Edited to add - If your advice is, "I would not want a microphone in my house", while I hear you, it's happening. I am getting one system or another, so it's just a question of which one.
We have friends that have an Amazon Alexa system. They are downstairs, dinner is ready, they speak through Alexa to let the kids upstairs know to come down. Always thought this was kind of cool, but we have lived in a 1,200 sq ft house, we can easily holler at our kids.
However, next week that changes. Two stories, 2,400 sq ft and 5 bedrooms. I want to set up an intercom like this. Do I go with Amazon Alexa? Or something else?
And no, I am not going to walk up and down the stairs each time I need to speak with the kids. An intercom of some sort will be on the agenda.
If it matters, I have a Ring doorbell and Ring cameras that will be coming with us to the new house.This message has been edited. Last edited by: holdem, April 07, 2022 07:03 AM
April 06, 2022, 07:45 PM
CoolRich59
I don’t know much about intercoms, but I wouldn’t want Amazon, Google, or another Big Tech company listening in at my house.
_____________________________________________________________________ “One of the common failings among honorable people is a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some other people can be, and how dangerous it is to trust them.” – Thomas Sowell
April 06, 2022, 08:36 PM
TomV
Works fine for us on the occasions that we need it.
I keep hearing snoring coming from my Alexa, I think she fell asleep listening to us.
April 06, 2022, 08:43 PM
frankinaug
We use it as an intercom as my office is the opposite side of the house from the kitchen. We have a ton of smarthome stuff that all are compatible with the Alexa interface. I am personally a huge fan of the Alexa interface.
We have a ring doorbell, ring floodlight cam, ring outdoor cameras x2, Schlage encode smart locks for front and back doors, Wyze interior cameras x4, Alexa show x3, Alexa calendar, ecobee thermostat, Alexa dot and Amazon tablet.
DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
April 07, 2022, 04:06 AM
flashguy
I live alone and do nnot need an intercom function, but I wouldn't allow an Alexa or similar device into my home--I don't want anything connected to the Internet constantly listeninng to everything that goes on in my house. (Not that there is anything happening I should worry about--it's the principle of the thing.) My computer does not have a camera or microphone, and my flip phone is usually turned off.
flashguy
Texan by choice, not accident of birth
April 07, 2022, 05:43 AM
the_sandman_454
I definitely wouldn't use the Amazon wiretap device or any similar device which is constantly listening and may be sending data back to the mother ship which may be retained for an extended amount of time.
Are said kids old enough to have phones? If so, just text them.
------------- $
April 07, 2022, 05:43 AM
r0gue
I keep communications turned off on all of mine. This disables the ability, but also prevents the scenario that was wildly over publicized in that Alexa was randomly connecting your Echo to other people's echos unintended. Which of course was both true and false. It had "heard" what it thought was the command to call someone (from your contacts), and it did. But still, I didn't feel the benefit was worth the risk.
The end result is that my Echos do listen for the wake word all the time, and when it hears it, it cannot create an audio stream to other echos, but rather only to the Amazon AI system that interprets and initiates actions on my behalf.
April 07, 2022, 06:22 AM
Beancooker
I’m not a fan of electronics listening to me. I have “hello Siri” turned off on all the Apple devices. I won’t bring Alexa in the house. I was given an Echo dot for Christmas in a work party secret Santa. It was regifted.
There are quite a few videos about the creepiness of Alexa always listening, or at the least, listening and sending conversations back to Amazon.
quote:
Originally posted by sigmonkey: I'd fly to Turks and Caicos with live ammo falling out of my pockets before getting within spitting distance of NJ with a firearm.
April 07, 2022, 04:16 PM
sig2392
We use it, yes it listens, sometimes when it is not supposed to.
I lead a boring life at home.
If Amazon and the government care that dinner is ready and rings the dinner bell, I am glad both have no bigger problems than to listen to me.
If I was to do something I did not want them to hear, I would just unplug them until I was done being paranoid.
We have them in most rooms, of various ages and forms.
We use fire cubes to control the TVs dots in other rooms and my light switches are TP-link. Most of the house responds to my voice. Lights, TVs, Music.
During internet failures, I need to remember how things work manually.
A real first world problem
April 07, 2022, 04:22 PM
Flash-LB
quote:
Originally posted by sig2392: We use it, yes it listens, sometimes when it is not supposed to.
I lead a boring life at home.
If Amazon and the government care that dinner is ready and rings the dinner bell, I am glad both have no bigger problems than to listen to me.
If I was to do something I did not want them to hear, I would just unplug them until I was done being paranoid.
We have them in most rooms, of various ages and forms.
We use fire cubes to control the TVs dots in other rooms and my light switches are TP-link. Mot of the house responds to my voice. Lights, TVs, Music.
During internet failures, I need to remember how things work manually.
