Column Irbis A With "Alice" Inside: How To Connect And Configure A "smart" Speaker? Comparison With Yandex.Station

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

The Irbis A column with "Alice" has already gained popularity among those who pay great attention to the latest innovations in the high-tech market. This device in comparison with Yandex. Station "is cheaper, and in terms of its technical capabilities it may well compete with it. But just before you connect and configure a "smart" speaker, you should learn a little more about it.

What it is?

The Irbis A column with “Alice” is a “smart” technique created by a Russian brand in collaboration with Yandex services. As a result, the partners managed to develop really a stylish version of a home assistant that combines the capabilities of a media center and a smart home system . The color of the case of the speakers is white, purple or black; inside the package there is a rather minimalistic set of a power supply unit with a micro USB connector and the Irbis A speaker itself.

Devices of this type use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections during operation, and have a built-in processor. The "smart speaker" was originally developed as an element of the smart home system, but over time it began to be used simply as a voice assistant, an entertainment center, a tool for creating lists and notes.

Design and functional features

The Irbis A column with "Alice" is powered by the mains - there is no battery in the design. The device itself has the shape of a low cylinder, the body is made of durable plastic. The cable and power supply are separated from each other - technically, you can connect the speaker to any Power Bank or laptop USB connector and use it autonomously . The design provides for a 2 W speaker, two microphones, an audio jack for broadcasting music from a smartphone, tablet, player, Bluetooth 4.2 is preinstalled.

One of the main advantages of the device is its compactness and lightness . It weighs only 164 g with case dimensions 8, 8 × 8, 5 cm and a height of 5.2 cm. The upper flat part is equipped with 4 control keys. Here you can activate or deactivate the microphone, increase and decrease the volume, call "Alice".

To evaluate what the Irbis A column with “Alice” can do, you can see the overview of the subscription to “Yandex. Plus , with which the device works. Free for 6 months of use. Further, you will have to incur additional costs or significantly reduce the range of use of technology. Among the available functions:

• making purchases through the Beru marketplace;
• taxi call from Yandex;
• reading news;
• search for music tracks in the library of an available service;
• search for a playing track;
• reporting weather or traffic jams;
• control of functions of other smart home devices;
• word games;
• reproduction of text files by voice, reading fairy tales;
• search for information at the request of the user.

The Irbis A column is based on the Linux operating system . In addition to the Bluetooth module, you need to provide a fairly stable Wi-Fi connection to work. The column supports standard and "child" modes of operation. When you change the settings, additional content filtering occurs, excluding videos, music and text files that potentially do not correspond to the selected age category.

Comparison with Yandex. Station"

The main difference between the Irbis A column and Yandex. Stations consists in the absence of an HDMI output, which allows you to directly connect it to TV devices, monitors . Visually, the difference is also noticeable. The more compact size makes this device a good solution for individual use. The device is better suited for small-sized premises, and the load on the budget when buying is reduced by 3 times.

All functionality is retained. Technicians can manage built-in or installed applications in their memory, support the execution of voice commands, find the information they need, and answer user questions . With its help, you can easily set an alarm or find out the weather, listen to the latest news, make calculations. Artificial intelligence is ready to support the idea of word games, play a lullaby or tell a fairy tale to a child.

Where the Irbis A is definitely better, it has a more stylish design . The device looks really futuristic and takes up very little space. Some of the shortcomings can be noted lower volume in the work of the column in comparison with the station. Besides, lack of autonomous power supply makes the device practically useless in the event of a power outage or going out into the countryside. The built-in microphone is less sensitive - with a significant background noise “Alice” in Irbis A simply does not recognize the command.

How to set up and connect?

In order to start using the "smart speaker" Irbis A, you need to provide it with a network connection. If there is no outlet nearby, it is enough to connect the technician to the Power Bank battery through the cable supplied with the device . After the power is turned on (it takes about 30 seconds with the boot up), the LED border on the top of the case will light up. Having activated the speaker in this way, you can proceed to setting up and connecting it.

To do this, you will need a smartphone or tablet with the Yandex application - it is available for iOS in versions not lower than 9.0, and for Android 5.0 and higher. You need to enter it, in the absence of an account and mail, create them. After entering the application, you should pay attention to the corner on the left at the top of the screen. There is an icon in the form of 3 horizontal stripes - you need to click on it.

Further, the sequence of actions will be quite simple

1. In the drop-down menu "Services" select the item "Devices". Click on the "Add" offer.
2. Select Irbis A.
3. Press and hold the "Alice" button on the column.
4. Wait for the setup recommendations to appear on the screen. The speaker itself will beep at the same time.
5. Follow the recommendations and prompts until the setup is complete.

To connect to the Irbis A phone with "Alice", you need to use a wired connection via the AUX connector or wireless via Bluetooth . In this mode, the device does not respond to user requests, it is used only as an external speaker for broadcasting an audio signal. When connected to external speakers via AUX OUT, the device retains the ability to respond to user commands.

When the device is turned on for the first time, the firmware is updated automatically. In the future, the column itself will carry out this operation at night . It is recommended to keep the connection to the WI-FI network for this period at least several times a month.

It is important to consider: the column operates at a network frequency of 2.4 GHz. If the router from which the Wi-Fi signal is being transmitted is working for another, the connection cannot be established. If there is a 2nd frequency at 5 GHz, you need to give the networks different names, repeat the connection by choosing the desired option. And you can also create a Wi-Fi connection via your phone during the setup period.

Manual

In order to use the voice assistant "Alice", you need to contact him by activating the device or by pressing the appropriate button. The first word of the command should be the name of the artificial intelligence. The default settings are exactly like this. Make sure the microphone is active beforehand. The light ring at the top of the housing will light up.

LED indication plays an important role in evaluating the performance of the device. In the Irbis A column with "Alice" you can find several of her variations.

1. The ring of light is not visible . The device is in sleep mode. To switch to the active one, you need to give a command by voice or press the corresponding button.
2. The red light is on . In short-term operation, this is due to exceeding the volume level. Long-term preservation of such backlighting indicates disconnected microphones or no Wi-Fi signal. You need to check the connection, if necessary, reconnect or reboot the device.
3. The light ring flashes . With a green intermittent indication, you need to respond to the alarm signal. A flashing purple ring indicates a previously set reminder. A blue pulsing signal indicates Wi-Fi setting mode.
4. The backlight is purple, rotates in a circle . This effect is relevant for the moment the device is connected to the network or the request is processed.
5. The backlight is purple, it is constantly on . Alice is activated and ready to interact.
6. The light ring is blue . This backlight is used to indicate a Bluetooth connection to another device. The column works as a music translator, does not respond to voice commands.

Considering all this information, you can successfully operate a speaker with a voice assistant, recognize and eliminate faults in time.