If you've just bought an Amazon Echo, you're probably asking yourself the following question as soon as you take it out of the box: how do I set it up? The truth is, getting a smart speaker from this company up and running is very simple, but if you've never used one before, you might not know where to begin. Well, that's what we're here for. We're going to explain step by step how to set up your Echo for the first time.
Amazon Echo speakers
They are undoubtedly one of the most popular smart devices available today. Amazon speakers have become a top choice for home automation thanks to their excellent performance, the wide range of features they offer, and their diverse price points (ensuring there's a device to suit every budget).
They all move thanks to Alexa, Amazon's smart assistant and a major competitor to Google Assistant - however much Siri has improved, it is still somewhat below these two - a solution that allows the user to perform a multitude of actions ranging from simple reminders to playing movies or making a video call.
Whichever model you bought (from the Echo Dot shown above in the video to the Echo Show 5 on sale now, which we've linked below), what they all have in common, besides Alexa's voice, is how to get started. And that's exactly what we're going to go over now: how to set up an Echo speaker for the first time and what steps to follow. Take note.
How to set up an Echo speaker for the first time
As soon as you take your Amazon Echo speaker out of the box, the first thing you will have to do is have its cable and plug for the electrical outlet at hand. None of the equipment in this family is wireless, so they all need power from a cable (included in the box) to work.
Set up the Amazon Alexa app
Once it's turned on, the next step will have to be done on your smartphone, as you will need to download an application to it (available of course for both Android and iOS) to continue with the setup:
- Go to the app store of your terminal and search Amazon Alexa.
- Hit download and install it on your phone.
- When you open it, you will be notified that it requires access to Bluetooth. You accept.
- Log in with your Amazon account credentials (it is essential to have one for the process).
- You will have to tell Alexa "who you are" and grant permissions for Alexa to access your contacts (so you can send them messages and call them) and receive notifications.
- Alexa's voice learning will be proposed to you to interact with her. You can skip it and do it later or configure it at that moment so that it recognizes you -we recommend the second, it's just a few seconds in which you will have to repeat a few phrases and that's it.
- All set up. The main home page of the app will appear on your phone screen.
Pair your Echo with your Amazon Alexa app
It's time to plug your Echo speaker into the power outlet. When you do, it will first light up blue and then orange. At this point, two things can happen : your app might detect it instantly and automatically, displaying a notification message on your phone screen, or you might have to manually force detection.
In this second case, the steps you should follow are the following:
- Tap on “More” (bottom right corner) and then on + Add a device.
- Select "Amazon Echo."
- Tap on "Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus and more."
- You'll be asked if the Echo is plugged in (this is the time to do it) and if it's in setup mode (the device will beep orange light about a minute after plugging it in indicating it is ready for your setup).
- Your phone will search for the device and should find it in no time.
Once your phone detects the device (either in the first way we mentioned or after you search for it), the following steps are the same :
- Select one Wifi network for your Echo to connect to it.
- Within seconds, you'll see a notice that the Echo has connected and even the Echo will let you know that you're ready to start using it.
- Tap on “Continue”.
- Choose the room the one your Echo is on (it can be a default name or create a custom one if you scroll all the way down).
- Add the steer axle truck in which your speaker is located (by default it will appear to choose the one associated with your Amazon account, but you can change it). Tap on continue.
- Put a name to that location and tap on “Next”.
- You can view (if you want, it is not mandatory or necessary) a video with basic concepts about the specific speaker you have.
- Tap on continue.
- You'll see a setup complete message, which means you're ready to talk to Alexa and start using your device.
- Tap on “Done”.
After these steps, the speaker itself will speak to you and suggest you try some commands to start familiarizing yourself with them. You can also cancel this short training, although we recommend it so you can begin to get comfortable with the voice assistant.
From here, it's just a matter of learning all the possibilities your Echo offers by exploring the app and its options. The home screen alone provides a good number of suggestions , such as:
- Explore and know the so-called skills
- Customize Alexa responses
- Create routines
- call your contacts
- Know other suggestions
Take a look at them and you'll be able to better understand all the possibilities that the speaker offers (many of which you may not have even thought of). Here at Output we have also been teaching you (and will continue to do so) tricks and tasks to configure on your speaker, so don't hesitate to look them up to get the most out of it.
Note: Amazon purchase links in this article may earn us a small commission through their affiliate program. Even so, the purpose of this article continues to be informative and the inclusion of the links has been decided by the value they bring to the whole and to the reader, without receiving any suggestion or request for publication from Amazon.