How to setup Alexa Dot ?
Well, to do that you must enter the smart speaker into Setup mode first. There, you choose the wireless network you’d like to Setup the speaker with, via the Alexa app. You can do this on either your desktop computer or mobile device.
Now below, we walk you through this process with an Alexa Dot 2 speaker. But the routine is almost the same for setting up the other Alexa speakers. These include the Dot 1, the Echo 1 and Echo 2, Echo Spot, and the Tap. We do this Alexa Dot demo on our iPad iOS-based iPad Air tablet.
If you’ve previously linked a particular Alexa Dot to your Amazon account, you can keep some of its settings. Indeed, you need not completely erase these settings for that speaker. Not if you’re just setting it up.
We’ll cover both cases here. Case one is where you connect the speaker for the first time on your Amazon account. The second case is where you’ve previously connected the speaker on your account. But now, you simply wish to setup this speaker on a new wireless network.
Armed with your mobile device and the Alexa app, setting up is indeed painless.
We assume that you have linked the Alexa App to your Amazon account. Note also that we took the screen shots below with an Apple iPad Air. But a similar Alexa app for Android is also available from the Google Play store.
How to Setup Alexa Dot: Step by Step
1. Connect your Alexa Dot to Power
If not already running, plug your speaker into a power source. You must power on the speaker first. Why? Because you’ll need to access the network parameters stored in its memory, as described next.
![Picture of the Alexa Dot 2nd Gen speaker, plugged in and booting. Powering up. This is the first step in how to setup Alexa Dot.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/AmazonEchoDot2ndGenPluggedInBooting_001.jpg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1)
2. Run the Amazon Alexa App on your Tablet
Start by running this app on your mobile device. The Alexa app lets you access your devices and settings for each of your registered speakers.
The app Home screen then shows, as pictured next.
![Screenshot of the Alexa Dot app on iOS, displaying its Home screen. Showing the hamburger (Main) menu button.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018HomeScreenMenuButtonHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
3. Tap the Hamburger Menu Control to Continue with How to Setup Alexa Dot
Find this item pointed at by the blue arrow in the last picture. Tapping this control once brings up the main menu.
![Screenshot of the main menu. Showing the -Settings- item.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018MainMenuSettingsHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
4. Tap the Settings Menu Item
We’ve circled the Settings item in blue in the last picture, located in the black-background menu at left-screen.
The Settings screen then appears.
![Screenshot of the -Settings- screen. Showing the -Setup A New Device- button. How to setup an older Alexa Dot is similar to setting up a new one.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SettingsScreenSetUpANewDeviceHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
5. Look for your Alexa Dot in the Resulting List
Note on the Settings screen shown above, that the app lists all of our Alexa devices. These are the speakers in our Amazon account.
If the speaker you’re changing shows on your Settings screen, then tap that entry. Then jump down to step 6 below. There, you update the saved Wi-Fi network. This skips some of the early steps needed to do a full setup of a brand new Alexa Dot.
But if your speaker is not on the list, then you’ll need to put into setup mode. This gets the smart speaker ready to Setup to Wi-Fi. This is just as you would do if you were adding a new Alexa Dot to your Amazon account. In that case, continue on with the next step (Step 5a) to do that.
5a. Tap the Setup a New Device Button
Find this button pointed at by the blue arrow in the last picture.
The Alexa app then shows the Setup a New Device screen.
![Screenshot of the -Setup A New Device- screen. Showing the -Echo Dot- choice.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SetUpANewDeviceScreenEchoDotHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
5b. Choose the Device Type you’re Working With to Continue with How to Setup Alexa Dot
Pick this from the list of available speakers and accessories displayed in the last screenshot.
The Alexa app then shows the Choose Language screen.