A real fist world problem
Think about this:
There is absolutely no way the Government, Google or anyone else can listen in on 300 million people's daily lives. It's logistically impossible
April 07, 2022, 04:30 PM
jbcummings
I’ve got the Apple Home Pod Minis($99.00 each). Other than decent WiFi, the only thing you need is an electrical outlet to plug them into. Each one can be a HomeKit hub. If you have other Apple products, they make a nice addition. They are no good as TV speakers, so don’t even consider it. Like guns, if you start fooling around with HomeKit, it becomes a well with no bottom.
———- Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for thou art crunchy and taste good with catsup.
April 07, 2022, 04:47 PM
92fstech
quote:
There is absolutely no way the Government, Google or anyone else can listen in on 300 million people's daily lives. It's logistically impossible
They can't listen in live to everybody, but they can record it, convert to metadata, and store it in a database so it's fully indexed and searchable. In an earlier life I was a DBA...it's pretty amazing how much you can do, and how quickly and precisely, with modern database technology. Add to that the current technology available for converting speech to text and photo recognition, etc., and it gets downright scary.
No, there's not some guy in a black suit and tie in a van somewhere listening to your family eat dinner right now...but if they decide to next week, they could go back and do so. They can also set flags for keywords to bring stuff to their attention, or trigger other actions. It's already openly being used for targeted advertising, and it's very effective...imagine if that same tech was leveraged for mass surveillance of the population.
Not trying to change the tinfoil hat down any tighter, but the tech already exists, it's all in how its leveraged. I for one am not inviting Alexa into my home.
April 07, 2022, 05:08 PM
Bytes
quote:
Originally posted by 92fstech: They can't listen in live to everybody, but they can record it, convert to metadata, and store it in a database so it's fully indexed and searchable. In an earlier life I was a DBA...it's pretty amazing how much you can do, and how quickly and precisely, with modern database technology. Add to that the current technology available for converting speech to text and photo recognition, etc., and it gets downright scary.
Totally agree. With the relatively new No SQL databases and unlimited amounts of money for servers and disk storage, it is very scary. What was impossible 10 years ago in a database is very ho hum today.
April 07, 2022, 05:13 PM
sigmonkey
...anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. ...
When Alexa takes the stand, everything she says she heard "someone tell anyone", it will not be considered hearsay.
My "not advice".
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
April 07, 2022, 05:15 PM
ZSMICHAEL
What happens when the power goes out along with the internet? This is not an infrequent occurrence. Is there battery backup. A blind gentlemen I knew like these conveniences. He told me he no longer had to go next door to have the kid turn the oven off and on. I would be interested if I could not do these things for myself. I understand everyone is different. Hope it works for you.
April 07, 2022, 05:24 PM
Patrick-SP2022
I have a phone (some 2 line AT&T model) with multiple cordless handsets. There is a push to talk button on the handsets that allows you to page the base station or other handsets.
This might be something to consider.
April 07, 2022, 05:45 PM
nhtagmember
I would go for a couple of wireless wall-mounted intercom boxes.
No way in hell do I want Siri or Alexa anywhere near my house. The downsides are huge as well as it’s the ultimate invasion of privacy to solve a problem that really doesn’t exist.
April 07, 2022, 05:52 PM
Flash-LB
quote:
Originally posted by 92fstech:
quote:
There is absolutely no way the Government, Google or anyone else can listen in on 300 million people's daily lives. It's logistically impossible
They can't listen in live to everybody, but they can record it, convert to metadata, and store it in a database so it's fully indexed and searchable. In an earlier life I was a DBA...it's pretty amazing how much you can do, and how quickly and precisely, with modern database technology. Add to that the current technology available for converting speech to text and photo recognition, etc., and it gets downright scary.
No, there's not some guy in a black suit and tie in a van somewhere listening to your family eat dinner right now...but if they decide to next week, they could go back and do so. They can also set flags for keywords to bring stuff to their attention, or trigger other actions. It's already openly being used for targeted advertising, and it's very effective...imagine if that same tech was leveraged for mass surveillance of the population.
Not trying to change the tinfoil hat down any tighter, but the tech already exists, it's all in how its leveraged. I for one am not inviting Alexa into my home.
I know all about that. For around 5 years I made a living programming relational databases for companies.
Yeah, they can record it, but they're not and even if they did, it's too much data to sort through unless they're looking for you and you alone.
Now I'll go off and see if I can buy some tinfoil hats.
April 07, 2022, 06:07 PM
tatortodd
Intercoms seem obsolete since most people 8 thru 88 have a cell phone on them
Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity
DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
April 07, 2022, 06:39 PM
frayedends
quote:
Originally posted by tatortodd: Intercoms seem obsolete since most people 8 thru 88 have a cell phone on them
