Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm one of the pretty few satisfied customers here, I see. I love this thing. But it wasn't love at first sight by any means, I'll admit. So first the good news: it was easy to set up as all Echos are or have been for me. And I absolutely love being able to answer the phone this way all over the house, though it's true that hearing the initial conversation all over the house is kind of weird. Also, as an older user, being able to yell for "9-1-1," no panic button necklace or bracelet required, may save my life some day soon. Consider that, those of you who have elderly relations who might need to call Emergency, or you, this way someday. Now, the bad news. Even the packaging isn't as intuitive as Amazon seems to think. Yes, the booklet lists each item, but If I hadn't asked a question here about how to connect to my modem, the little bitty splitter that comes with this one would still be in my recycle bin. I just didn't see the tiny little compartment it was in, so I removed all the obvious stuff and tossed the box. And I bet I'm not the first. But the most vexing part is that while the booklet told me how to set it up, it didn't tell me exactly how to answer or hang up or anything.So I had to Google it to find out exactly how that worked. This is an ongoing problem with Echo devices. Amazon doesn't explain how to use them well enough. So you have to experiment or go online for the answers and to discover features they don't even advertise that others have found by trial and error. This "catch as catch can" approach isn't a good idea, with Google putting on the pressure. My other family members brought Homes this Christmas, based on what they'd seen me go through. Not good. But now that it's up and running, I love it. I have an Echo in all the major rooms of my house now--I love not having to haul a phone around anymore!