Speaking of ears, the Echo Show 5 also has upgraded audio. It sports two 4W speakers and actually sounds decent. The speaker gets fairly loud without distorting. Of course, you can’t play music too loud or else it won’t catch your voice commands.

Ultimately, these small issues don’t at all take away from the fact that iHome mostly nailed it with their first Alexa-enabled bedside speaker. The iAVS16 is a versatile nightstand companion, and it will only continue to grow in usefulness with future firmware updates. Yes, an LCD display would open up new avenues for use (and allow the screen to show color in more than just one corner), but maybe that’s all too much for when you’re just waking up. To the display’s credit, it still has some advanced features like automatic dimming via an ambient light sensor. The plus side of that is that you can use any of these services to set a music alarm. You can also use Google Assistant to set a regular alarm. All you have to do is say something like, “Hey Alexa, set an alarm for 9am that plays my Spotify Relaxation Playlist,” or, “Hey Alexa, set an alarm for 9am every day.” No, hidden cameras do not necessarily require Wi-Fi to function. There are different types of spy cameras available that can operate without an internet connection. Some cameras store recorded footage on a memory card, which can later be accessed physically. 5. How do you tell if a smoke detector is a hidden camera?

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The Time might not be the most technologically advanced bedside companion, but it is certainly the most customizable. And as every smart device starts to reach toward a standard feature set, that’s certainly worth something. To customize your alarms beyond Alexa’s scope, simply install the iHome AVS app on your Android or iOS device. It is easy to set up the camera you just need to install an App available in both iOS and Android. This means that you can view the videos online on your phone, tablet, and PC. It has an expanded memory using a micro SD to record videos. Third-party platforms are usually more limited in scope but can offer some highly specialized functions as well. They aren't to be completely overlooked. It then presents the information from these services on a pixelated display that I find charming despite its limitations.

It is fairly easy to schedule alarms and customize them but this device can only hold four alarms before you connect it to a voice assistant. Thereafter you can store additional alarms on the cloud service. Try our System Comparison Guide for a detailed breakdown of our Time & Attendance range. Any Questions?

1. Noklead Metal Alarm Clock

It has three easy to find buttons, two for cycling between apps displayed, and one for performing relevant functions. Let’s get these shortcomings out of the way. The Wakey has no smart home support and no built-in ability to choose a wake-up playlist or song. It does, however, have 10 built-in alarm sounds and the option of using FM radio, none of which require your phone to be actively connected. You will have to connect your phone if you want to edit one of the 15 stored alarms, though, which kind of puts this speaker in an awkward place.

You can also play YouTube videos or listen to Spotify, Pandora, and iHeartRadio. You can access a visual weather forecast or get the morning news. Google Assistant is always learning new features too so there is simply too much to list. Google Assistant can integrate any of these things into a morning or evening routine. These are custom commands that you can set up to execute when you say “Hey Google, good night” or “Hey Google, good morning.” You can also use the app to program audio alarms. You can schedule 16 different alarm profiles and specify what combination of light and sound you want. You can use eight preset “natural wakeup sounds” but if you want to wake up to music, you’re limited to FM radio or a device plugged in via aux port. One feature that may prove distracting at night is the display LEDs. The front LED display can be dimmed or turned off, but the top button LEDs cannot, which may light your room up at night. Like other Alexa devices, you can use this speaker to put on audio before bed and then set a sleep timer. This helps you sleep better at night, and ideally, wake up easier afterward. The Philips SmartSleep Connected is the first of Philips’ sleep and wake lights to feature app-enabled customization, making it easy for anyone to set their own sleep schedule using sunrise and sunset lights.

5. I-Box Bedside Alarm Clock

This allows you to customize your alarm to stream audio from services like Spotify (if you have Spotify Premium) or iHeartRadio. Plenty of services are missing, though, including the ability to play music from your phone’s storage. Unable to charge your phone wirelessly? Refer our guide on best ways to fix wireless charging not working with your phone. The speaker is just loud enough to make for an effective alarm, yet it distorts considerably at max volume. It has an aux out port for those who’d rather port audio to a more robust speaker. The Echo Show 5 may be able to do a lot but keep in mind that it is far from perfect in its current state. Many tasks feel a little more involved than they should be, which can scare off those who aren’t technically savvy. Also, the microphone array for this device seems like it is the same one from the Echo Spot, as it isn’t powerful enough to hear you when listening to audio at over 50% volume. You get a myriad of onboard controls (even though you still can’t set an alarm without the use of Alexa), and a nifty accent light bar which can be used for ambiance or as a part of your wake up routine.