4 ms·

I assume they mean that the light should not be accessible to software, just wired so that "if camera is on, light is on"

dpark 8y ago
Which means the light is always on. The device must be listening or the wake word won't work.
- millstone 8y ago
  Maybe the light could be tied to network activity? The light is on if the WiFi chip is powered.
  - dpark 8y ago
    You’re kidding I hope. WiFi is always on. WiFi doesn’t disconnect just because you aren’t actively moving data. You’d be pretty annoyed if every time you wanted to send or receive data your device had to reconnect.
- squeaky-clean 8y ago
  There are usually 2 stages, a local processor that can only detect the wake word, and then once that hears the wakeword it begins streaming data to the internet.
  - dpark 8y ago
    I’m aware. The microphone is always on in order for stage 1 to work.
    - squeaky-clean 8y ago
      It doesn't need to be based on the microphone, it can be based on that second processor. It can be based on network activity (my USB Wifi adapter blinks whenever data is sent/received, even though it's connected 24/7, I don't see why anything else couldn't do that). We're also discussing theoretical hardware changes, there's no reason it can't have 2 sets of microphones where one is hardwired only to the wake-word processor which has no direct connection to the main processor except some one-way signalling, and the LED is hardwired to the second set.
      - dpark 8y ago
        Your WiFi led is probably blinking pretty constantly, which would freak people out if they were told that blinking means active listening (as opposed to checking it updates or any of dozens of other things that might use the network). It’s probably also software controlled anyway. The idea that there would somehow be a dedicated wake word microphone is a little ridiculous. Firstly, no one would trust this supposed 1-way connection. Second, it would require a dedicated processor to make the wake word even work, driving up costs. Third, the echo uses an array of microphones so your wake word would either be unreliable or drive costs up further as you duplicate the entire array. Hardly a net win. The reality is that if you don’t trust amazon to do the right thing you shouldn’t install their listening device in your home. (Likewise for your phone.)

dpark 8y ago

Which means the light is always on. The device must be listening or the wake word won't work.

millstone 8y ago
Maybe the light could be tied to network activity? The light is on if the WiFi chip is powered.
- dpark 8y ago
  You’re kidding I hope. WiFi is always on. WiFi doesn’t disconnect just because you aren’t actively moving data. You’d be pretty annoyed if every time you wanted to send or receive data your device had to reconnect.
squeaky-clean 8y ago
There are usually 2 stages, a local processor that can only detect the wake word, and then once that hears the wakeword it begins streaming data to the internet.
- dpark 8y ago
  I’m aware. The microphone is always on in order for stage 1 to work.
  - squeaky-clean 8y ago
    It doesn't need to be based on the microphone, it can be based on that second processor. It can be based on network activity (my USB Wifi adapter blinks whenever data is sent/received, even though it's connected 24/7, I don't see why anything else couldn't do that). We're also discussing theoretical hardware changes, there's no reason it can't have 2 sets of microphones where one is hardwired only to the wake-word processor which has no direct connection to the main processor except some one-way signalling, and the LED is hardwired to the second set.
    - dpark 8y ago
      Your WiFi led is probably blinking pretty constantly, which would freak people out if they were told that blinking means active listening (as opposed to checking it updates or any of dozens of other things that might use the network). It’s probably also software controlled anyway. The idea that there would somehow be a dedicated wake word microphone is a little ridiculous. Firstly, no one would trust this supposed 1-way connection. Second, it would require a dedicated processor to make the wake word even work, driving up costs. Third, the echo uses an array of microphones so your wake word would either be unreliable or drive costs up further as you duplicate the entire array. Hardly a net win. The reality is that if you don’t trust amazon to do the right thing you shouldn’t install their listening device in your home. (Likewise for your phone.)