This post gives Amazon Alexa Echo Input setup instructions, and the steps to follow to complete this device set up on a new WiFi network. Plus, this routine works for brand new Inputs as well as used ones that you want to put on another network or account.
Before you Start Amazon Echo Alexa Input Setup
1. A Smart Mobile Device
You’ll need to run the Alexa app on a compatible mobile phone or tablet computer. For this demo, we’re using an iPad Air tablet.
2. A WiFi Internet Connection
None of the Echo devices that we know of come with an RJ45 Ethernet port. So, you may only set them up to the Alexa service through a WiFi network. That network must have internet access.
3. The Alexa App
Get the Alexa app in the Google Play (Android) store, or the App Store (iOS). Download and install the right version for your device, and then log into it with your Amazon account details. If you just created an account, be sure to use those credentials.
4. An Amazon Account
If you do not already have an Amazon account for your Input, then get one at https://amazon.com/ . Follow the prompts there to set one up.
Or, when you run the Alexa app in Step 2 under the Echo Input Setup Instructions, Step-by-Step below, and you’ve never signed into the app with a valid account, Alexa will ask you to sign in, as shown next.
There, the app lets you create a new account if you don’t already have one. If you do not, then press the Create a New Amazon Account button in the lower center portion of the login screen. Then, the app walks you through that account setup routine. Note that you must have an account to run the following steps.
5. Bluetooth
Turn on Bluetooth on your mobile device. Why? Because the app uses Bluetooth to find nearby Amazon Echo devices in some situations.
Amazon Echo Input Setup, Step-by-Step
1. Plug your Echo Input Alexa into Mains Power
Plug the included USB cord into the device.
Plug the other end of that cable into the included power adapter, and plug the adapter into a working outlet, as shown next.
2. Run the Alexa App
Find the Alexa app on your mobile device, as we did on the iPad Air tablet, as shown in the next picture.
Tap the Alexa app icon to run it. If this is your first time starting the app, it will prompt you for your Amazon account and password. Again, if you just set up a new account above, log into the app with those account credentials.
Plus, if this is your first Echo device, the app will ask you to set up a new device.
3. Enter Account Id and Password to Continue with Amazon Echo Input Setup
Should the Alexa app prompt, enter your Amazon account details. Doing this will sign you in via the Alexa app. The app then remembers your account information the next time you run it, so that you won’t have to punch in this data every time.
4. If you are Not Prompted to Set Up a New Device…
If this Echo Input is not your first device, the app displays its Home screen. We got the Home page right away, since we have other devices on our Amazon account.
5. Tap the More (Hamburger) Button
Find this called out by the green arrow in the last picture.
Hitting the More control brings up the Alexa app’s main menu, as shown next.
6. Tap the Add a Device Item to Continue with Amazon Alexa Echo Input Setup
Visit the next page in the process by tapping the Add a Device menu item (left top of the screen), highlighted by the green arrow in the last picture.
This brings up the Setup->What type of device are you setting up? screen, as shown next.
7. Tap the Amazon Echo Device Type
Tapping the Amazon Echo item brings up the first Setup screen for Echo devices, as shown next, where you pick which model of the Echo you’re connecting. In this case, we want to connect an Echo Input device. So, we’ve pointed out that option with a green arrow in the next picture. You may have to scroll down a bit to see this option on your mobile device.
8. Tap the Echo Input Device Item
Touching the Echo Input device brings up the Echo Input Set Up screen, as shown next.
9. Now Put your Alexa Echo Input into Setup Mode to Continue with Amazon Echo Input Setup
If your Input Echo is powered up, as it should be if you did Step 2 above, it’s probably displaying its orange light dot on the top and in the center of the unit, as shown next. If you see that orange light, then skip ahead to Step 10. Or if not, then work through this step.
If this is a brand new Echo Input you just unboxed, then just plug it into AC power. Plus, we suggest connecting a set of earbuds so you can hear what Alexa says (remember that the Echo Input has no loudspeakers).
Then after a a quarter minute, the unit typically enters Setup mode automatically. You will also hear it announce this through the earbuds.
But if this is not a new Echo Input, it may not right away go into Setup mode. So in that case, you must reset it. In short, to reset, press and hold the Action button until the unit starts resetting. After the hard reset, the unit then enters Setup mode.
At any rate, how ever you get it into Setup, once you have it there, move on to the next step.
10. Tap the Yes Bar in the Alexa App
Next. pick up your mobile device again and go back to the Alexa app. You should see the screen pictured in Step 8 above.
Tap the blue Yes bar shown there.
This starts the Alexa app scanning for new Amazon Echo devices to set up, as shown next.
Now at this point, the app is waiting to hear from the device you’re setting up. It will hear it then, when you place that device in Setup mode.
If your Echo Input is indeed in Setup, then after a brief pause, Alexa should find it, as ours did, and display it in a found-devices list, as shown next.
If Alexa does not find your device, make sure you have Bluetooth turned on in your mobile device that’s running the app. Turn that on, and then check again that your Echo Input is flashing an orange light.
