IMO, the speaker should be able to be connected to the CPU and not rely on a BT connection for amplified sound.

I personally don't want to rely on my phone in order to hear alerts. The connection is just not reliable enough; it also requires that the phone's volume be set properly. The same problem holds true for my car audio system - even though it establishes a BT connection to my phone automatically, I hear zero sound unless the input on the radio is set to BT. To make things worse, my radio automatically mutes itself when establishing a connection to my phone.

I seem to recall that the LI had the capability I'm seeking.

Perhaps an amplified speaker can be connected to the accessory connection on the ALP unit?