I’ve had a great experience with my smart speakers. Over the years, I’ve had a Google Home and a Nest Hub as I was trying to figure out what might be right for my home. But it ultimately came down to something that my wife and I found when we were unpacking boxes when we first moved in together.
She had an Amazon Echo Dot that she had been given and we plugged it in to get some use out of it for setting timers and playing some music. What we didn’t realize then was that we were starting our journey towards a smart home. Years later, we have a well-automated home that runs through Amazon Alexa, which has been my favorite smart home assistant to work with. Along with that, the Amazon Echo Show 8 is my favorite smart home device that I have for many reasons. It can do so much and I feel like I’m just scratching the surface with it.
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The Amazon Echo Show 8 is a great smart speaker
It provides a ton of different features
I was able to test out an Amazon Echo Show 8 smart speaker after years of using an Amazon Echo Dot and Amazon Echo Show 5. My wife and I liked the Dot so much that we opted for the Echo Show 5 in our apartment. It was our smart speaker of choice and has remained in our homes since then, as it currently resides in our bedroom.
But working with the Echo Show 8 has leveled up my expectations for a smart speaker. I’ve had mine since 2023, when it first came out. The 3rd Gen Echo Show 8 hasn’t let me down yet and can handle almost any task that I ask it to perform.
I haven’t felt the need to upgrade it yet because even though the newest version of it is made for Alexa+, I can still use Alexa+ from my 3rd Gen without any problems. In terms of how it works as a smart speaker, it is an obvious upgrade over the Echo Show 5. The display is an 8-inch HD screen that works perfectly in my kitchen. It’s big enough to be seen from across the room and isn’t so big that it takes up a ton of room on the shelf, which is in a recessed window.
It has a 13MP camera that makes clear video calls, making it a great device to use to stay in touch with people. Because of the HD screen, you can also choose to watch media on it. I frequently ask it to show me Major League Baseball highlights so I can sit down on my island and watch recaps for 10 minutes. It can also stream shows from your favorite streaming platforms.
In terms of using it as a smart speaker for music purposes, the sound is much better than what is offered on an Echo Show 5. I have thoroughly enjoyed using this for dance parties and the voice commands work very well to ask it to sync up with my preferred streaming music services.
While the Echo Show 8 is a solid addition for any entertainment, its ability to work as a smart home hub is why it has staying power.
The Echo Show 8 is so easy to use as a smart home hub
It has extended capabilities compared to other versions
Brent Dirks / MakeUseOfCredit: Brent Dirks / MakeUseOf
What I like most about devices like the Echo Show 8 is that they help simplify the smart home process. Rather than requiring a smart home hub with limited functionality, a smart speaker that can work as a smart hub is a much better option for anyone.
On the device itself and through the Alexa app, you can set up your smart home devices to run through the Echo Show 8. Many devices work within the Amazon Alexa smart home ecosystem, so you don’t even really need to stick to one manufacturer brand if you don’t want to.
When you’re using your Echo Show 8, you can control any of the smart home devices you’ve linked up with your Alexa functionality. This means that the voice commands can tell them all to do different things. You don’t have to open up the Alexa app or the products’ individual apps if you don’t want to. Everything can run through this once you’ve done the setup in the Alexa app.
I have devices from more than 10 different companies that are controlled by my Alexa and Echo Show 8.
I also like that you can ask the Echo Show 8 to show you controls for each device and then use the touchscreen display to adjust them in real time. I love being able to control all my devices with voice commands through a central portion of my home. To set it up, all I needed to do was sync up the devices through the step-by-step process laid out in the Alexa app. For every device, Amazon makes it incredibly simple.
I’ve had to set up nearly 20 Ring devices alone that sync up with the Alexa app. All of them can be checked with a simple voice command to the Echo Show 8. It also lets other devices speak with one another.
The Echo Show 8 is also a Thread Border Router
It’s synced up to protocols that look to the future
Credit: Jonathon Jachura / MUO
Certain devices these days rely on Matter and Thread protocols to work. Thread sets out a low-power mesh network that helps smart home devices connect to one another to communicate.
It’s one of the most common standards used in smart home device technology today. A Thread Border Router is a device that bridges the Thread network, serving as a go-between and eliminating the need for a central hub.
A Thread Border Router is a common tool for Matter-enabled devices. Matter-over-Thread devices use the mesh network to communicate with other Matter devices. This is how devices from different brands work together, all under something like the Amazon Alexa ecosystem.
It’s common that smart speakers are Thread Border Routers. I had to get a Thread Border Router to use a specific smart home device years ago. I’m glad it ended up being the Echo Show 8 because of all its other features as well. Just by being a Thread Border Router, it’s extending the smart home hub qualities that it already possesses.
My Echo Show 8 can take care of so much
The reasons I love the Echo Show 8 are simple. It is a great smart speaker with an HD touchscreen display and enhanced sound. But I also like it because of all its smart home capabilities. The fact that it’s a Thread Border Router makes it worth the purchase for any smart home user and helps eliminate the need for a true smart home hub.
Chipset
Octa-Core SoC with Amazon AZ2 Neural Network Engine
Display
8.0-inch touchscreen
Colors
Charcoal, White
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Dimensions
7.9″ x 5.5″ x 4.2″
Weight
36.6oz
The Echo Show 8 is a solid replacement for a true smart home hub. It’s a Thread Border Router and has an HD touchscreen display.