Note that the Alexa Echo Input only stays in Setup mode for several minutes, and times out after that. Should timeout happen, then unplug the speaker from power for a few seconds and plug it back in. This should re establish Setup mode.
11. Tap the Listed Amazon Echo Input to Set Up
In this demo, we tap the Echo Input-30K device, pointed at by the green arrow in the last picture above.
This brings up the Select your Wi-Fi Network page, as shown next.
Just prior to the app showing this screen, it runs a WiFi scan from the device you chose, for in-range WiFi networks that said device sees. Then, it’s this list that the app displays for you.
12. Choose the WiFi Network To Setup your Echo Input Alexa With
Tap the WiFi network you want your speaker to sign into. In our case, we’re choosing the 937T681J4059H_5G_Guest network. That one is pointed out by the green arrow in the last picture.
13. Enter the Password for That WiFi Network
Tapping a WiFi network may ask you to enter the password for that network. Skip down to the next step if you don’t see this prompt.
The app may not prompt you, if you’ve previously saved this network’s information to your Alexa account. This is true for us in this scenario. So Alexa did not ask us for the password.
But if a password entry screen does appear, type in the right WiFi password for the WiFi network you chose, and then move ahead to the next step.
14. Wait for your Amazon Echo Input to Connect to your WiFi Network
While your speaker tries to set itself up on the WiFi network you picked above, the app shows the Connecting your Echo to Wi-Fi screen, as pictured next.
After some seconds, and if all goes well, you see the following screen. This shows that the Echo Input successfully connected to your WiFi network.
Also, the Echo Input then makes a sound in the earbuds, and announces that it’s ready for use. You’ll then get the following screen.
But if it does not connect and you get errors, follow any instructions that the app displays. If you entered the wrong WiFi password, the app prompts you to re-enter it.
Now if the problem connecting is network related, you may have to troubleshoot that issue on your router. In that case, once you’ve fixed the problem, try rerunning this routine again. We recommend that you close the Alexa app and start it anew first. Then, again, be sure that your Alexa Input is in Setup mode before doing the setup routine again.
15. Choose Which Speaker Connection Option you Want, to Continue with Amazon Echo Input Setup
In this demo, we choose the AUX Cable choice at the prompt in the last picture above, since for now, we’re using earbuds with our Amazon Input. But you could also choose to connect to a Bluetooth speaker, although we’re not demonstrating that here. We may cover that in a future post.
Then, we get the following screen.
16. Tap the Blue Continue Bar
Touching Continue brings up the For Best Experience page, as pictured next.
17. Tap the Blue Continue Bar
Touching Continue then brings up the Which room is your Echo Input In prompt, as shown next.
18. Choose the Room Where you will Place the Echo Input to Continue with Amazon Echo Input Setup
In this demo, we tapped the Bedroom choice, as highlighted in the last picture. Note that a check mark appears to the right of the choice you make once you touch that selection.
19. Tap the Blue Continue Bar
Touching the Continue bar then brings up the Where is your Echo Input page, as shown next. The system is prompting you for the street address where you’ll be using your speaker, as shown in the next screenshot.
20. Tap the Street Address where you Want your Echo Input to Be
The default address, which is filled in, and which we covered up in our demo, is shown above.
Review this address, and if correct, move on to the next step. If the address is not not the one you want, then tap the Enter a new address link on this screen, and follow the directions to type in the street address you want.
Once done, the system returns you to this screen, except that now, the correct street address for your speaker should be listed.
21. Tap the Listed Street Address to Set it as the Device’s Default Address to Continue with Amazon Echo Input Alexa Setup
When you touch the address you want, a check mark appears to the right of it, as shown in the next picture.
Move on to the next step once you’ve checked the correct street address for your Alexa Input.
22. Tap the Blue Continue Bar
Once you bump the Continue strip, your Amazon Alexa Echo Input is now setup, and ready to answer voice commands.
Then, the Alexa app takes you back to its Home screen, as shown next.
You may now close the Alexa app if you wish.
23. Test Out your Alexa Echo Input
Your Amazon Echo Input is now ready to receive and respond to commands and questions once the orange light dot darkens after setup. Try asking it some questions like:
- What’s the weather?
- What time is it?
- Give me my flash briefing.
- How are you today?
- Sing happy birthday.
- Tell me a joke.
… and so on. Of course, be sure to precede each question with your Echo wake word. The default is Alexa. Or it could be Computer, Amazon, or Echo if you changed it.
24. Done with Amazon Echo Input Setup !
Enjoy this Alexa device. It’s a truly great sounding streamer, especially when you pair it with a decent Bluetooth speaker, or connect it via the included AUX cable to a stereo system.
Other Posts About the Echo Input Device
- Echo Input Reset Instructions, Hard Factory Reset
- How to Connect Echo Input to Bluetooth Speaker, Alexa
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References for Setup Amazon Echo Input Instructions
Revision History
- 2020-08-17: First published.