Protect Your Amazon Echo: Don’t Place Your Device in These High-Risk Areas

In case you acquired an Amazon Alexa smart speaker or smart display during the vacations this 12 months, you could be on the lookout for a great place to put it in your house. Whereas your Alexa speaker may technically go wherever in your own home the place there’s an outlet, that does not all the time imply that it ought to. There are some areas in your house the place your Alexa smart speakers and smart displays simply should not be positioned, attributable to each privacy risks and the potential to damage your Echo.

You would possibly know that placing your Alexa gadget close to water is not protected, however do you know that intruders may entry your smart home device from outdoors if it is positioned too near a window? 

Preserve studying to seek out out the place it is best to keep away from inserting your Echo gadgets, and the perfect spots for them to go as a substitute. (For extra Amazon Echo ideas, take a look at which Alexa settings you should change ASAP and five useful Echo features.)

1. Preserve Alexa away out of your bathroom

Inserting an Echo close to your bathroom is, fairly merely, gross. Consider all of the germs that linger round that space — even in super-clean bogs. Nevertheless, for those who should have an Echo device in your bathroom (and, OK, we will see the attraction), strive inserting it as far-off from the bathroom as attainable. 

In case you can, mount it on a wall with a sticky strip or a nail. Simply be certain it is safe so it would not fall, and bear in mind to put it close to an outlet so you possibly can plug it in. Additionally, preserve it away from the bath (duh!). You would not wish to fry your Echo. 

2. Keep away from placing Alexa close to a sink

In case you’re attempting to drown out the sounds of Alexa’s voice, then, by all means, place your costly Echo by a sink. Nevertheless, if you wish to preserve it intact, by no means place it wherever close to water.

You do not wish to threat your kitchen water sprayer going haywire and soaking your Echo gadget, or a tall gadget getting tipped into the sink. As a substitute, place it on a distinct counter, like a kitchen island, or tuck it right into a nook the place it is farther from splattering spaghetti sauce and water spray. It will keep cleaner and would possibly sound higher, too.

3. Do not put Alexa by your home windows

Preserve your Echo away from all of the home windows in your own home. The placement may probably give anybody from the skin entry to your Echo, and that might give entry to your different sensible residence gadgets. For instance, in case your automotive is related to your sensible speaker, somebody could possibly unlock and start it.

4. Alexa should not go below your TV

What number of commercials are on the market that say, “Alexa, play…” and activate your Echo? Or if the TV says something that sounds rather a lot like “Alexa,” take a guess at what is going on to activate. 

Not solely does this interrupt the present you are watching, however it additionally begins recording what’s mentioned after the command. So for those who’re having a personal dialog and Alexa kicks in, you are risking your privacy. Inserting it on a facet desk makes extra sense and is extra more likely to preserve the voice assistant quiet till you make a command.

So, the place ought to you place your Amazon Echo?

• Within the nook of your living room (away from home windows)
• A spot the place it is simply seen to you, so you possibly can see when the sunshine ring lights up
• In your bedside table
• On the sting of your kitchen counter — far, far-off out of your sink
• On a mantle or shelf
• Mounted on a wall that is not dealing with a window

You can even learn our story on the four best uses for your Amazon Echo device in each room of your home that will help you determine the place to put your Echo. 

Prepared for extra tips about what to do along with your Amazon Echo? Try these surprising things you didn’t know your Amazon Echo could do and six things you haven’t tried with your Amazon Echo yet.