I have a BUNCH of this gen dot around my house, and they work great. The only think I don’t like is that there are virtually no options on Amazon for wireless battery/speaker combos to take this dot on the go. I’ve purchased a few over the years but they are all garbage and break after a year or so.
Fun fact: this dot fits perfectly into a cup holder so get your tinkering hats on and think about that. Add a hotspot and you’re driving with Alexa.
Two thoughts -
One, many of us who have portable Amazon Tap Alexa speakers were bummed when Amazon dropped it and did not replace it. True, it was not a full on “Echo” device so Amazon did not acknowledge it as one, but it is a nice sounding and very handy device for moving around the house.
This 2nd gen Echo Dot was the last Dot with low enough power requirements (its sound output level was the main issue owners had with it) to be powered by a standard (not proprietary) MicroUSB port. That means you can make it portable by connecting it to any USB battery bank. A bit kludgy, but it works.
Or simply get an Echo Auto device and in so doing, add Bluetooth to a vehicle that does not have it, as long as the vehicle has a standard 3.5mm audio input jack. Or, if your vehicle already has Bluetooth, Echo Auto adds Alexa to your vehicle without requiring the 3.5mm cord. The benefit vs a standard Dot is having a set of far field microphones that are designed for noisy vehicle environments. Certainly not a perfect device, perhaps the poorest performing In the Echo lineup but it is handy. but We’ve paid as little as $14.99, new, from mother Amazon for Echo Auto.
Why get a 2nd Gen Echo Dot with its lower sound output capability at this point?
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As hinted above, if you already have a USB power hub/port available where you wish to locate this Dot, this is the last Dot to use a standard MicroUSB port… so no need to take up two or three spots on a power strip with the bulky 3rd gen Dot proprietary wall wart. And If you have the odd globular 4th gen Dot, the wall wart is smaller, but it is still proprietary.
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The 2nd gen Dot is also the last Dot to not have any more difficult to keep sanitary, dust-collecting fabric on it. All hard plastic case and easy to wipe down. So good for a dusty shop or garage environments.
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At $8, a cheap way to add Alexa to any speaker or stereo or AVR using the 3.5mm audio output port. (Or connect via Bluetooth if your device has it.). The lower sound level capability of the 2nd gen Dot becomes a non-issue.