Amazon
The Echo Wall Clock is a nice companion for Alexa, but what does it add to your home?
- Amazon released the Echo Wall Clock, an Alexa companion device, in September 2018.
- Currently selling for $29.99, the Echo Wall Clock can keep track of digital timers and sets the time automatically once it's synced to another Echo device.
- The Echo Wall Clock doesn't have any microphones, cameras, or speakers; it operates using Bluetooth when paired with a compatible Echo device, like the Echo Dot and Echo smart speaker family.
- While it's a nice complement to an existing Alexa smart home setup, the Echo Wall Clock doesn't offer too many advantages over a regular clock.
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When Amazon's Echo Wall Clock arrived in Business Insider's office, I wasn't exactly sure what the product was meant for. After all, the clock has no speakers, no microphone, and doesn't have built-in Alexa, the digital assistant that controls Amazon's family of Echo smart home devices.
As a matter of fact, the clock can't even tell the time correctly unless it's paired with another one of Amazon's Echo devices. So what's the point of a smart home device with no camera, microphone or stand-alone features? As someone who hadn't owned a wall clock since I moved out of my parents' home, I figured I'd try to find a use for it.
When I brought the Echo Wall Clock home, my partner immediately rolled her eyes at the possibility of another smart home device listening in on our conversations. The Echo Wall Clock doesn't have it's own microphone, but her hesitation was understandable - we already have two Echo Dots and an Echo Plus in our office, bedroom, and living room. While we enjoy using them for music and a range of other skills, adopting new smart devices doesn't come without security concerns.
As an Echo companion product, the Echo Wall Clock isn't a standalone smart device, so how does it compare to a regular clock? Well, there are certainly pros and cons when comparing Amazon's $29.99 clock to what you might find for $10 in a department store.
Here are the best and worst things about Amazon's Echo Wall Clock: