Alexa @ Resorts

[Camshell]

We use our Alexa for music, alarms, timers, lists, etc. We would love to bring her on vacation with us. Has anyone brought and set her up in your room. Any tips or feedback? We’d keep the volume on the low side to not bother other guests.

 

[kaytieeldr]

All rooms have wi-fi, so it should work the same as at home. What kind of tips are you seeking?

 

[Camshell]

All rooms have wi-fi, so it should work the same as at home. What kind of tips are you seeking?

Just wondering if anyone had setup issues and how they resolved

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you leave it turned on while you are out of the room, Alexa can record all the stuff the housekeepers talk about when they enter the room. And pass that on to Google.

 

[Farro]

If you leave it turned on while you are out of the room, Alexa can record all the stuff the housekeepers talk about when they enter the room. And pass that on to Google.

That's weird, why would someone do that?

 

[Deb & Bill]

That's weird, why would someone do that?

Ask Google. Alexa is always listening and reporting back to Google.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

If you leave it turned on while you are out of the room, Alexa can record all the stuff the housekeepers talk about when they enter the room. And pass that on to Google.

Or, order goods from Amazon.

Ask Google. Alexa is always listening and reporting back to Google.

I heard that as well. I refuse to own one.

 

[jpakstis]

Ask Google. Alexa is always listening and reporting back to Google.

I have to be honest, I’ve never heard of an Echo device collecting data or reporting back to Google. An internet search reveals that you can manually add a Google Assistant “skill” to Alexa but that it takes some mods and workarounds.

Are you confusing the Echo device with the Google Home one? Amazon only stores voice input after the wake word has been uttered (ie “Alexa”) and then stops when the task has been completed. Google got in trouble when they first sold the Home device because they were recording all the time. They have since modified the device to only record after the wake word has been uttered and then stops after the task has been completed.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

The problem is the WiFi forces you to re-authenticate at least once a day. We had problems with our devices needing to be reauthenticated whenever the kids went to use them and it caused a lot of frustration because they didn’t understand.

 

[buzznina]

I have to be honest, I’ve never heard of an Echo device collecting data or reporting back to Google. An internet search reveals that you can manually add a Google Assistant “skill” to Alexa but that it takes some mods and workarounds.

Are you confusing the Echo device with the Google Home one? Amazon only stores voice input after the wake word has been uttered (ie “Alexa”) and then stops when the task has been completed. Google got in trouble when they first sold the Home device because they were recording all the time. They have since modified the device to only record after the wake word has been uttered and then stops after the task has been completed.

A couple of month's ago the Tech reporter for the Washington Post, which is actually owned by Amazon, had a whole article about this. Here is a few quotes from the article.
"Many smart-speaker owners don’t realize it, but Amazon keeps a copy of everything Alexa records after it hears its name. Apple’s Siri, and until recently Google’s Assistant, by default also keep recordings to help train their artificial intelligences. "
"So come with me on an unwelcome walk down memory lane. I listened to four years of my Alexa archive and found thousands of fragments of my life: spaghetti-timer requests, joking houseguests and random snippets of “Downton Abbey.” There were even sensitive conversations that somehow triggered Alexa’s “wake word” to start recording, including my family discussing medication and a friend conducting a business deal. "
"Alexa keeps a record of what it hears every time an Echo speaker activates. It’s supposed to record only with a “wake word” — “Alexa!” — but anyone with one of these devices knows they go rogue. I counted dozens of times when mine recorded without a legitimate prompt. (Amazon says it has improved the accuracy of “Alexa” as a wake word by 50 percent over the past year.) "

 

[jbehr12]

Ask Google. Alexa is always listening and reporting back to Google.

That’s 100% false. It keeps a log of commands you explicitly give to it but it doesn’t “listen to you” unless you initiate it.

 

[joviroxx]

I have to be honest, I’ve never heard of an Echo device collecting data or reporting back to Google. An internet search reveals that you can manually add a Google Assistant “skill” to Alexa but that it takes some mods and workarounds.

Are you confusing the Echo device with the Google Home one? Amazon only stores voice input after the wake word has been uttered (ie “Alexa”) and then stops when the task has been completed. Google got in trouble when they first sold the Home device because they were recording all the time. They have since modified the device to only record after the wake word has been uttered and then stops after the task has been completed.

Problem is the wake word can be activated easily by someone just saying alexa or something that sounds like alexa coming from the TV. Amazon saves it all. You can actually log on to your account and read everything its recorded. On my account there are many that say "not intended for alexa". however, you can delete them.
Its still creepy to me.