Block Alexa’s eavesdropping until you say the word with this privacy add-on

Love your Amazon Echo Dot but hate that Alexa is always listening to your conversations? Get the PriVeta Home add-on. It blocks the Echo's mics with a specially engineered noise.

Keep private home conversations for your ears only with the PriVeta Home. This Amazon Echo privacy device sits atop your smart speaker and blocks Alexa’s microphones with noise until you say the action word.

We all love the convenience that Alexa brings to our everyday lives. It makes your shopping lists, turns on the TV, orders books, and so much more.

The trouble is, for Alexa and other voice assistants to work, they constantly listen to your voice. And that includes your intimate conversations, arguments, and work-from-home conferences. But what happens with the sensitive information that Alexa hears? No one really knows.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a smart speaker that helps you and doesn’t harvest your data in the process? It’s possible once you get a privacy add-on like the PriVeta Home.

How does this Alexa privacy device work?

There’s nothing complicated about using this Amazon Echo privacy device. Simply place it on top of your smart speaker. There, the gadget will confuse the Echo’s microphones with a specially engineered noise until you want to disable it.

When you want to use your Echo device as usual, just say the PriVeta Home’s activation word. This stops the noise and allows the mics to work normally.

Does PriVeta Home collect or store data?

It’s a logical concern since it seems almost every voice activation product records information from your speech and everyday conversations. But the PriVeta Home is different. It actually doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection or any other interface.

So the device can’t process or send your information to a cloud. Speak freely about your work, love life, or anything else at home without worrying about the device eavesdropping.

How do you set up PriVeta Home?

Even better, the PriVeta Home is easy to set up. As we mentioned above, the first step is placing the PriVeta Home over your Amazon Echo.

Then connect it to a power source. This disturbs the Amazon Echo’s microphone until you use the wake word. When you say it, the microphone-blocking feature disables, and you can use your Amazon Echo as usual.

It’s really that easy, and you can go about your day, talking politics while you brew coffee or discussing your latest sales plan with your colleagues, without a concern about what Alexa sends to the cloud.

Does this Echo add-on work automatically?

Once you’re finished talking to your Amazon Echo, you don’t have to do anything for this privacy device to resume blocking the mics. It automatically activates the blocking feature after a set amount of time. So you don’t have to worry about pressing any buttons or performing any actions for it to start working again.

How does this privacy device recognize the wake word?

You might be wondering how the PriVeta Home recognizes its wake word without an internet connection. According to the company, the product uses built-in offline speech-recognition software. So all of the technology is on the device; it doesn’t record anything or send things over the internet.

Want a smart speaker but have privacy concerns?

If you haven’t bought a smart speaker because you’re concerned about privacy, this Amazon Echo privacy device could be the solution. Echo devices can indeed store voice recordings, and Amazon employees can even hear your Alexa conversations.

While Amazon has made some improvements, you may want to take matters into your own hands. Luckily, the PriVeta Home ensures you can maintain your privacy while still enjoying the conveniences of a smart speaker.

Which Echo models does this gadget support?

For the moment, the PriVeta Home works with only Amazon Echo smart speakers. It’s compatible with the Echo Plus 2nd Gen, Echo Dot 3rd Gen, Echo Dot 3rd Gen with Clock, and Echo 3rd Gen.

Read our final thoughts

If you’re concerned about Amazon listening in on your conversations, you don’t have to put up with it. The PriVeta Home lets you jam Alexa’s mic, keeping the words you share at home, private.

Meanwhile, you still get easy access to your voice assistant when you deactivate the jamming feature. All it takes is one extra step, and you can use Alexa as usual. Add this Amazon Echo privacy device to your home for security and convenience.

Preorder the PriVeta Home for about $105 on Indiegogo. How do you protect your privacy from prying smart speakers? Let us know!