![Screenshot of the -Choose Language- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018ChooseLanguageScreenContinueButtonHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
5c. Choose the Language for the New Alexa Dot
In our case, the English language choice already shows in blue in the last picture. But if you wanted to change this, tap on this link. A list of available language options will then appear, with the current language choice checked. There, you can simply tap on your preferred language. The blue link will then reappear, and show the language you selected. Once the desired language is showing, tap the blue Continue button.
The Alexa app then displays the Begin Echo Dot Setup screen.
6. Observe the Begin Echo Dot Setup Screen
This screen appears next.
![Screenshot of the -Begin Echo Dot Setup- page. Showing the -Connect To Wi-Fi- button. Do this to continue with how to setup Alexa Dot.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018BeginEchoDotSetupScreenConnectToWiFiButtonHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
7. Tap the Connect to Wi-Fi Button
The Setup->Wait for the Orange Light Ring screen then displays.
![Screenshot of the -Setup-Wait For Orange Light- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SetupWaitForOrangeLightScreenContinueHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
Wait for a minute or so for your Alexa Dot light ring to glow in a spinning orange-yellow pattern.
If the orange light ring does not light up after a few minutes, find the Action button on your speaker. Then press and hold it for roughly five seconds. The Action button is the one with the small white circle. This forces the Alexa Dot to enter setup mode. It then announces, “Now in setup mode. Follow the instructions in the Alexa app.”
A rotating orange blip then appears on the light ring. Do not go on to the next step until you’ve heard this announcement, and see this rotating orange blip.
Do not place the smart speaker into setup mode until the screen above shows on your mobile device. If you do, and then advance the Alexa app to this point, this can sometimes confuse the app. If the app goes haywire here, this might force you to setup the speaker as a brand new device. But this may not be what you wanted. So be careful.
![Picture of the Alexa Dot Gen 2 in Setup mode. showing the light ring with orange blip circling. The speaker must be in this mode to continue with how to setup Alexa Dot to WiFi.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/AmazonEchoDotGen2InSetupModeLightRingOrangeBlip_001.jpg?resize=296%2C300&ssl=1)
8. Tap the Continue Button to Continue with How to Setup Alexa Dot
Find this button back in the Alexa app.
This brings up the Echo Dot Setup->Connect your iPad to Echo Dot screen. This screen stays up until you connect your mobile device to the Amazon-xxx WiFi network. The speaker creates this network for setup purposes.
Continue on with the next step to connect your mobile device to the speaker.
![Screenshot of the Alexa app displaying its -Echo Dot Setup-Connect Your iPad To Echo Dot- page.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018EchoDotSetupConnectYouriPadToEchoDotScreen_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
9. Go into your Mobile Device’s Settings Page
Press the Home button on your mobile device. This minimizes the Alexa app.
Then, find the Settings app and tap it. In our iPad, we find the Settings app on the second home page. Note though, that you may find this app elsewhere on your mobile device.
![Picture of an iOS Home screen. Showing the Settings app icon.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/iOSHomeScreenSettingsHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
10. Tap the Wi-Fi Settings Item
This begins a scan for in-range Wi-Fi networks by your tablet.
Then, a partial list of networks that our iPad found appeared next. Note that it found the Amazon-E9W wireless network. This SSID comes from our Echo Dot II speaker in setup mode. The speaker is in setup when light ring glows orange.
If you do not see the Amazon-XXX network, move your tablet closer to your Alexa Dot. Then, wait some seconds for it to appear.
If you still do not see it, reboot your speaker.
Then, once the light ring goes out, repeat from step 5 above. The orange ring must appear as described in that step. To see the Amazon-XXX network, the speaker must display the orange ring. That is, it must be in setup mode.
![Screenshot of the iOS Settings-WiFi screen. Showing the AMAZON-XXX network. Not yet connected.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/iOSSettingsWiFiScreenAmazon-XXXHighlighted_002.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
11. Tap the Amazon-XXX Network to Continue with How to Setup Alexa Dot
The connection should link immediately. No password prompt appears for this unsecured network.
