Amazon Alexa Guide | How to Set up Amazon Alexa and its Accessories 2022
Have you just picked up a new Amazon Alexa device and are looking for easy steps on how to set it up? Well, don’t fret because I got you covered.
Whether you want to set up Amazon Alexa and its accessories or only your primary Alexa device, this guide has it all.
Learn in easy-to-do steps how you can install and use Alexa and see what accessories go with it.
Let’s check out the Amazon Alexa Guide.
Amazon Alexa Guide to Set Up Skills and Accessories
Well to start things off, the first thing you need is to purchase an Amazon Alexa device. Once you have the device in hand, it’s time to create an Amazon Prime membership so you can access everything Alexa has to offer.
Though Prime is not a mandatory requirement to use Alexa, it grants you access to Amazon’s complete video and audio library.
You can choose from a number of different Amazon Alexa devices like the Echo Show or the Echo Dot and use that to stay connected online.
Think of the Alexa device as your personal assistant, you can use it to create events and reminders, play music, control your smart home accessories and much more.
So how do you set up Amazon Alexa? Read on to find that out..
Guide to Setting Up Amazon Alexa on Echo and Echo Dot
Since Alexa is connected to your personal Amazon account, you will be required to create an Amazon account before you can use Alexa for anything.
- First, install the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone and then login with your registered Amazon account.
- Now, plug in your Echo and switch on the device.
- Head over to the Alexa app and then tap on the notification which says, “Alexa is Ready”
- If you do not see the notification, proceed over to the More button and then click on Add a New Device
- Tap on Amazon Echo
- Select the correct model from the list and then follow the on-screen instructions to connect the Echo device to the Wi-Fi.
You can choose to connect multiple Echo devices to the same account and manage them simultaneously via the smartphone app.
To set up your Echo device, follow these steps;
- Open the Alexa app on your smartphone and then tap on the pop-up message asking you to Set up your New Echo
- The Alexa app will take you through its list of functions and show you how you can use the device.
- It will take you through the complete procedure of setting up your alarm, reminder, setting your name and even prompt you to add any smart home devices to the app.
- If you have any smart home devices like smart plugs or smart bulbs, choose the appropriate selection from the list and then proceed to connect the devices by first enabling their pairing mode
Alexa works with Nest, Philips HUE, LIFX, Netatmo, Hive, LightwaveRF, Smart Things, Honeywell Total Connect Comfort, digitalSTROM, MyFox and tado smart home devices.
In order to enable a particular smart home device, you must first enable the skill through the Alexa app and only then will you be able to control any smart home or remote devices via Alexa voice commands.
Guide to Setting Up Amazon Alexa on Echo Show
Echo Show doesn’t require you to sign into the Alexa app and you can directly set up the device by using its touchscreen display.
There is an on-screen keyboard that you can use to sign into your Amazon account and to enter your password for the Wi-Fi.
Once you’re connected to the internet and you’ve signed into your Amazon account, you can begin using Alexa right away.
However, in order to configure the device such as set a reminder, wake up time, an alarm and such, you will have to swipe down on the display to pull up the Settings and Shortcuts screen.
How to Setup Alexa Accessories?
Amazon has thought of it all and they’ve created a complete home solution package that can be used with Alexa.
There are a number of smart devices made by Amazon such as a smart thermostat, smart plugs, the Echo glow, smart night lights and even smart microwaves that can be voice controlled via Alexa.
To setup these devices, check out these steps;
Set Up Amazon Smart Thermostat with Alexa
- To set up the Amazon smart thermostat with Alexa, power on the smart thermostat, wait for the power light to blink orange and then head over to the Alexa app and click on More.
- Click on Add a device and then choose the thermostat from the list.
- Now, connect the smart thermostat to the Wi-Fi and it will automatically pair with your Alexa device.
Since the thermostat doesn’t have a speaker or microphone, you will need to give the commands through the Echo speaker you’re connected to.
Set Up Amazon Smart Plugs with Alexa
- If you’re using a smart plug, place it into a wall socket and then tap and hold the power button for 5-10 seconds till the light blinks orange.
- Head over to your Alexa app and then click on More followed by Add a Device
- Choose the smart plug from the list of available devices and connect it to the Wi-Fi
- Once the smart plug is connected to the same network as the Amazon Echo, you can go ahead and start voice controlling the smart plug and turn it on or off.
You can even set schedules to have it turned on or off when you’re not at home or in the night right before bed.
Set Up Amazon Echo Glow with Alexa
- You can set up the Echo Glow in the same way as the other devices.
- Tap on the power button and then enable its pairing mode
- Enter the Alexa app on your smartphone and proceed to add a new device
- Select Echo Glow from the list of devices and proceed to connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your Echo
Once connected, you will be able to voice control the Echo Glow to turn on or off and to either brighten or dim the light.
There’s also an option to wake up the device at a particular time in the morning or to schedule a sleep time for the night.
Set Up Amazon Echo Sub
To boost the overall sound quality of your Echo, connect the Echo Sub to your Echo device by using the Alexa app.
- Head over the Alexa app and tap on More
- Click on Add a New Device and then choose Echo Sub from the list below
- Proceed to turn on the Echo Sub and wait for it to enter Bluetooth pairing mode
- Once connected to your Echo you will be able to listen to deeper bass and have a rich listening experience
Set Up Amazon Smart Microwave with Alexa
- Switch on your smartphone and then open the Amazon Alexa app
- Tap on More and then proceed to add a device
- Choose microwave from the list and then following the instructions in the Amazon microwave instruction manual, enable Bluetooth pairing
- Now proceed to the app and search for the device
- Pair the two by connecting the microwave to the same Wi-Fi network as the Echo
You will now be able to voice control your microwave and have it cook food for a particular period of time, reheat the food, stop cooking and more, all through voice commands on your Amazon Echo device.
What Can Amazon Alexa Do?
Regardless of whether you have a tiny Echo Dot or an Echo Show, there are a number of things you can do with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant. Some popular features include;
- You can use Alexa to provide entertainment by asking her to tell a joke, play a particular song or read the news
- Alexa can be used to tell you the current weather locally and any particular place in a different country
- You can also set schedules to have news and the weather forecast to be read at a particular time of the day; either in the morning before work or in the evening once you’re back
- Alexa can be used to create reminders, set alarms, call a person who’s a part of your phone book and even reply to messages
- By saying “Alexa, give me updates on a specific sickness”, it will provide you with a complete breakdown of that disease or sickness and will also ask you if it should get medical assistance
- Another popular use of Alexa is to keep track of the stock market by asking her to give you daily updates on your favorite stocks
- Alexa can play any artist in its library and you can pull up any song by simply saying Alexa, play (name) song
- To make life easier, you can control multiple smart home devices including robot vacuums through the Alexa app and set schedules for their daily tasks
- If your Alexa account is linked to a valid payment method then you can ask Alexa to book movie tickets, renew subscriptions or pay for an Amazon order
Do I Have to Say Alexa Every Time I Ask Her to Do Something?
Not necessarily, you can configure the Amazon Alexa app in such a way that you don’t have to say Alexa every single time you want her to do something.
There’s a setting on the Alexa app that lets you have full fledged conversations with Alexa without pausing and Alexa will understand when a sentence is finished before providing her answer to your question.
You can also choose to have the default wake word changed from Alexa to Amazon, Echo, Computer, Ziggy or Santa depending on which country you’re located in.
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