The Amazon Echo
is one of the most popular presents around in 2017.
It's not
difficult to see why. It's the kind of present that's immediately fun to toy
around with, and has functionality that you slowly grow to appreciate the more
you use it.
But they can be a
little bit of a pain to set up, which is especially annoying when you want to
show off your new present to your friends and family.
Step 1: Check
you've got everything you need
To get started
you’ll need an Amazon Echo (obviously), and its included power adaptor - since
it’s unable to run on batteries. Then you’ll need a phone or tablet in order to
complete the software side of the setup. Both Android and iOS devices are
supported across both phones and tablets, or, since this is an Amazon device
after all, you can also use an Amazon Fire phone or tablet.
Step 2: Get the
Alexa app
All of the
technical control of your device is done through the Alexa app, so we’ll need
to download it to set up the device. Head over to the app store on your device
of choice. On iOS this is the ‘App Store’, on Android it’s the ‘Google Play
Store’ and on Fire devices it’s the ‘Amazon Appstore’. Once in the store,
download the ‘Amazon Alexa’ app.
Step 3: Plug in
the Echo
Now that we’ve
got the software that we need, it’s time to get the hardware itself set up.
Take the Amazon Echo speaker and turn it over to find the power jack. Then,
take the Echo’s power adaptor and plug it into the power jack on the Echo
speaker. Finally, take the power adaptor’s other end and plug it into the wall.
Your Echo now has power, great work.
Step 4: Wait for
the device to initialise
Ok now we’re
talking. Once the Echo is plugged in you’ll have to wait a couple of seconds
for it to initialise. Its light ring will turn blue for a couple of moments,
and will then switch to orange along with playing a short greeting to let you
know that your Echo is now ready for setup. Don’t worry about rushing, the Echo
will stay in this mode until you’re ready.
Step 5: Open up
the app
Now you’re going
to need to open the Alexa app that you downloaded earlier on to your phone or
tablet. Once the app is open, go into the settings menu using the icon on the
top left of the screen and then select ‘Settings’ from the bottom of the menu.
Select ‘Set up a new device’ to start the Wi-Fi connection process.
Step 6: Select
your device
Next, select
which Echo device you want to set up. For the purposes of this guide we’ve been
assuming that you’re setting up a full-size Amazon Echo, but these instructions
will also work if you’re setting up the mini Echo Dot, the Echo Plus or the
battery-powered Amazon Tap (the four are all controlled through the same app).
Select the right device, and then pick the correct language from the next page.
Step 7:
Connecting to Wi-Fi
Select ‘Connect
to Wi-Fi’ from the next page to begin the connection process. The instructions
will ask you to check that the device is currently displaying an orange ring,
but if it’s not then you’ll have to hold the ‘action button’ for five seconds
first to put the device into setup mode. Now you’ll need to hop out of the
Alexa app and into your settings app.
Once in the
settings app, jump into Wi-Fi settings. Turn on Wi-Fi if it’s not on already,
and then select the Amazon Echo device from the list of access points. The
Echo’s name should start with the word ‘Amazon’. Once connected to the device,
jump out of your settings app and back into the Alexa app, where it will say
that it’s connected to the Echo. Tap ‘Continue’.
Now you’ll need
to connect to you home’s Wi-Fi. Select yours from the list presented to you,
and enter your Wi-Fi’s password. Tap ‘Connect’. Depending on your home’s Wi-Fi
speed, it might take a few moments for the device to connect, but once it’s
done so you should be taken back to the settings menu with your Amazon Echo
listed as being ‘Online’. On the device itself the light ring should turn off.
Step 8: Don’t
want to say ‘Alexa’? You can change it
By default your
Amazon Echo will be set to activate when it hears the word ‘Alexa’, but there
are a couple of reasons why you might want to change this. Maybe one of your
family members is called Alexa and you don’t want your smart speaker to
activate whenever you’re talking to them?
Thankfully, it’s
a fairly simple process to change your wake word to something that’s more
convenient.
In order to
change this wake word you’ll need to jump into your Echo’s settings, which you
can do from the app’s main settings menu. Tap on your Echo, and then scroll
down to where it says ‘Wake Word’. Tap this and you’ll have four options: Alexa
(the default), Amazon, Echo, and Computer. Unfortunately none are completely
unique words, but hopefully one should work for you.
You're done!
Congratulations,
your Amazon Echo is now connected to your Wi-Fi and is ready to be integrated
into your daily life. If you want to test to make sure that it’s working then
you can try out a couple of simple commands. Try saying your wake word,
followed by ‘Hello’. If everything’s working as expected then your Amazon Echo
should say ‘Hello’ back. Simple, really.