Once Setup, your Wi-Fi settings screen should look something like the next picture. We’ve now connected to Amazon-E9W.
![Screenshot of the successful connection with the AMAZON-XXX network on our iPad Air.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/iOSSettingsWiFiAmazonXXXConnected_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
Your speaker should also announce something like the following: “You’ve connected to Echo Dot. Go ahead and finish the setup in the Alexa app.”
12. Go back to the Amazon Alexa App
Press the Home button on your mobile device to return to its Home page.
Then, find the Alexa app. Ours is on Home Page 3.
Then, tap that app to bring it up.
![Screenshot again of the iOS Home page. Showing the Amazon Alexa Dot app icon. Get into the Alexa app to continue with how to setup Alexa Dot.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/iOS11HomeScreen2017AlexaAppHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
The following screen then appears. It shows the tablet now connected to your Alexa Dot.
![Screenshot of the -Connected To Echo Dot- screen. Showing the -Continue- button.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018ConnectedToEchoDotScreenContinueButtonHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
13. Press the Blue Continue Button
on the screen pictured above. This starts a scan by your speaker, for available Wi-Fi networks in range of it.
Once the scan finishes, the Choose Your Wi-Fi Network screen appears. This screen shows a list of the in-range wireless networks found by your smart speaker during the scan.
![Screenshot of the -Setup-Select Your Wi-Fi Network- screen. Showing the network we want.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SetupSelectYourWiFiNetworkScreenDesiredNetworkCircled_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
14. Tap your Desired Network to Continue with How to Setup Alexa Dot
Pick the network you’d like your speaker to setup to, on the Choose Your Wi-Fi Network screen above. In our case, we picked the 937T681J4059H_2G_Guest network.
Perhaps you’ve never linked with this network before in your current Amazon account. In that case, the Alexa app prompts for this network’s password. The screen you see may differ slightly. But the password prompt function will indeed be the same.
![Screenshot of the prompt for WiFi password along with the virtual keyboard.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/AmazonAlexaAppEnterWiFiPasswordPrompt_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
15. Enter the Password if Prompted
Use that virtual keyboard to tap in your network’s password.
Then, when finished, hide the keyboard. You should observe a screen similar to the following, showing the password entered.
![Screenshot of the app displaying the WiFi Password Entry page. Do this to continue with how to setup Alexa Dot to WiFi.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/AmazonAlexaAppWiFiPasswordEntryScreen_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
16. Press the Continue Button
This begins attempts by your Alexa Dot to setup to the wireless network you chose in step 13. During this process, the Preparing your Echo Dot screen displays, showing an advancing progress bar.
![Screenshot of the -Setup-Preparing Your Echo Dot- page.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SetupPrepairingYourEchoDotScreen_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
If all goes well, the Setup Complete screen appears. Your speaker has successfully connected to the wireless network you chose. Plus, she was also able to connect with the Alexa servers at Amazon as well.
![Screenshot of the -Setup Complete- page. Showing the -Continue- button.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018SetupCompleteScreenContinueButtonHighlighted_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
Finally, your speaker should announce something like, “Your Echo Dot is now ready.”
17. Press the Continue Button
This takes you out of the Setup Complete screen and back to the Alexa app Home screen.
![Screenshot of the Alexa app -Home- page again. This is the last step in how to setup Alexa Dot.](https://i0.wp.com/tomstek.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AlexaAppiOS2018HomeScreen_001.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
18. Test out your Alexa Dot
Ask, “Alexa, what time is it?” or “Alexa, what’s the weather?”
If she responds with appropriate answers, then the speaker is ready for use.
Run this routine whenever you want to Setup your speaker.
19. Done with How to Setup Alexa Dot !
Qualifiers
This post pertains to the following software and hardware versions of the components referenced herein:
-
- iOS 11.2.5
- Alexa App: Client Version 1.24.4244.0; Bridge version 2.2.2471.0
- Amazon Echo Dot, 2nd Generation, running device software version 599473420.
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