Amazon Echo is run by Amazon’s smart voice assistant, Alexa. One of the best methods to make your home more efficient is to buy an “intelligent home device.” This allows you to control and operate web-connected devices from anywhere with a smart speaker or bright screen. Amazon Echo devices let you use your voice to play music, check the weather, change your schedule, play games, set timers, etc.
Amazon Echo: How to set up an Amazon Echo
Amazon’s Echo lineage is one of the most feature-rich and cutting-edge hubs. The Echo family comprises the main Echo speaker, the Echo Dot, the Echo Studio, and a variety of other display models. They are all powered by Amazon’s smart voice assistant, Alexa. If you’ve just bought your first Echo product or need a refresher on some basics, we’ve placed together this guide to support you get your new Echo up and running. So let’s dive right in.
Get the Alexa app from Amazon
The free Alexa app is a must for people who own an Amazon Echo. It lets you ask Alexa to do things like play music. You can get the app on any smartphone or tablet with iOS 11.0 or higher, Android 6.0 or higher, and Fire OS 5.3.3 or higher. No, I was downloading the app on my phone. First, make sure you have Wi-Fi. Then, go to the Amazon Alexa website.
Plug the Echo in
It’s probably the easiest part because the Echo doesn’t need any batteries to start up and work. Plug the power adapter into the Echo first, then connect the plug to a power outlet. In this case, the light ring turns blue. Please wait until it turns orange, as this means that Alexa is ready to greet you. Once Alexa tells you that the device is likely to be set up, you’ll hear her voice say that.
Connect the Echo to Wi-Fi through the app
Next, you’ll need to connect your Echo to your home Wi-Fi network. The Echo should help you through this process. You can also open up the Alexa app if you get stuck. Then, you can search through all the networks until you find yours. If you have a lot of Echo devices, move to the Devices tab. Then, tick the icon for Echo & Alexa in the top carousel and choose the device that has Alexa. If you move to the Wireless section, you should be able to see how well the Wi-Fi network link is working.
Once you’re in, you can save your Wi-Fi password to your Amazon account, making it easy to connect to smart home devices. If you want to buy more Echo speakers for other rooms, you can also set up a recent Alexa device on the same network as the first one. When you buy an Echo, you can also choose to connect it to a public network, but Amazon won’t keep the password.
During setup and when you utilize certain apps and features, Alexa will use your location to give you information about your area’s weather, news, and time. Change your Echo’s location at any time in the Alexa app. This is if you move or want to get information from a different place.
To do so, open the app and then click on Devices in the menu. Next, click Echo & Alexa. Then click the device you want to change and click OK. Next, click on Device Location and save to save your changes. To test, ask Alexa what the weather is like. People who help you record your speech should give you a local forecast for your recording time.
The Amazon Echo is a smart speaker
Begin a conversation with Alexa
“Alexa” is the word you say to start things up. Make a different wake word if there is already a person called Alexa, Alexis, and so on in your house. Explain the Echo. Change the word “Alexa.” You can also open Help & Feedback in the Alexa app and change the Wake Word. “Ziggy,” “Amazon,” “Computer, and Echo” are some of the words you can change the Echo to respond to right now. Now, Amazon lets you choose between female and male-speaking people for Alexa.
Use Echo to start
Use your Echo device to do a wide range of things, such as: If you speak simple commands, you can make to-do lists and find out the weather and traffic conditions. You can also call and text your friends, send text messages to your family, or stream podcasts. You can also connect smart home devices to your computer network. Everything from color-changing lights to security cameras can talk to your Echo. Alexa has a lot of important and not-so-important skills you can add, too. It’s a good idea to look at some of the things that the Amazon Echo can do for you.
Use an external speaker or connect smart home gadgets
Go to the tablet or phone menu. Choose the devices you want to use. If Alexa lets an advertisement show up at this point, you can tap on it to close it. In the next step, select the + sign in the upper right corner of the app, then tap Add Device. It’s now time to choose the device you want to join from the list. If you can’t find the right one, click Other.
At this point, Alexa can connect with any smart devices that happen to be in the same area. You can make more high-level Scenes where multiple devices work together simultaneously, and you can group accessories into groups. Please check out our post on Routines for more information on setting up these interactions. There, you will find helpful tricks and tips. The setup apps for many smart home products, on the other hand, will have quick links to help you set up your new device through the Alexa app, as well.
Organize Alexa’s groups
To start a new group in the Alexa app, go to Devices and create a new group. Then, hit the plus sign and click Add Group. You can choose to make a room or a group of things from here. The next step is to pick the devices counted in each selected group. When you’re done, click Save. In the end, you can give the Echo speaker in the room a simple command to turn on and off all the smart devices you’ve put in there. If everything turns on and off as it should, your grouping was a success.
Set up Alexa to stream music
The best thing about the Echo speaker is that you can use the hub to stream your favorite music and audio help. It’s time to start the app. Then, click More. Next, go to Settings > Music & Podcasts > Link New Service. Then, choose a service.
Choose the service you want to count and follow the in-app directions to get it linked with Alexa. From the Music & Podcasts screen, you can also change the default music service, and you can do this from there. So, when you question Alexa to play a song or an artist, you don’t have to tell her which music service you want to use.