A built-in hub built-in Amazon Echo Plus & compact Amazon Echo Dot that can control smart appliances in voice

Speech recognition assistant finally released in Japan on November 15, 2017AlexaAmazon's smart speaker equipped with "Amazon Echo", I got GIGAZINE at onceReviewThen I tried what the popular smart speakers are. It is different from such Amazon Echo size & spec "Amazon Echo Dot"When"Amazon Echo PlusAs I was able to get it, I immediately compared it with Amazon Echo.

◆ Amazon Echo Dot Opening Ceremony
This is a package of Amazon Echo Dot.


Amazon Echo Dot is a 9 W power adapter and is connected via a Micro-USB cable, which is completely different from Amazon Echo which was a coaxial cable connection with 12 W.


Well then it is opened. Peel and peel the tape ......


Pull out the inner box.


It is like this when arranging the contents. From left: Amazon Echo Dot main body, power adapter, Micro-USB cable, instructions, how to use.


It weighs 163 g and is light enough to hold with one hand.


The size of the panel is 84 mm in diameter, almost the same as Amazon Echo with a diameter of 88 mm. It is distinctive that there is a hole for the speaker so as to surround the button all around.


There is thin rubber on the back, and it is a slip prevention. It also contained a CE mark and a technical suit mark. And there was a hole for the speaker on the back.


Micro - USB port for charging and 3.5 mm stereo output terminal on the back.


◆ Amazon Echo Plus Opening Ceremony
Amazon Echo Plus is a top model of Amazon Echo.


The item "ZIGBEE" is added to the function list of Amazon Echo Plus. Amazon Echo Plus has a big feature in that it has a hub for smart home devices,ZigBeeIt supports.


I used the same power supply as Amazon Echo 21W.


It is opened. Peel off the tape ......


Peel off the inner box because it was sealed with tape.


Amazon Echo Plus lay in a pretty solid inner box.


Contents are main body and power cable, examples of instructions and usage.


Behind the Amazon Echo, the hole of the body and the speaker shining dull silvery is distinctive. It weighs 954 grams, and it weighs quite heavily with one hand.


On the reverse side was a rubber of nonskid stuck, and it contained the Amazon logo, the CE mark and the technically qualified mark. There is also a logo of ZigBee.


Amazon Echo Plus is 84 mm in diameter and is about the same size as Amazon Echo with a diameter of 88 mm. But Amazon Echo Plus's top panel does not have volume buttons. To change the volume by the surroundings of the top panel as a dial other than voice control, turn this dial by hand to adjust.


Power supply is 21 W coaxial cable.


Connect the power supply to the outlet on the back of the main unit. In addition to the power input, 3.5 mm stereo output terminal is also provided on the back.


◆ Amazon Echo · Amazon Echo Dot · Amazon Echo Plus compare
Amazon Echo Dot with a height of 32 mm from the left, Amazon Echo with a height of 148 mm, Amazon Echo Plus with a height of 235 mm are arranged side by side. Thanks to Amazon Echo Plus, which is over 1.5 times taller than Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot's compactness stands out.


Amazon Echo Dot (left) and Amazon Echo Plus (right) are 84 mm in diameter and 88 cm in Amazon Echo (middle) size of the top panel. However, Amazon Echo Plus does not have a volume button, and the shape and number of holes are slightly different. In addition, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Plus have the same basic functions in all three types.


The basic usage of Amazon Echo is as follows.

Smart speaker with artificial intelligence Alexa "Amazon Echo" opening ceremony & trying it in practice - GIGAZINE


I tried using Amazon Echo Plus as a smart home hub
Amazon Echo Plus differs greatly from Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot in that it has ZigBee support and features as a smart home hub. Even Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot can use the "smart home function" to manage home appliances by connecting to the network, but in that case, a unit called a smart home hub is required separately. However, since Amazon Echo Plus has a smart home hub inside the main body, if you prepare a corresponding smart home appliance, you can control it from Amazon Echo Plus.


To do so, you first need to register smart home electronics with Amazon Echo Plus. From the home screen of the Amazon Alexa application on the smartphone, tap the icon in the upper right to display the side menu.


When the side menu appears, tap the item "Smart Home".


As we start to detect the device, switch on smart appliances and switch to pairing mode.


Detection ended after a while. This time we prepared a smart LED light bulb compatible with ZigBee. The LED lightbulb is properly detected and registered under the name "first light". Tap this "first light" ......


A screen that allows you to change the lighting on / off and brightness is displayed. Tap on the white circle with light bulbs to turn on / off the lighting, and change the brightness by moving the lower slide. Control of light bulbs from smartphones is now available via Amazon Echo Plus. In addition, if you are a home appliance that has officially responded to Amazon Echo Plus you do not even need to operate the application, you can easily register smart appliances with Alexa's speech recognition.


Of course, you can give instructions to Amazon Echo Plus by voice and control the light bulb. In the following movie, you can see that you are actually controlling the bulb with speech recognition of Amazon Echo Plus. Amazon Alexa who responds "Yes" after a little delay after controlling is cute.

I tried the smart home hub function built in Echo Plus - YouTube


Amazon Echo Dot has changed its size and sound quality only by losing 2.5 inch Woofer from Amazon Echo, and the basic function does not change at all. Because it is compact size, it does not get in the way of narrow rooms and cars, it is easy to carry. It is a big merit that it is cheaper and easier to use than Amazon Echo. However, actually using it, the sound quality is still clearly higher in Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Plus, where preference gets divided depending on whether to give priority to handiness or sound quality.

Amazon Echo Plus is quite a size, unlike Amazon Echo Dot, it is the size and weight you should use for deferred. Also, it is a remarkable point that it has a built-in smart home hub, and other basic functions and setup are exactly the same as Amazon Echo. Since it is not necessary to buy a smart home hub, it is a big advantage that omitting a troublesome part in smart home formation, such as cooperation setting with a hub. I'd like to advance smart home, but I can recommend it to those who care about setting up and do not feel like going through.

With a variety of skills, you can expect various ways of using the "Amazon Echo" series that you can expect not only to listen to music, Echo Dot is 5980 yen including tax, Echo 11980 yen including tax, Echo Plus with built-in smart hub function is 17980 yen including tax . However, at the time of article creation, it is a system that sends an invitation request mail to Amazon and can purchase only by the person who received the invitation mail.

Amazon | Echo Dot - Smart Speaker


Amazon.co.jp: Amazon Echo Plus (New model), smart home hub built in, black: Kindle store


Amazon | Echo - Smart speaker