Video Portals
- Onamor
- Jun 17, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 16
ALEXA ECHO VIDEO PORTALS: When I realised that seeing me gave Mama comfort, I started looking at the Alexa Echo Show. Without question, the feature that made the biggest difference was Drop In.
Like any technology, it wasn't perfect. There were the occasional glitches, freezes, random music playing, and the odd restart, but despite all of that, it was still one of the best tools I found for staying connected while caring from another country.
I also discovered a few ways to get around some of those issues, along with backup plans when things didn't go as expected.
If you'd like to see exactly how I set up our home, along with the things that worked, the things that didn't, and how I adapted as dementia progressed, you'll find it all in my caregiving planning handbook. You can also learn more on my How I Can Help page.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 15
This is one of the best and one of the priciest. I really like this one.
It has a huge 15.6" screen and of course the wonderful drop-in feature. It's better for your LO to see you due to the large screen.
It has so many bells and whistles but I mainly used it for calling ONLY.
Note: I purchased a stand to mount it, as I didn't want this on a wall. You can mount it on a wall or display it with a compatible stand (sold separately), in portrait or landscape orientation, I purchased the stand and preferred this. The link takes you to the "bundle" that is the unit and the stand but you can just buy the product and mount on wall if it suits.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 10
I was impressed with this when I first purchased it - after all it boasted that it has "a 10 inch screen that is designed to move with you" feature. I was excited with this and it worked well for several weeks. It did follow you but then... the glitches began. I would be halfway across the world at this time and Mama would be speaking to me, make some sort of hand gesture and it would do a Regan (from the exorcist) and turn 180 and stay there!!! So to mama I was turning away from her. That's a whole other story for my blog but I eventually disabled that feature.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 5 AND 8
I started with these as cameras and placed them in areas of the house where I knew Mama would sit, so we could have "tea" together. The smaller ones were good for a start, as well as for appointment reminders or as backup cameras if others weren't working. However, the screen became too small for Mama to see me clearly, so we switched to larger ones. Again, I purchased stands for these.
IPAD and/or SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB
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