Introduction

Because of Alexa’s growing popularity, you may already own a device or subscribe to a service that is compatible with Alexa. Alexa integrates with devices and services using skills. Some skills will connect to your current subscriptions, like YNAB or Pandora. Others may interact with devices you already own, like the HP Printer skill, or Find My Phone.

Amazon Echo devices are very popular introductory items for smart home enthusiasts, and it’s easy to see why. Echo devices are used to access Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. Alexa is not stored on the device, but lives in Amazon’s servers and is frequently updated and optimized. So its abilities are always changing and growing. Alexa can control smart home devices, answer general trivia questions, query your calendar, stream music, and so much more!

Echo devices, and Alexa, can be used as your smart home’s interface. An interface is a device used to control or automate your other smart home devices. You can learn more about interfaces and the other parts of the smart home.

This guide will show you the differences between some of the more popular Alexa enabled speakers. You will also learn how to set up your Echo devices as well as adjust general Alexa settings.

Device Reviews

Echo 3rd Gen.

There are quite a few differences between the Echo 3 and it’s 2nd generation counterpart. The first noticeable difference is the look of the device. A little wider, and much smoother than before, the Echo 3 sports a more modern look. On top of that, the removal of the “Amazon” logo from the bottom, gives the Echo 3 a higher end design. Lastly, the Echo 3 has the deepest bass of the bunch, making music streaming a much better option, than on other Echo devices. Available at Amazon Find on eBay

Echo Dot 3rd Gen.

The Echo Dot 3 is the perfect budget device for a beginner. The Echo Dot 3 is a large improvement over the Echo Dot 2. It has a much more robust and modern design, making it look closer to the Echo 3 than the Echo Dot 2. It works great as a music streaming device and can easily fill a room with sound. Available at Amazon Find on eBay

Echo Flex

The Echo Flex is a cool little device, but may not be what you’re looking for. Its biggest downfall is its small speaker. It’s barely loud enough to be heard when the shower is running, but could be good to have playing in a bathroom when visitors are over. It could also work well as part of a speaker group, as an extra input. Available at Amazon Find on eBay

Echo 2nd Gen.

The 2nd Gen. Echo is a solid device, and if you’re looking to get a little more bang-for-your-buck, you can find a lot of 2nd Gen. Echos for sale at eBay and even refurbished on Amazon. Available at Amazon Find on eBay

Echo Dot 2nd. Gen.

The 2nd Gen. Echo Dot can be had for dirt cheap. The benefit of Echo devices is they all access the same Alexa. Even older devices will be able to do all of the same things a newer device can. The differences will be in the hardware, e.g. the microphones, speakers, and outer case. Find on eBay

Setup Guide

The setup process illustrated below is for any of the current line of Echo devices. The Echo 3, Echo Dot 3, and the Echo Flex.

Alexa App Setup

After installing the Alexa app and signing in with your Amazon account, you will be given a short tour of the app. Mainly, this is to show you the Home icon, Communicate, the Alexa icon, Play, Devices, and where the Menu is located.

Echo Setup

Amazon has tried to make setting up your Echo devices simple, and for the most part they are. Before starting, however, I recommend de-registering any new devices you may have and setting them up as new devices. If it’s your first device, you should be able to skip this step.

When setting up my new Echos, the new devices could not control my smart devices. The fix was to deregister and re-set up the new Echos.

Open your Alexa app and plug in your Echo. The app will recognize it and walk you through setting it up. If the app does not see the device automatically, you can also navigate to Devices and select, add a new device.

When the Echo is discovered, the Alexa app will prompt you to continue set up. Choose the WiFi network you want to connect the device to. You can also choose to save this network and password to simplify set up for future devices.

The first question you will be asked, after you connect your Echo is which room it is located in. This question will create a group for that room and place the Echo inside it. If you just have the one Echo or are putting them all in different rooms, you can skip this question and keep everything separate. Next, you’ll be asked what address the Echo is at. You’ll need to select or enter a new address to move on from this screen. A selected address will have a check mark off to the right. This is helpful for finding local information like the weather, drive times, and local business hours.

Now your Echo is setup, there are some more settings you may be interested in changing like the device’s name. To do this, click Echo & Alexa in the top left corner of the Devices screen. Click the device to see all of its settings. Click Edit Name and give it a new name.

General Echo Device Settings

Audio: Make changes to volume as well as adjust Bass, Midrange, and Treble.

Bluetooth Devices: Connect a phone or tablet to stream music from.

Connected Devices: Choose a main speaker from a group, pair speakers to play stereo, or connect to an Echo Remote or Alexa Gadget.

AUX Audio: Toggle between Line IN and Line OUT.

Wake Word: Choose between Alexa, Amazon, Echo, or Computer.

Follow-up Mode: After responding to a command, Alexa will listen for another command before shutting off.

Alexa Settings

To make changes to Alexa’s general settings, navigate to the Menu, using the button on the top left corner of the screen. Then click Settings at the bottom of the menu.

Your Profile: Shows your name and mobile number and allows you to configure your voice profile.

Account Settings: Recognized voices, device sharing, voice purchasing, household information and voice history.

Notifications: Settings for all notification types; Shopping, Answer Updates, Things to Try and Device Sharing.

Voice responses: Turn on/off Brief Mode and Whisper Mode

Communication: Link communication accounts with Alexa

Music & Podcasts: Link music services and set default service.

TV & Video: Set up TV schedules as well as connecting many services with Alexa

Flash Briefing: Create a personalized flash briefing by adding content from this setting.

FreeTime: Enable or Disable FreeTime for your child.

Traffic: Set the From and To locations to get a personalized traffic report when you ask, “Alexa, what’s my traffic” or “Alexa, what’s my commute.”

Sports: Add teams you want to keep up with here.

Calendar & Email: Link accounts to integrate these services with Alexa.

Lists: Sync your Alexa shopping and To-do lists with popular list services, like AnyList and Todoist.

Reminders: Manage and customize how and where you revceive reminders.

Guard: Guard is a newer ability for Alexa to listen out for smoke alarms and breaking glass and alert you. It can also integrate with Ring and ADT . It also can use your connected lights to make it look like someone is home when you’re away.

Factory Reset

There always comes a point where a device is no longer working properly or begins acting strangely. In these cases, it’s a good idea to try to factory reset your device.

Echo and Echo Dot – 3rd Gen. Reset

Hold down the Action button (the one with the dot on it) for 25 seconds. The light ring will turn orange and the device will enter setup mode.

Echo Flex Reset

Press the Mute Button, then hold the Action button for 20 seconds. The LED will turn orange, then turn off. Wait for the light to turn blue, then orange again. Now it is in setup mode.

Echo and Echo Dot – 2nd Gen. Reset

To reset your 2nd Generation Echo or Echo Dot, old down the Volume Down button and the Microphone button for about 20 seconds, until the light ring turns orange.

Conclusion

With so many different types of Echo devices available, there’s bound to be one to fit your preferences. If you’re not sure if you’ll love Alexa or not, you can even try Alex out for free through the Alexa App. This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that Alexa is capable of. Alexa is getting smarter all the time and they keep adding updates to the Alexa ecosystem. To learn more about what Alexa is capable of, you can visit Amazon’s Alexa page.

Extra Help