Enjoy my GGMM D4 Battery Base for 4th Gen Echo Dot Review. You can buy this battery base for $29.99 from Amazon US → https://amzn.to/3vykWAR or for £34.99 from Amazon UK → https://amzn.to/2TNcsZp.
in this video, we are checking out the D4 Battery Base from GGMM. It is a compact stand that connects to the power socket of a 4th Gen Amazon Echo Dot and its built-in battery bank will enable you to move the speaker wherever you like, indoors and outdoors, and it will keep your smart speaker powered for up to 6 hours at maximum volume.
Not many people have portable speakers to take into the garden during these hot summer months, and if you own a cheap smart speaker, such as the Echo Dot, then with this battery base attached to it, you can bring this same speaker out into the garden for you, your friends and family to enjoy, whilst also having the ability to use its voice assistant to control the speaker.
In the box you get the battery base itself, there’s an adhesive metal plate that keeps the Echo dot attached to the base, via its internal magnet. There is a large multi-language paper installation guide, and there is a set of wet and dry clean wipes for when you attach the adhesive magnetic metal plate onto the bottom of the smart speaker.
Installation is super simple. You first fix the adhesive metal disc onto the base of your Echo Dot, then place it onto the magnetic surface on top of the battery base, whilst also connecting the short power connector from the battery base into the power socket on the back of the speaker.
That’s the install done. So next is to turn the battery base on by pressing the single button that’s located on the front of the battery base for 2 seconds. The Echo Dot takes a little while to turn on from a cold start, so you have to wait for the ring light on the bottom of the speaker to illuminate before you can tell that the Echo is receiving power from the battery base itself.
On the front of the base, there are four blue LEDs that inform you how much charge the 5,200 mAh battery has inside. Each dot will resemble 25% so, at full charge, all four LEDs will be visible. The battery base comes pre-charged. Mine was pre-charged at just over 75%, so it was good to be able to jump in without the need to charge first before I could enjoy it. Switching the base off is done by holding the button down for 1 second and the speaker and base will turn off.
To recharge the D4 Battery Base, you are required to use the same charging cable that came with the Echo Dot, so you can always keep it connected and because the base takes up around the same footprint as the Echo Dot itself, it still stands just as discreet around your home with the base attached to it, and you can just disconnect the power cable from the base and continue using it elsewhere around your home or in the garden outside.
I was able to recharge the internal battery in around three and a half hours, which also matches the maker’s claim. They say that you run the Echo Dot from the battery base for 7 hours, at 50% volume, and 6 hours at maximum volume, which I think is more than enough for a day’s use in the garden or elsewhere around your home.
In my own test, I was able to have the speaker on standby for over their claimed 15 hours, with a few minor commands and daily routines running. I ran continuous music on the speaker for just over 11 hours with the volume set to volume 2 (or four presses of the manual volume button), which I find is a volume level that I found acceptable for casual listening or background music whilst you work.
There is one thing you have to bear in mind though, and that is the Echo Dot is a smart speaker. So even when it is on standby, it will draw more power from the battery than a standard portable speaker will do. So it is advised to turn the base off if you are not using the speaker, or you can just simply keep it connected to its power cable when you do not need to use it anywhere else other than its own spot in your home.
The D4 Battery Base for the 4th Gen Amazon Echo Dot retails for £34.99 or $29.99 from Amazon and you can check out my links in the description below.
It comes in Black and White colours to compliment the same colours that are available for the Echo Dot, but there is no blue option, so if you have a blue Echo Dot, you will have to decide which of the two colours best fits your speaker. They also make a battery base for the larger 4th Generation Echo speaker, Echo Show 5, Echo Dot 3rd Gen and even one for 2nd Gen Google Nest Mini.
I think it’s a great addition to any smart speaker and especially the Echo Dot. It really enhances its uses in and around your home and I am surprised Amazon doesn’t do anything similar or even add a rechargeable battery into the speaker itself. I found that being able to use the speaker outdoors in the garden is really handy if you don’t have a dedicated portable speaker. You have to remember, though, like the Echo Dot, the base isn’t water-resistant, so don’t have it too close to where it can get splashed by any liquids. – including beer!
Without the limitation of connecting it to a power socket, you can also play with getting the best audio performance out of the speaker around your home. Such as placing it in corners, or deep recesses to enhance its bass performance, whereas, with the power cable connected, you might have had limited options for its placement. You can continue to use your music app or the Alexa app, to operate your playlist remotely, or you can choose to tell Alexa to change track, stop or change the volume.
It would be hard to find a portable speaker with Alexa functionality for under $85, or even less if you are able to pick up an Echo Dot during an Amazon sale. If you are looking for a portable smart speaker, or maybe you already own an Echo Dot that you’d like to untether around your home or garden, then I would definitely check out the D4 Battery Base from GGMM.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Intro
0:22 – Brief overview
1:12 – Unboxing
1:36 – Installation
1:57 – Features
3:24 – Battery Life
4:38 – My Impressions
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