) its way better then google bs !
@@lollymanna its a "thing" that allows you to send music wirelessly to whatever speakers you decide to. As the Echo Flex has a jack, you can plug to it whatever speakers you want, powered or not, and thus send music from your phone, pc, nas, etc... to these particular speakers.
Finally agood reviewer, all others are missing its point entirely and most didnt even mention the bluetooth speaker option. Lol
Use to make announcements to kids rooms and set their alarms
I set a routine with flex and motion senor to turn on bathroom lights and play smooth jazz on amazon: problem, smooth jazz restarts with every motion in the bathroom. I know you have a fix for this!
Hello James, I believe I might actually have an answer for you. If you go into the routine under “when” and between “Alexa will”, you should see anytime. Under anytime you can limit when the routine triggers and you can limit how long before it can be triggered again. If you put a time to wait for the estimated time you will be in there it should not trigger with every motion. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays.
@@CraigsTechTalk I knew I could count on you! Thanks, set it for 30 min., works great. Happy Holidays.
@@CraigsTechTalk
Craig, you're awesome! I had the same issue that needed a solution. I'm playing music, too, but for 10 minutes.
Now I'm waiting to figure out if the Ecobee Switch can replace a boring analog switch in the same bathroom, and play music for 10 mins. If Ecobee Switch can do that, I'll repurpose these Flex's elsewhere. No such thing as too many Echo's in the home! 😁
interesting, but at the same price point as the echo dot 2nd gen and at a way lower volume i think i'll stick to keeping the 2nd gen dot in my bathroom. I can use a skill to keep the light on the dot on as a nightlight and have better shower karaoke sounds.