I had similar headaches with my hallway sensors at first... kept turning off mid-search when I was rummaging through the linen closet. Eventually, I set mine to medium sensitivity and a 2-minute timer after motion stops—seems to hit that sweet spot for me. Voice integration was pretty smooth with Google Home too, though sometimes it misunderstands commands if there's background noise. Did you find Alexa picks up your voice reliably from other rooms?
Alexa's pretty reliable for me, but placement matters a lot. If you've got it tucked away behind furniture or near noisy appliances, it'll struggle. I've found that putting mine higher up and away from walls helps it catch commands from other rooms better. Also, tweaking the wake word sensitivity in the Alexa app can make a noticeable difference. Might wanna experiment with that if you're having trouble...
"I've found that putting mine higher up and away from walls helps it catch commands from other rooms better."
That's interesting, I've actually had the opposite experience. I tried placing my Echo Dot up on a shelf for better coverage, but weirdly enough, it seemed less responsive—maybe because it was near a ceiling vent? Once I moved it down onto a side table (away from noisy stuff though), it picked up commands way more consistently. Makes me wonder if room acoustics or airflow might also affect performance...anyone else noticed something similar?
That's interesting, I've actually had the opposite experience.
I've noticed something similar, actually. When I had mine up high near a corner, it seemed to struggle more with commands—maybe because sound reflections off walls and ceilings can create weird interference patterns? Once I moved it lower and more central, it improved noticeably. I think you're onto something with acoustics...placement probably matters more than we realize, especially in rooms with lots of hard surfaces or odd shapes.
I've noticed the acoustics issue myself, especially with voice commands in rooms that have vaulted ceilings or lots of glass surfaces. Even though it seems logical to put devices higher up and out of sight, it often backfires. Lower placement, closer to ear level, usually yields clearer results. Also, adding soft furnishings like rugs or curtains can surprisingly help absorb some echo...acoustics definitely play a bigger role than most people anticipate.
