How Do I Set Up Amazon Echo for My House?
This article describes setting up your Amazon Echo for your home. Instructions are given for activating it and connecting it to the Alexa app. Instructions are also provided for synching the Echo with any smart home devices you want to connect to it and control from it. Troubleshooting advice is given as well.
Your Amazon Echo is a useful tool for a number of important tasks, and some fun but unimportant ones, too. It can keep track of your to-do lists and give you helpful reminders, make calls, send text messages, and manage smart home devices. Your Echo can even be upgraded with thousands of specialized skills that can be added. Read on to learn how to set up your Amazon Echo for your home.
The Alexa App
The first thing to do is get the Alexa app, which is free. You need it to male your Echo work. You can download it to any tablet, phone, or computer with an up to date operating system. If you are using a computer then you need to have it connected to Wi-Fi.
Plug the Echo in. The light ring should turn blue, then orange, and then the Alexa voice will say that the Echo is ready for the setup process. Open the Alexa app and select More, then select Add Device, then select Amazon Echo, then select Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, and More. Follow the prompts to finish setting your Echo up.
After setup is complete, you can save your Wi-Fi password on Amazon, which makes connecting your smart home devices a lot easier.
Connecting Your Devices
Say, "Alexa, discover new devices." Alexa will then scan your home for smart home devices that it can "talk" to. This process will take approximately 10 seconds. After it is complete, all the devices that Alexa could find will be added to the Alexa app, and Alexa will be ready to control them with voice commands.
If Alexa fails to recognize one of your devices, the problem might be that it needs one or more special skills enabled before it can talk to the device. Open the Alexa app. Navigate to the Smart Home section and select Smart Home Skills. Enable the skills needed for the device you want Alexa to control. The problem could also be that you need to supply login credentials before the device can be accessed. You can do that in the Smart Home section as well.
You should test that everything is working as it should by trying some commands. There is a "Things to Try" option in the Alexa app menu, which should help you test the device and see what it is capable of. If you have any questions regarding the setup, contact Amazon. Its customer support options include phone, email, a help desk, and a variety of live chat services.
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