4 ms·

You can't change the wake word because a separate, dedicated chip is listening for it and is not connected to the rest of the device except to wake up the main

You can't change the wake word because a separate, dedicated chip is listening for it and is not connected to the rest of the device except to wake up the main processor.

Dylan16807 4y ago
Not "because". Dedicated wakeup chips can be designed to have a different matrix shoved in for the word they're detecting. Google presumably did not do this, but they could have.
- bobsmooth 4y ago
  Adding more communication between the main chip and the wake-up chip would leave more room for privacy intrusion.
  - ethbr0 4y ago
    It's not more communication: it's different read-only data in the wake-up chip.
causi 4y ago
Considering how warm Google Homes stay even when idle I seriously doubt the main processor is ever going to sleep.
- withinboredom 4y ago
  Heat is dissipated when electricity goes unused too (usually by dumping it in some load resistor) so it’s possible the extra electricity is just generating heat, waiting to go to the processor. I’d lol if they have 5v coming in, and they’re stepping it down to 3.3v for the wake word processor (hence heat) while the main processor runs at 5v.
  - heavenlyblue 4y ago
    They could just have a transformer that doesn't need a resistor for stepping it down
  - causi 4y ago
    Switch mode power supplies don't waste that degree of energy when doing nothing. That's multiple watts, probably at least 5 judging by the temperature, just being pissed away at all times.
  - dTal 4y ago
    >Heat is dissipated when electricity goes unused too (usually by dumping it in some load resistor) This isn't true. Your light switches do not heat up to lightbulb temperature when the light is off. Heat is only dissipated when electricity is "used", more or less by definition. You seem to be describing a linear voltage regulator, which does have a load resistor and is wasteful if the step-down distance is large, but no modern electronic circuit would use such a thing in a power supply - it would use a switched-mode buck regulator instead.
  - lultimouomo 4y ago
    I guess that's why laptops batteries last exactly the same whether the computer is idling or not. Also, the reason they get very hot when you're not doing anything CPU intensive - it's all that unused electricity going to the dump load resistor!
vidarh 4y ago
Then they could at least provide more than one option. Though while far from perfect, one of the things I like about Alexa/Echo more than the ability to change it, is that with multiple devices you will generally only trigger one (the others within earshot will listen and then ignore it once one of them has picked it up; works well in my house at least apart from one place where echo/reflection sometimes causes one in another room to get preference, but even then only one device usually triggers). Sounds like that was the main problem for GP. Most of the time I can just turn in the general direction of the device I want to "listen".
- causi 4y ago
  Yep. Echoes also don't make you pause after the wake word, so you can actually talk to it naturally. Also, when you tell them to shut up they shut up. The way Google Homes throw a tantrum when you're rude to them will make you want to reach through the cable line and strangle the arrogant son of a bitch who OK'd something that pointlessly infuriating.
  - bobsmooth 4y ago
    I've found that my Home Mini works best if I don't pause after saying the wake command.
  - stavros 4y ago
    Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? If I'm so frustrated at a device that I'll tell it to shut up, the last thing I want from it is more noise.
    - ocdtrekkie 4y ago
      I've read a few times about the concerns people have with voice assistants, which all predominantly default to female voices, taking orders and abuse without question. I believe Cortana was also intended to "stand up for herself" in these situations, to avoid making it seem okay/normal to bark abusive orders at a "woman".
ilyt 4y ago
I doubt that's burned into hardware so it just should have the option to update the fingerprint of the word
heavenlyblue 4y ago
Uhm why is that chip not programmable for any ofher catch phrase?
- bobsmooth 4y ago
  That would require more communication between the main chip and wake-up chip which could lead to privacy concerns.
  - deadbunny 4y ago
    You're installing a box that has a mic sending things you say intentionally and unintentionally (because it thinks you woke it up) to a megacorp. I think privacy is out the window by now.

You can't change the wake word because a separate, dedicated chip is listening for it and is not connected to the rest of the device except to wake up the main processor.

Dylan16807 4y ago

Not "because". Dedicated wakeup chips can be designed to have a different matrix shoved in for the word they're detecting. Google presumably did not do this, but they could have.

bobsmooth 4y ago
Adding more communication between the main chip and the wake-up chip would leave more room for privacy intrusion.
- ethbr0 4y ago
  It's not more communication: it's different read-only data in the wake-up chip.

causi 4y ago

Considering how warm Google Homes stay even when idle I seriously doubt the main processor is ever going to sleep.

withinboredom 4y ago
Heat is dissipated when electricity goes unused too (usually by dumping it in some load resistor) so it’s possible the extra electricity is just generating heat, waiting to go to the processor. I’d lol if they have 5v coming in, and they’re stepping it down to 3.3v for the wake word processor (hence heat) while the main processor runs at 5v.
- heavenlyblue 4y ago
  They could just have a transformer that doesn't need a resistor for stepping it down
- causi 4y ago
  Switch mode power supplies don't waste that degree of energy when doing nothing. That's multiple watts, probably at least 5 judging by the temperature, just being pissed away at all times.
- dTal 4y ago
  >Heat is dissipated when electricity goes unused too (usually by dumping it in some load resistor) This isn't true. Your light switches do not heat up to lightbulb temperature when the light is off. Heat is only dissipated when electricity is "used", more or less by definition. You seem to be describing a linear voltage regulator, which does have a load resistor and is wasteful if the step-down distance is large, but no modern electronic circuit would use such a thing in a power supply - it would use a switched-mode buck regulator instead.
- lultimouomo 4y ago
  I guess that's why laptops batteries last exactly the same whether the computer is idling or not. Also, the reason they get very hot when you're not doing anything CPU intensive - it's all that unused electricity going to the dump load resistor!

vidarh 4y ago

Then they could at least provide more than one option. Though while far from perfect, one of the things I like about Alexa/Echo more than the ability to change it, is that with multiple devices you will generally only trigger one (the others within earshot will listen and then ignore it once one of them has picked it up; works well in my house at least apart from one place where echo/reflection sometimes causes one in another room to get preference, but even then only one device usually triggers). Sounds like that was the main problem for GP. Most of the time I can just turn in the general direction of the device I want to "listen".

causi 4y ago
Yep. Echoes also don't make you pause after the wake word, so you can actually talk to it naturally. Also, when you tell them to shut up they shut up. The way Google Homes throw a tantrum when you're rude to them will make you want to reach through the cable line and strangle the arrogant son of a bitch who OK'd something that pointlessly infuriating.
- bobsmooth 4y ago
  I've found that my Home Mini works best if I don't pause after saying the wake command.
- stavros 4y ago
  Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? If I'm so frustrated at a device that I'll tell it to shut up, the last thing I want from it is more noise.
  - ocdtrekkie 4y ago
    I've read a few times about the concerns people have with voice assistants, which all predominantly default to female voices, taking orders and abuse without question. I believe Cortana was also intended to "stand up for herself" in these situations, to avoid making it seem okay/normal to bark abusive orders at a "woman".

ilyt 4y ago

I doubt that's burned into hardware so it just should have the option to update the fingerprint of the word

heavenlyblue 4y ago

Uhm why is that chip not programmable for any ofher catch phrase?

bobsmooth 4y ago
That would require more communication between the main chip and wake-up chip which could lead to privacy concerns.
- deadbunny 4y ago
  You're installing a box that has a mic sending things you say intentionally and unintentionally (because it thinks you woke it up) to a megacorp. I think privacy is out the window by now.