Verbally connecting a home for the severely sight impaired.

Ewan_Kerr

My mum is nearly 90 and severely visually impaired.

She has 2 echo dots - Alexa

A Samsung A23 mobile - google assistant? (not enough memory for Bixby)

A Samsung TV attached to a BT pro box

An Ipad - Siri

and a Broadlink RM max

I think she should be able to verbally communicate with these devices and they should be able to communicate with each other.

In particular, I think she should be able to verbally tell the tv to, for instance, turn to BBC1.

The TV constantly boots up in 'TV' mode, not HDMI1 (mum has just about mastered changing the source via the Samsung remote, I can't get Alexa to change the TV to HDMI1). The BT remote does not accept verbal instruction and can't connect to Alexa. I can't get the Broadlink to connect to the BT box either.

Her phone can't do Bixby and google assistant wants to learn her voice to read her messages and make calls. She can't see to read the phrases it asks for to teach it. Alexa doesn't seem to be any help here either. Her Ipad doesn't have a Sim.

The Ipad can control her lamps and tell her the time!

I thought I was quite tech savvy, but this is beyond me. I suspect she may need to buy a new TV and phone.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Vitor

My first instinct is not that there is too little technology, but that there are far too many overlapping ecosystems.

At present she has Alexa, Google, Siri, Samsung/SmartThings and Broadlink all trying to solve different bits of the same accessibility problem.

I'd try to move toward Alexa integration for everything, swapping the Samsung A23 for a more modern model and change the iPad for a Samsung S9 TAB so you're not fighting two ecosystems.

Bixby is useless, do I'd discount that. Broadlink RM max acts as a network-connected universal remote or IR blaster. I'd try to move towards devices which are integrated with Alexa. Better Alexa+ when that rolls out into the UK.

beckstar1975

you can getfire sticks v cheaply which you can voice control the tv with (from Alexa app on phone /ipad and from the echo dots). You might manage to install Alexa on both of these and manage ok before buying lots of new things to see how you and she gets on

PHK

If you can get hold of a FireTV Cube, this will directly control the TV to change channels using her voice through Alexa (which is built-in) She can also use her voice to use play movies, listen to radio stations etc through the Cube. It will also control lights, appliances etc.

It will either control the TV through HDMI control (if the TV has that) or using the supplied little infra red device that you position pointing at the TV.

Ewan_Kerr

I'd welcome details of tech or combinations of tech that are proven to work, for

1. controlling TV

2 making/receiving phone calls & messages

Thanks

elsien

on an iPhone Siri can do what app, text messages and phone calls as long as the relevant numbers are in the contacts.

I presume android assistant has similar features.

MattMattMattUK

It probably depends what ecosystem they are already embedded in, but for example I can control my Phone, TV, tablet, music via smart speakers and light by voice using Google Home devices, I have one in every room. If I tell my phone to tall someone it will, I can make a normal call or tell it to call them on WhatsApp, messages do work, but for long messages voice to text is slightly less accurate if one has an accent, text to voice is highly accurate. .

It does depend on the level of their visual impairment, a lot of these things work best with a level of vision as occasional on screen prompts, but Android has hover over screen narration, high contrast, large font etc. so it can be adapted fairly well.

JSmithy45AD

Why have you started a 2nd thread?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679949/verbally-connecting-a-home-for-the-severely-sight-impaired