# Echo Show 5



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

The price on the Echo Show 5 is almost too good to be true. I do not have an Echo Show, but have just about every other version of Echo. If I bought an Echo Show, my main use would be as a bedside clock/radio. Currently I read the time via my Apple Watch, which is difficult at best when I do not have my glasses on. Is the Echo 5 worth it? I have a Dot by my bedside, so I assume the Show would replace it for things like time, temperature, etc. which I often ask first thing in the morning.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I have a Show 5 for a bedside clock. I really like it. You can also have the screen go totally dark when you want to sleep.
And I have a morning routine that turns off the noise box, turns on the lamp, and tells me the weather. 
The slider over the camera is a nice feature since it's in the bedroom.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Andra said:


> I have a Show 5 for a bedside clock. I really like it. You can also have the screen go totally dark when you want to sleep.
> And I have a morning routine that turns off the noise box, turns on the lamp, and tells me the weather.
> The slider over the camera is a nice feature since it's in the bedroom.


Thanks, Andra. My main purpose would be for an alarm clock also, though I should just say bedside clock since I rarely have to wake up to an alarm anymore.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm in a one bedroom condo. I have a Show by my bed and in the living room. Definitely good as a bedside clock. You can set it to turn off music, radio, white noise after playing for a certain amount of time at night (or whenever). "Alexa, set sleep timer for X (amount of time, not when to stop playing)."

Definitely cover the camera. See thread I started.

*ETA:* The two I currently have and are using are Shows Gen 1. During this past summer I bought a Gen 2 for a larger screen in the living room. It's still unopened in the shipping carton. Don't ask me why. Peculiar reason(s).  No plans to return / exchange it. The slider over the camera on Show 5/8 interests me because of the experience I had with one of my Gen 1s a few days ago. You can cover the camera with something yourself which I have now done.

Think I'll head over to the nearby Amazon 4 Star store today to take a closer look at the various Echo Shows.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I have two Show 5s.  Bought one a while back at what I thought was a good price and bought a second one on Black Friday at the new price.  Love it.  Use it more or less as a desk clock plus Alexa.  Changed the settings to show as few recommedations, etc as possible.

Betsy


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Thanks Betsy, Sandpiper, and Andra! My new Show 5 should be here tomorrow.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

My Show showed up today, 2 days before expected. I have the basics set up, but need to customize it a bit more. I have selected a clock face, but it keeps scrolling thru different stuff, like do you want to learn how to stuff a turkey. How do I get rid of that?


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

The Show has a Settings option. Swipe down from the bottom and tap on the gear icon. Then tap home content. You can turn off almost everything except the stupid "try" hints at the bottom of the screen.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have been using my Show 5 for about a week, basically as a clock/music player next to my bed. I am wondering what setting of light brightness you have the clock set at. I have no problem seeing the clock during the day. I have the light set to vary as room light changes. However, I have trouble seeing the clock in the middle of the night. I don't wear my glasses to bed (duh), which is part of the problem, but the face seems so dim that I have trouble distinguishing where the clock hands are. I am learning to recognize the hour hand in the darkness, so that is helping. I have tried all kinds of clock faces. I even tried setting the light so that it is bright all the time. Yes, I can see the clock hands, but it is much too bright in the middle of the night. Is there a simple solution that I am missing?


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I use one of the digital clocks. But I deliberately keep mine dim because if I wake up, I don't want to know the time.
You can keep the display brighter and tell her "turn screen off" right before sleep. Then if you wave your hand in front of it in the night the display should light back up...


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Andra said:


> I use one of the digital clocks. But I deliberately keep mine dim because if I wake up, I don't want to know the time.
> You can keep the display brighter and tell her "turn screen off" right before sleep. Then if you wave your hand in front of it in the night the display should light back up...


Thanks, Andra. I did not know I could wave at the clock to get it to shine brighter.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

The motion sensor on my Echo 5 is not as sensitive as my other ones.  Sometimes a wave doesn't wake it up.  But you can tap the screen and it will do the same thing.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Andra said:


> The motion sensor on my Echo 5 is not as sensitive as my other ones. Sometimes a wave doesn't wake it up. But you can tap the screen and it will do the same thing.


Neither tapping or waving seems to wake up the clock. Must be a setting somewhere that I have missed.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I bought an Echo Show 5 the week before Christmas and have it in the bedroom. I didn't like any of the clock faces and after a week I put a photo on it. I haven't been able to make the screen go off before sleep, but the night feature shows the clock in red or orange and and the picture goes off. I have asked it to turn off the screen, but it says it can't do that.

Sometimes when I can't fall asleep, I'll play a podcast, but the screen stays lit up. If there is a way to have the screen off while listening to something, I'd like to know about it.

I wasn't sure how I would use my Tap, since that was my bedroom speaker. I'm using it now as bluetooth speaker with laptop. My original echo is now connected with bluetooth to Fire TV. The sound on my TV won't work with the fire TV any more (since early December).


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I've been able to tell mine "turn screen off" even when listening to music.  I don't do podcasts, so I don't know if it's the same thing.  You might call Amazon to see if they can help.  I know that I had to reset one of my earlier Echo devices to get it to behave; the Shows may be different.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Andra said:


> I've been able to tell mine "turn screen off" even when listening to music. I don't do podcasts, so I don't know if it's the same thing. You might call Amazon to see if they can help. I know that I had to reset one of my earlier Echo devices to get it to behave; the Shows may be different.


Thanks. I will try again to ask Alexa to turn the screen off. Maybe I used the wrong words. Sometimes it doesn't understand me. Last night I was noticing how much light was in the room. Sometimes I ask it for the time in the middle of the night, because if I look at the clock, it's harder to get back to sleep. The light came on more and took a while to dim.

I went into settings and turned the brightness all the way down today. I will see how it is when I go to sleep.

Update: It worked. Thanks.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> Update: It worked. Thanks.


Oh good! I was hoping it would be ok.
I use the option to cascade commands. Like Alexa, set an alarm for 5am; Good night (which triggers a routine). But then I have to say Alexa turn screen off. She doesn't pick that one up without the wake word.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have noticed that when I use Echo to play music, the screen shows me the words from the song, and the clock does not come back on until I stop the music. I am really not interested in karaoke early in the morning, and like to have the clock to refer to without stopping the music. Is there a setting I am missing?


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Alexa turn lyrics off?
I found one place that said there was a lyrics icon on the screen, but I'm not at home so I can't verify that.  I'll check when I get home.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Can you just ask Alexa for the time or is someone with you who you don't want to wake up?


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