Why a $30 Refurbished Kindle Outshines the Amazon Echo Show as Your Smart Home Hub
When the Echo Show smart displays first launched, I believed they would enhance my smart home experience. Years later, however, I’ve found myself relying more on an old Kindle rather than the Echo Show for smart home monitoring or device control.
An Echo Show Falls Short of Expectations
Primarily Used for Music
The concept of a voice assistant integrated into a smart display appears promising for home automation. Unfortunately, the Echo Show has not delivered on this potential.
A significant issue stems from Amazon’s proprietary smart home ecosystem. While the Echo Show is designed to function as a dashboard for managing smart home devices via its touchscreen, it has not fulfilled this role effectively.
Device control is primarily restricted to basic widgets, and accessing informative data about smart devices can be frustrating. Due to the system’s restrictive nature, if a desired feature isn’t included in the standard firmware, options for modification are limited, often requiring jailbreaking.
A Used Kindle Proves More Valuable
Affordable Older Models Available
A Kindle and Echo Show serve different purposes; one is a smart display, while the other functions as an eReader. Crucially, many Kindle models can be jailbroken.
Although some Echo Show models can also be jailbroken, this process is more advanced on Kindles, which have a well-established ecosystem for running alternative applications. Jailbreaking Kindles has been prevalent for years; by contrast, jailbreaking Echo Shows is relatively new.
Once a Kindle is jailbroken, its capabilities expand significantly. You can install apps like KOReader, allowing the device to read various formats beyond what the standard firmware supports. Moreover, jailbroken Kindles can even serve as remote monitors or wireless page-turners.
The greatest advantage of a jailbroken Kindle is its flexibility; you can display anything you choose, including valuable smart home information that an Echo Show cannot provide. Surprisingly, older used Kindles can be found for around $30, making them a budget-friendly option for this purpose.
E-Ink Displays as Ideal Smart Home Dashboards
Low Power Consumption and Always On
This is where Kindles excel, performing tasks that an Echo Show should ideally accomplish but fails to do. The Echo Show’s display is well-suited for showcasing smart home information, yet Amazon has not made this a reality. With a jailbroken Kindle, you can customize what appears on its screen.
It’s possible to configure a Kindle to show a Home Assistant dashboard, updating as frequently as you prefer—though more frequent updates will reduce battery life. I’ve created a minimalistic dashboard for my jailbroken Kindle 4, which beautifully presents useful smart home metrics that the Echo Show overlooks.
In fact, my old Kindle can even display the feed from my video doorbell, albeit at a slower frame rate, providing a convenient way to check who’s at the door while I read.
Limitations of a Kindle Compared to an Echo Show
Limited Interactive Features
While a Kindle can effectively serve as a smart home dashboard, it cannot fully replace an Echo Show. My Echo Shows, although rarely utilized for controlling devices, are still useful for playing music.
Playing music via a used Kindle isn’t practical. If you’re hoping to enjoy music on smart speakers, using a service like Music Assistant can be a viable alternative. Additionally, Kindles don’t support voice commands, which may limit their functionality compared to an Echo Show. However, options exist, such as setting up a local voice assistant like Home Assistant’s Assist, keeping voice commands private without sharing data with Amazon.
Unexpected Versatility of a Kindle
An Echo Show seems to be a clever idea but lacks practical usefulness. Remarkably, even an older Kindle can outperform the Echo Show in displaying information. If you’re looking to move on from one Amazon device, consider exploring the possibilities with another.
