Smart speakers like Alexa have become a staple in our lives. These speakers have integrated deep into our lives, with most people using the speakers to run almost all functions of their daily lives.
It is common knowledge that Alexa is manufactured and sold by the e-commerce giant, Amazon. Using Alexa, you can integrate your Amazon services on one speaker, including the Amazon marketplace, Amazon prime, prime video, and Amazon music.
Additionally, you can make use of Amazon’s AI, Alexa, to manage your daily tasks, organize your schedule, and keep you on track with work with daily reminders. Smart speakers are great for people who are well integrated into the Amazon ecosystem.
In this article, we briefly touch upon the types of Echo speakers where you can use Alexa, how you can use Alexa to your benefit, how you can turn off/put Alexa on sleep mode, and the advantages and disadvantages of putting Alexa on sleep mode. Keep reading to know everything possible about using Alexa effectively in your everyday life.
Further reading: What Is Alexa And What Does Alexa Do?
Kinds Of Speakers Available
You can enable Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, on all the speakers sold by the company. You can sync all the speakers together in your house to have a well-integrated intercom system in the place. Each of these speakers can be used according to the area of the room and your budget. Here is a list of speakers available on their website:
Echo Studio
This is the premium speaker in the Amazon Echo range. They are Hi-Fidelity speakers with Dolby Atmos technology that provides a rich and immersive sound. The Amazon voice assistant, Alexa, is in-built into the system. The speakers can adapt to space they are kept by sensing the acoustics of the area.
Echo Dot (3rd And 4th Generation)
This is the most popular version of the Echo speakers because of their size and portability. This speaker is perfect for your nightstand or a small room. You can use Alexa to set alarms, play the news, or any notification you receive.
Echo (4th Generation)
This is the standard version of the Echo speakers. They can be placed anywhere in your house. They deliver clear, dynamic, and rich sound by automatically adapting to the acoustics of the room it is placed in.
You can place an assortment of Echo devices across your house to make sure you can access Alexa, the voice assistant, wherever you are in your house. With the Echo speakers, you can have a well-integrated smart home. These are incredibly useful for modern living spaces.
Where And How Can Use Your Alexa To Maximise Your Productivity?
Alexa is used primarily as a speaker and smart home device. As part of the internet of things, Alexa is handy for integrating all your work across various devices using the internet. All you have to do is place your Alexa speaker in a convenient location- this could be your bedroom, your workspace, or your kitchen. You could also purchase multiple speakers and place them across your living space so that you can access the voice assistant whenever and wherever you are.
Here are a few instances you can use Alexa for using voice commands:
Making Lists
You can make your lists in real-time using Alexa by listing out all the things you need to buy from the grocer store or online. Since Alexa is integrated into the Amazon system, you can directly order items online using the voice assistant.
Playing Music And Audio
You can use Alexa to play music from your favorite playlist on Amazon Music, YouTube, or Spotify. The speakers turn into a Bluetooth device that can be connected to your phone or laptop.
Setting Reminders
This is another useful functionality for the speakers. You can use voice commands to set reminders for a variety of things, like baking or doing certain tasks.
Making Calls
You can use Alexa to make calls by connecting it to your phone via Bluetooth. It basically acts as your landline device. You can use Alexa to decline or
Control Your Smart Home
You can use Alexa to control all the IoT devices in your house. The speakers can be converted into a control hub for all the smart devices in your home. This includes smart lights, automated doors, and a thermostat.
Get Important Notifications And News
You can connect Alexa to give you notifications and news you receive on your phone. You can direct the voice assistant to answer your messages using voice commands.
Controlling Your TV
You can use Alexa to control your TV, especially if you are using the Amazon Firestick as your preferred smart TV accessory.
You may also like: How To Unmute Alexa – The List Of The Best Alexa Commands
Why Would You Want To Put Alexa To Sleep?
While Alexa is very useful for organizing and efficiently going through your day, but it can be distracting in moments. We have listed a few moments where you would want to put Alexa on sleep mode
While Working
While Alexa can prove very useful when working, especially for setting reminders, it can be quite distracting too. The constant pinging of notifications can disrupt your workflow.
During The Night-Time
You want your night time to be quiet and peaceful, but the smart speaker can be quite annoying in this case too.
Having Company Over At Home
You may want to keep your voice assistant on silent when you have guests over. It can be impolite to have the speaker pinging with notifications while you are hosting people.
How To Put Alexa On Sleep Mode?
While Alexa primarily functions on sleep mode till it receives a notification, instruction, or reminder, it can be quite annoying to listen to the constant pining of notifications on the speakers.
There are three basic commands you can use to put your speaker on sleep mode. All the commands are voice-activated:
The “Inactive” Mode
This is the most common way to put Alexa in sleep or inactive mode. This can be achieved by saying “Goodnight” to Alexa. This command activates the standard listening mode for Alexa.
Do Not Disturb
This is the second way to put your Alexa speakers to sleep. To activate this mode, you have to say, “Alexa, turn on do not disturb.” Unlike the standard listening mode, the do not disturb mode makes it such that the device does not light up or make any sounds.
Shutting The Device Off Entirely
This is the third way to put the device to sleep. It is a permanent solution to keep the device from pinging with notifications and reminders. You can shut-off the device by pulling out the plug, pressing the turn-off button, or letting the device run out of battery.
Advantages Of Keeping Alexa On Sleep Mode
There are many advantages to keeping Alexa on sleep mode. We have made a handy list of all the benefits of keeping Alexa on sleep mode.
Less Intrusive
The constant pinging of notifications and reminders on Alexa can be very annoying or distracting when you are working. Keeping Alexa on sleep mode helps you avoid all the notifications. You can always instruct Alexa to come back online if you want to give any instructions, get information, or set reminders.
Undisturbed Sleep
Putting Alexa on sleep mode at night is a great way to ensure that your sleep remains peaceful and undisturbed by pesky notifications. You can put Alexa to sleep for 10-12 hours, depending upon how long you sleep at night. Alexa can be instructed to wake you up with an alarm or notifications at a select time.
Saving Battery Life
Like most electronic devices, putting Alexa on sleep mode will save you a lot of battery on the device, making it last much longer after each charging session.
To Stop Alexa From Accidentally Turning On
It is possible for Alexa to accidentally turn on while being on the standard listening mode. It can mistake regular conversations for a voice command.
To Maintain Privacy
Alexa is known to listen to the conversation while on standby. This can be uncomfortable for some people for people who are concerned regarding their privacy. By keeping Alexa on sleep mode, you can prevent the voice assistant from snooping in on your conversations.
Disadvantages Of Keeping Alexa On Sleep Mode
There are certain disadvantages to keeping Alexa on sleep mode. It essentially stops the voice assistant from doing its intended function.
- Missing out on important notifications: If you have put Alexa on sleep mode, you can miss any important notifications or reminders that you may have set using Alexa.
- Not being able to instantly use the voice assistant when required: It is possible that you put Alexa on standby or sleep mode and forget about it. Later on, if you try to use Alexa for some purpose, the voice assistant will not register your instructions.
So, this is how you can put Alexa on sleep. Follow the steps mentioned above, and you are good to go.