Does anyone on here use house to house video calling on Amazon Show? I'm trying find support, but all I'm getting is a huge amount of click bait, so I assume its a hotly discussed topic. I'm trying to setting it up so my wife can contact her mum and dad in Wales. We still can't visit, so this was the next best thing. I'm finding the whole thing frustrating. I can call on audio and chat, but the video bit isn't working. Camera is ON at both ends.....
5's, 8s and shows... i can drop in around our property and call or drop in from our mobiles. We use it as an intercom. Gate House, clobber box, garage, coach House, office, container, workshop and utility room... normally to the kitchen to request coffee
We are talking about communicating with people who were around in WW2... Zoom and Office aren't skills I can add to an Alexa device. It needs to be simple... they don't have an up to date pc or smart phone. Until 3 weeks ago they were turning the router off and unplugged it each time they turned off the computer.
I stand corrected SWMBO has just informed me that she communicates with her mum via Facebook messenger (shudders uncontrollably) on an IPhone. Apparently her brother is able to video messenge via the Amazon show, so now I have to make our system to do so also. The rest of my family seem able to do this... its just me. We have an Echo connect device... i think I'm going to unplug it and try as this appears to be the only difference. Everyone else's just works.
Zoom is a nasty bit of software....off the top of my head.... They can remote activate cameras and mic's When the software is removed it can, reinstall itself. All calls are routed through chinese servers. Not installed anywhere in my house...and, at work its banned - anyone who tries to install (some have elevated privileges) get a personal call from the security team.... Quite a few governments have banned it but strangely not the UK gov but banned in lots of companies....
By default all Echo Show’s will try to video call rather than voice call. The high end models have a button on top to turn video on and off but the new 5 and 8 have a manual slide cover - a toggle slider just over the camera. They are the first and most obvious things to check. You can all test video calling from the Alexa app on your phone. Also - have your in-laws confirmed that when you call them and get voice only that you are definitely talking to them through their show? My parents have a show and a normal echo and initially kept answering on the echo and not understanding why there was no video on the other one! Also for you to be able to call them on the show it needs to be properly registered to their amazon account and you must have the correct contact for that amazon account - if they have a smartphone with the app installed you can also video and voice call that - I have seen confusion from older folks when they register one device under one name and another under a different family member’s account. The fact that your brother in law can call them indicates there is nothing major wrong so it’s just a process of elimination.
Sorry - I just read the bit about no smartphone - usually the alexa app on your phone is used to setup a device and allow access to contacts. I’m assuming one of the family purchased and setup the Echo for them? Including registering an Amazon account? If they don’t have a companion smartphone then certain aspects have to be managed via https://alexa.amazon.co.uk/ If you take a look at this it will give you an idea of the challenges of using one without an associated smartphone - but it’s not absolutely essential as you can add contacts to the device using the screen on the show and the above webpage can be used for other aspects. http://www.onguardian.io/Setting up Echo for an Elder Loved One.pdf
If the Chinese government want to look in on my physio sessions, then they are very welcome. If they want to listen on on the last family Zoom conference, then again, they are most welcome, My phone camera or mic has never been activated remotely. If there is no Zoom software running then it is impossible to do - even for the Chinese..
Work wise or anything that needed something more secure I wouldn’t use zoom Amazon collect more than enough information about a person We aren’t safe from anything in the World Wide Web People downloaded an app for covid that will use information that wouldn’t be safe from the government
Thanks for all the advice @LiveFast...... I think I'm going to have to wait until Rupert (bro-in-law) is allowed to visit. Wales is a bit behind the rest of the UK on COVID advice, may be next month.
Its not you, personally....its the blanket way the software works....yeah - no offence - your nothing to them but, the person that happens to be a company director that does x work with y company that might have connections to a chinese company becomes a target.....the software runs on say 5 million machines and 0.01% come back with something positive then the software has done its job...
