Alexa randomly doesn't respond

[Scabutz]

We have a few Alexas mostly used for home automation control. There is a show 5 in the bedroom that just randomly doesn't respond, as it doesn't wake when you say Alexa. It's completely random if it will wake or not.

All the help and FAQs online only talk about what to do if Alexas don't respond at all. Can't find anything about intermittent issues.

I wondered if the mic might be dusty as gave it a good hoover but made no difference.

Anyone had the same or got any ideas?

[FourWheelDrift]

How close together are they? The nearest one is supposed to respond to your voice but if another "hears" your voice on wake it will take commands, if it doesn't then hear your command nothing will happen. And if you don't hear the other one respond you won't know either.

If not I would remove the device on the Alexa app and start again.

[Scabutz]

There two upstairs and if the bedroom one isn't responding and you shout the one in my office responds, but if you talk on a normal level neither respond from the bedroom.

There has always been 2 they were bought together. I will try disconnecting one but as I say you can usually tell when the other is responding.

[Mikebentley]

She’s had enough of you. It started off so well but your constant demanding finally wore her down.

[Scabutz]

Mikebentley said:

She’s had enough of you. It started off so well but your constant demanding finally wore her down.

You talking about Alexa.....or my wife :-)

[Scabutz]

Digging this up to update in case anyone else has the same problem.

A factory reset fixed it.

[Caddyshack]

Scabutz said:

Mikebentley said:

She’s had enough of you. It started off so well but your constant demanding finally wore her down.

You talking about Alexa.....or my wife :-)

Well, you could have said please or thank you a few more times.



My 15 yr old rolls her eyes when I say please to siri, I have tried to explain that the computers may spare some us if we are nice to them once the uprising happens.



And so it begins…..

Edited by Caddyshack on Tuesday 26th December 19:33

[Lucas Ayde]

Scabutz said:

Digging this up to update in case anyone else has the same problem.

A factory reset fixed it.

Yeah, I had this a few days ago - except it was completely not responding to voice. You could 'drop in' on it though, so it was working and on the net.

I did a bit of searching and loads of people on Amazon support forums were saying it was happening to them (various kinds of Echo). No real explanation of what was going on, I suspect config issues at Amazon's end. Maybe they lost details for a bunch of Echo devices?

A quick power cycle didn't fix it so I left it off for a day. When I powered it on, it seemed to go through the 'new install' routine and I got it working. Has been fine for the last day or so.

This was on a Dot mk2, so quite an old bit of hardware. I initially though it had kicked the bucket or Amazon had dropped support or something. Probably would not have bothered replacing it as I don't like any of the new Echos. Google actually seems to integrate easier with most of my kit, like Hue lights and Harmony Remote and my Android phone doubles as an Echo type device. But since it's working again, I will keep using it. That Dot mk2 is nice and unobrusive, can be powered by USB and has decent mic and speaker. Superior to the latest ones.