Have you gone totally cellular? Has it left you missing the low hum of a well tuned dial tone? Do you miss the nostalgic feeling of dialing on a rotary phone – spending no less than 30 seconds cranking in a phone number only to get one digit wrong half way through, causing you to start all over again? Well, you’re in luck. Amazon’s Echo Connect can make all of your landline dreams and frustrations come true using WiFi and a smartphone cellular plan!
For an in depth look at how this works, check out the video below.
One important consideration this video doesn’t illustrate is the ability to plug any landline phone into the Echo Connect. Users are not limited to using the Amazon Echo as a speakerphone. They can use ANY phone that is designed for landline use.
NOTE: Users do not need a smartphone or Echo to use this device. HOWEVER – they DO need WiFi and, most importantly, to know someone who does have a smartphone and Echo and is willing to set-up the Echo Connect under their Alexa app/account. Once it is set-up, all that needs to be in the home is, again, a WiFi connection, Echo Connect, and a landline phone to make and receive calls from. For example, a man’s(lets call him Joe) mother is 85 years old, living on her own, and is on a fixed income. She loves using her computer to check in on her friends and family through Facebook and email but cannot afford both the internet and landline bundle. Joe sets her up with WiFi and uses the Echo Connect and his smartphone and Amazon Echo app to set up the Echo Connect. He plugs his mother’s beloved princess phone into the Echo Connect and his mother has a landline like phone access and the internet – everyone wins.
Assistive Technology (AT) Benefits
- It saves money. Simply stated, like mentioned before, all the user needs is the Echo Connect and a WiFi connection and they can use any landline phone to make calls.
- Dial with voice. When used in conjunction with an Amazon Echo, users can use their voice to make calls. They can either use their smartphones contact list to dial by name, or simply state the number to dial. This is great for people with fairly clear and consistent voices who have physical disabilities which make dialing the phone difficult.
- The flexibility to use any landline style phone. Any landline phone can be plugged into the back of the Echo Connect to make calls. This includes phones that are amplified, have big buttons, are hands-free, and more.
All in all, the potential for this device, and many of Amazon’s new line of Echo and Amazon Alexa supporting devices, is only bound by our creativity. At a relatively low cost, it is a great alternative for many AT users.