Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsJust awful Home Theatre
Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2023
EDIT #2: Took a $500 router running OpenWRT, created a separate 5 GHz network on a different channel, wirelessly connected to home router via router's 2nd 5 GHz radio as a client (so triple NAT at this point). Amazon TV & 2 Echo speakers is all that's on this new network. After 2 months, not one audio problem. :-/
There aren't *that* many devices on the main network. Plus, the TV & speakers create a separate, private wireless network between them; nothing on the main network should impact performance. Yet it clearly does.
Not acceptable.
EDIT: Amazon reached out multiple times after review went live, offering to help. I declined. How mysterious that speakers are working perfectly now! Better than they ever have before.
Review isn't changing. It shouldn't have to come to this, Amazon.
ORIG: Had TV for almost a year now. Home theatre with 2 Echo speakers. Strong Deco 2.4/5/6 GHz mesh Wi-Fi in the room, 3 Gb/s direct fibre internet. Audio drops randomly from one speaker or the other, irregularly but at least once per day. No amount of tech support has resolved this.
Came home a week ago and TV was totally wonky, so factory reset and started from scratch. Seemed to pair fine, but leave it for an hour and no audio. Speakers randomly say they have no internet. Unpair, leave for an hour -- no speakers available to pair. Occasionally they'll be detected, only for Home Theatre setup to fail. Probably 25 attempts to set up, both with Amazon Support assistance, and without.
Escalated last week to 2nd level support; not a word. Not even a confirmation email that the case was escalated. This week, on about the third attempt, I was able to pair successfully. Test audio worked fine. 10 minutes later I tried to play a show; no audio. 😡 Called support; 1st level is rude & condescending, hints that I don't know what I'm doing. Son, I was third level support at two different Fortune 100 companies for 10 years, I probably have more technical knowledge than you will ever have. Just admit that your products SUCK, and your so-called technical support is even worse.
Never again, Amazon. I'll NEVER EVER buy Amazon-branded products again. Anybody want a deal on a bunch (12 I believe) of Echo and Fire TV devices? I'll let 'em go cheap.